Kelly's Garage - Active Green and Ross

Kelly's Garage - Active Green and Ross - October 2011

Hey ladies, don’t forget the Toronto Women’s Show is coming up November 11-13! Take advantage of the coupon that is below so that you can attend free of charge, otherwise it’s $14.00 at the door. I will also be there all three days at the Active Green and Ross booth and will be giving ½ mini car care clinics each day. On Friday, I will be presenting at 3:30, 12:00 on Saturday and 1:30 on Sunday.

This month’s topic is Winter Tires. Since the season is fast approaching and we could get snow very soon, I thought I would share my first winter tire experience with you. Many years ago, I used to drive an Acura Integra and for Christmas one year my parents bought be a set of winter tires. Lucky me! I tell you, I thought I was invincible with these tires on my car. I could go through anything or so I thought. One day I was driving to my friend’s house and there was a big snow drift on the road which I planned on barrelling through but as soon as I hit it I thought I was going to end up in the ditch! Talk about scare myself to death since my parents weren’t home either to come and rescue me. Fortunately I maintained control of my car and made it to my friends. I learned from this experience that not only my winter tires weren’t invincible but either was I! Do you have a winter tire or driving experience you want to share? If so, please go to my “Kelly Williams Fan Page” on Facebook and write on my wall.

Before rubber was invented, the first versions of tires were simply bands of metal that fitted around wooden wheels in order to prevent wear and tear.

This month's topic: Winter tires versus All Weather Tires

Now is the time to think about buying winter tires or getting prepared to have them installed on your vehicle. The general guideline is Halloween to Easter, or when it is consistently colder than +7 degrees Celsius. Remember, your All Season tire is really only good for three seasons and when it gets colder than +7 they begin to lose their ability to grip the road thus increasing your stopping distance. You will typically go through at least two sets of tires throughout the ownership of your vehicle so why not make one of them a winter set? If you’ve never put winter tires on your vehicle you have no idea what you’ve been missing and then when you do buy them you’ll wish you had done it sooner. The other thing to remember with winter tires is, it’s 4 or nothing. You also might want to invest in a set of steel wheels so that you can keep your winter tires permanently mounted. When you buy winter tires at an Active Green and Ross shop they will do your spring changeover at no-charge and some shops will also store your tires but be prepared to pay a fee for this part of the service. For a winter tire to be classified a winter tire it must have the mountain and snowflake symbol on it. I’ve included what the symbol looks like in the newsletter.

You may also hear people talk about All Weather tires, which will also have the snowflake symbol. An All Weather tire is better than an All Season tire but it won’t replace a true premium winter tire. The true winter tire has a softer rubber compound and this is what helps it adhere to the road during cold temperatures.
Whether you should buy All Weather tires or Winter tires is a conversation you should have with your local Active Green and Tire store since they take a lot of training on different tires throughout the year. My vote will always be for winter tires if you ask me!
Here are a couple of last tips on winter tires.

Ask your Active Green and Ross store what rebates are available
Don’t wait until the last minute to buy them as they may be sold out of your size
Don’t wait for the first snowfall to have them installed
Do look for the Mountain/snowflake symbol
It’s a good idea to get steel wheels for your winter tires
Active Green and Ross will do your spring changeover at no-charge.

Happy driving this winter!
Take care of your car and it will take care of you!