Recently, it has been reported that car tires deteriorate even without frequent day to day use. This includes spare tires too. According to Ronald Montoya, consumer advice associate at Edmunds.com, “People often rely on a tire’s tread depth to determine its condition, but the rubber compounds in a tire deteriorate with time, regardless of the condition of the tread.”
“Like an old elastic band, a tire’s rubber can eventually develop cracks on the surface and on the inside wall. This cracking can cause the steel belts in the tread to separate from the rest of the tire.” Most tire manufacturers state that a tire can last up to 10 years though, provided that annual inspections are done.
As a consumer, you can perform a visual inspection as it can offer clues to the degree of your tire’s deterioration. You can also take it to the garage every couple of months to get a tire professional to give you their expert evaluation of the state of your tires. There are many factors that can increase the speed your tire deteriorate including excessive heat and erratic driving. Nothing lasts forever so evaluate the state of your tires today because it may be time to buy a new set.
Everyone has seen commercials for snow tires, most notably, the ones with two cars stopping at a stop sign. One car skids and the other doesn’t. You can guess which one has snow tires. There are provinces such as Ontario where snow tires are not mandatory. There are some areas of the province which are warmer and thus making snow tires mandatory doesn’t seem to be very practical. Cost is also a factor as a set of winter tires can start from $600 and this does not include the rims. Southern parts of Ontario experience very little snow as well, making it not very practical for the province to make snow tires mandatory.
The government of Saskatchewan recently announced they will not be making snow tires mandatory. Saskatchewan’s minister responsible for the car insurance corporation is not convinced that by making snow tires mandatory, that this would reduce collisions. “There’s no substitute for safe driving,” the minister added. “There’s many things you can do to make your cars safer. Winter tires is one of those things that people can do and if that’s a choice people make, that’s great.” Quebec and parts of British Columbia are the only provinces that requires winter tires.
Tag(s): Winter Driving, Winter Tires
It is a common misconception that having two winter tires on the front of the vehicle is as effective as having four winter tires. This is not true. In fact, front wheels will only affect the car as starts moving, but overall you will not have optimal traction for handling. Having 2 different tires on your car decreases its handling ability. With different tires in the front and rear of the vehicle, you will find that it will not react and perform optimally under varying weather conditions. This can be particularly risky when driving during challenging weather conditions where snow, black ice and rain are dangerous factors that can impede your control.
It is important to have the same level of traction on all four corners of the car. Installing four winter tires allows you to maintain the most balance and control over your car which can make the difference between life and death. For maximum safety, it is recommended that you install all four winter tires at the same time. In some provinces like Quebec, it is actually required that winter tires be installed on all wheels.
For more information, visit Calgary Winter Tires and GT Radial Canada.
Below are types of tires and their seasonal attributes. You may decide on certain types of tires depending on weather conditions in your area.
Summer tires: Best for summer, fair in spring and fall, poor in winter
Winter tires: Best in winter, fair in spring and fall – but wear heavily, poor in summer.
All-season – Fair in spring, summer and fall, poor in extreme cold conditions
All-weather – Good in winter but not as good as “winter” tires, fair in spring, summer and fall.
TireStarz is located in every province across Canada! The Dealer Finder also lists OK Tire locations as well. You can find Bridgestone and Firestone tires locally at a TireStarz. Put the power of TireStarz to work for you!
Watch the latest Bridgestone TV spot right on Tirestarz.ca!
‘Under pressure…’ With the wise words of Freddie Mercury ringing in our ears, we are reminded that tire pressure is a pretty key component of car tire safety.
Check out tiresafety.com – it has a great little interactive widget that shows the correct tire pressure, and also the wrong tire pressure.
I always love seeing my favourite brands on TV. Makes me feel a bit famous, in a way! So SpeedTV’s ‘Chop Cut Rebuild’ is going to feature both American Racing Wheels’ Salt Flat Specials and BFGoodrich tires.
According to motorage.search-autoparts.com, here is a little snippet:
American Racing Wheels’ Salt Flat Specials and BFGoodrich tires will be among the components featured this fall on Speed TV’s “Chop Cut Rebuild” series as Classic Industries restores a 1972 Plymouth Duster.
I am pretty excited for this. Not only did I used to drive a Duster myself, but right now I am also rocking some BFGoodrich tires.
If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the driveway! We have long understood the importance of keeping tires cool. Not the stylish kind of cool – we are talking temperatures here. I read a great article the other day about the importance of keeping your tires at a decent temperature.
We all like to get places fast, but sometimes there is such a thing as too fast. Check out this article detailing a man in Germany who was clocked going an amazing 353 km/h in a Bugatti Veyron. Looks like now is a good time for my favourite tire selector tool.
There’s a great article in the Globe and Mail recently about car fuel efficiency. Obviously, we all know a couple of tricks and tips to get the most out of our cars.
Did you know that even your tires can affct your mileage? According to the Globe and Mail:
Check your tire pressure at least once a month. Under-inflated tires burn more fuel. If tires are 8 pounds under inflated, (not an uncommon condition), rolling resistance of the tires increases by 5 per cent.
Check out the rest of the article.