MEDIA and YOUR MONEY

 

The 7° C tire

 

This year’s marketing push in the GTA (Toronto urban sprawl area) to get you to buy winter tires is   7 degrees Celsius.   That is the temperature --according to the new sales pitch -- at which regular tires begin to become stiff and reduce proper traction and safe braking.

 

Only softer, snow tires are not affected.

 

This new ‘fact’ is even being pitched by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation on their website http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/topics/wintertires.shtml.

 

Early November is the recommended switch over time.

 

So, since 7° C (45° Fahrenheit) is not an unusual temperature overnight in the fall and early spring in southern Ontario and occurs for 6 months of the year in the GTA, 7 months in Ottawa, and 8 months in Sudbury many Canadians should be using winter tires most of the year -not just for snow and ice. (See for average temperatures see  http://www.eminf.com/dayton.html. ) (For Sudbury see http://weatherspark.com/averages/28361/Greater-Sudbury-Ontario-Canada)

 

 

This is ludicrous for 3 reasons:

 

1. ‘Normal’ tires sold today are rated “all season” and that covers temperatures well below 7°C. According to http://www.eminf.com/tirebuy.html, “all season” tires do not harden until the temperature is below -10°C (14°F) and offers the following link to find official average temperatures by major city (year round) http://www.eminf.com/dayton.html. 

 

Toronto and area do not get below -10°C  (14°F) regularly or all day, not even up in Newmarket (see http://www.yr.no/place/Canada/Ontario/Newmarket/statistics.html) but Ottawa does, Sudbury does and all of Quebec, even Montreal and Quebec City.  Super cold temperatures also rule winter in Manitoba through Alberta.

 

But not southern Ontario and the GTA!!!!

 

2. Tires warm up quickly when vehicles start driving due to friction with the ground, as reflected by the natural increase in tire air pressure.  So a tire that may have sat overnight at below - 10°C will warm up quickly and give better traction unless the ongoing outdoor temperature is also well below this freezing range.

 

3. Winter tires use soft, suction cup like rubber that rapidly wears down when driven on bare pavement -- even during winter!!!  A new set would not last 6 months if driven on dry roads: a fact acknowledged by my dealership service department.

 

 

So, yes, if you live in rural areas where roads are often narrow with 6 foot ditches, gravel or pockmarked surfaces, and are not ploughed often, or where snow comes down by the foot often, yes, snow tires are needed.   They won’t be effective 100% but they are better.

 

And if you live in truly frigid parts of the country, yes, winter softer rubber is needed.

 

But not in the GTA urban areas with good paved roads and curbs, good snow ploughing service and where temperatures rarely go and stay below -10°C (14° F).

 

Just follow the standard rules that always apply:

Drive slower, allow more space between vehicles, and avoid overdrive gear.  Drop down to 2nd gear if need be for heavier ground snow and up hills.
 

And, of course, in early November, make sure your tires – all season or winter – are at the proper air pressure and you still have enough tread.  Bald tires of any type do not help.

 (If any of the edge and middle tread bars -- between the tire raised tread rows -- are level with the tread, the tire is legally unsafe.  Also, if you insert a US penny, head first, and can see all of Lincoln's head, or all of the Queen's crown on an old Canadian penny, the tire needs replacing,)

 

 

 

A final quote from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20121031114859AASdbll

 

“I have driven and taught driving using all season radial tires in Alberta Canada twelve months of the year, in temperatures as low as minus 30°C., up to plus 30°C. They tend to work fine through that range.”

 

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‘So why this new 7°C push – because winter tire sales are dropping as Global Warming or, for skeptics, 10-15 year climate cycles are causing less snow and warmer temperatures -- at least in the GTA.