TIRE SAFETY: Don’t Drive Bare

Now that we have survived our first genuine snowstorm of the season, everyone has driven their own road test of sorts. The first storm always exposes imperfections and shortcomings in our vehicles, that once addressed, take us safely through to spring. Our recent storm’s blend of ice, snow and rain tested everyone’s resolve, as well as the condition of their transportation. While it wasn’t particularly cold, a friend of mine’s car already had to be jump started. His winter will start with a new battery. Another friend learned that he needed to add new wipers to his truck, after he could barely see his way home. My purchase for this winter season was new tires.

Tires are often neglected and taken for granted, but nothing is more critical to the safety and performance of any, and all, vehicles. Environmentalists are constantly stressing the importance of proper tire inflation, in order to optimize fuel economy. Ford lost millions in the Explorer rollover debacle. The blame was finally placed on over zealous drivers, combined with improperly inflated tires. As a result, new vehicles now have tire inflation monitoring systems. Owners can brag all they want about their 4 wheel or all-wheel drive, but without tires that are up to the job, the rest is just macho posturing.

In the case of my 2005 Scion TC, I was driving close to the edge. My 5 year old car had 45,000 miles on its 17”, Bridgestone Potenza, Z rated, performance tires. I could tell even last winter that they were feeling their age. There were several storms that, even though I was driving slowly, I could feel the tires float on top of the slush and snow. I had little traction, and it felt dangerous. Performance tires are not made for a Maine winter anyway. They are too wide to bite through the snow, and the rubber is too brittle in the cold winter temperatures to adhere to cold surfaces. My 215/45ZR17 Potenzas were made to grip around a corner during a hot summer day, not to climb the hills and valleys of the Portland Peninsula during a Northeaster.

Summer came and my aging tires continued onward. An occasional rain storm was not a problem. If there was a hint of hydroplaning, just slow down, right? After all, the wear bars were not showing. My attitude changed though, recently. Driving along innocently, I took a corner at regular speed, on dry pavement, and I could feel the Scion lose traction. If I was having trouble navigating a simple turn now, I was going to be in for a long, dangerous winter. So it was time to bite the bullet, and spend some money.

The search for THE right tire for my vehicle could have been a pain staking, time consuming process, or as simple as picking up the phone and buying whatever the local tire shop might have available. I chose somewhere in between the two. First step? I decided that I did not want to hassle with changing in and out of snow tires each time the seasons changed, so I compromised by deciding on all season radials. I wanted a name brand that would deliver reliability and safety, but I did not want to bankrupt myself in the process.

Research and shopping for tires is actually easy, thanks to the Internet. Through various Web sites, all you have to do is enter your vehicle and model, your preferred criteria and price range, then a variety of recommendations are magically laid before you. I did my initial research across every site that I could imagine, including tirerack.com, Sears and Sam’s Club, just to name a few. There are many more available. Regardless of which you surf, most sites are comprehensive, and will steer you in the right direction, based on driving style, usage, and most importantly, price. An added benefit with some, are the user reviews; comments and criticisms from those that are already driving your potential tire of choice.

In my case, there seemed to be hundreds of choices. I had to do something to narrow the field. Since I was impressed with the look and feel of the BF Goodrich tires that we had on our Windstar van, I thought that I would look at their choices. I know, that’s comparing apples to oranges, but I did not want to return to the factory Bridgestone Potenzas, and I didn’t want to pay the top price for Michelins. Research came up with the highly recommended BFGoodrich G-Force™ Super Sport All Season radials. At $125 each, they were right in my price ceiling of $500, and the owner reviews were favorable.

The purchase was made. For nearly $600 (tax and mounting), I now have four new tires, free roadside assistance, along with lifetime tire rotation and balancing. Man, what a difference! These tires are fearless. I can feel them aggressively grab every type of road surface, under any driving condition. Dry or wet, they confidently handle anything Mother Nature has to offer. While they are not snow tires, they do provide a genuine feeling of confidence when the snow flies. No longer am I tip-toeing to the next stop sign. I can now drive with the, “Power of the G-Force” under me.

So, while wear bars are a guide to tire wear, and the Maine State Inspection is the final gatekeeper for tire safety, don’t wait too long. I was almost guilty of driving bare this winter. While it cost me money for four new tires, the cost of an accident would certainly have been more. Like the saying goes, “The life you save may be you own.”