Tag: Specialized Tires

Temperature sensitive concept tire

Temperature sensitive concept tireWould you purchase a Temperature sensitive concept tire? That has a white rubber sidewall strip that changes color when the temperature gets below 7°C or 44F? Apparently this is the point at which you should consider changing from all season tires or summer tires to winter tires. Some governments have even mandated this change to snow tires for safety reasons.

Canadian tire is partnering with the research and development organization ARTS to introduce a Temperature sensitive concept tire. It tells you when it is time to install your snow tires. If the temperature goes below a specific value the walls of your tires will turn white. This is to let you know it is time to install your winter snow tires on your car.

Temperature sensitive concept tire – How it Works

Apparently when it gets but below 7°C it is time to replace your summer tires with winter tires. This is the best time to be prepared for the coming winter season. Many people wait until the first snow fall which usually means it is much colder than 7 degrees. The rubber in your tires is not providing the traction you need for these conditions. In addition you now can avoid the winter rush to have snow tires installed.

As the temperature becomes lower, a tire with hard rubber provides less traction in snow conditions and cold wet conditions. Even though all season tires are designed for all seasons, a car driven with winter tires, which has softer rubber will provide much better traction in winter.

Temperature sensitive concept tire – Still in Research

This tire design is still in the concept stages with the research company and Canadian tire Corporation.  Unfortunately, many people prefer not to have white walls on their tires and this may be the one marketing factor that will delay the introduction of this particular concept tire.

Canadian Tire is trying to shift the time that consumers install winter tires on their cars. Most wait until the first snow fall. Then they rush into the tire shop to make an appointment to have their tires changed. There are usually long wait times, frustrated customers and employees who work long hours.

In addition, it is already too cold for summer tires to be driven safely. Once it snows and the snow stays on the ground summer tires will not deliver the traction that is needed for winter driving conditions. If Canadian Tire is successful with this concept, they contribute to safer driving for consumers. Which means fewer accidents overall. They will also even out the workload somewhat. Consumers with tires that change color will get the jump on other consumers. They will not have to wait for hours until a mechanic can get to their car and change the tires for them. They can save time and money!


New Tires

new tiresIs it time to buy new tires for your car? How do you know if you need replacements and where can you find the best deal for tires? How do you know you are actually getting a good deal for tires and what should you look for when you do buy tires. Most people just go back to the dealer or to one of the big name stores to purchase their tires. They might watch for a tire sale to take place, but often they suddenly realize that their tires are in bad shape and they have to get tires right away. So without shopping around off they go to the closest tire store and spend upwards of $500 to a $1000 on a set of four new tires, with balancing and installation included.

Features to Consider for New Tires

We decided to include a list of items that we think consumers should include when they are looking for new tires. If you get a price for all of these services included and compare the exact same tires at another vender then you will be able to really find the best deal. Here is a list of what we think the average consumer should include when they are looking:

  • Right size and speed rating for your car
  • Installation
  • Balancing
  • Filled with nitrogen (Not all consumers need this feature)
  • Refill or top up if needed with nitrogen
  • Disposal of your old tires
  • Warranty in terms of miles or kilometers that the tires should be good for
  • Lifetime tire rotation
  • Lifetime rebalancing
  • Tire warranty replacement
  • Price
  • Taxes in the state or province you are in

Compare Everything Before You Buy

When you compare all of these items from several tire stores you visit, you will quickly begin to realize that there can be a significant difference in the cost. Take for example tire rotation. Most manufacturers suggest that wheels should be rotated every 10 to 12 thousand miles. A tire store will charge as much as $20 per tire or $80 to do this work and they may or may not include topping up with air and re-balancing at the same time. A deal that includes this feature will save you at least $160 a year if you drive 20,000 miles a year which is not uncommon for most people today.

Tire warranties can also make a huge difference in the cost as well. If you travel a lot and deal with a dealer that has only one location, chances are that when your tire goes bad you are going to be a long way away from this dealer. Dealing with a national tire dealer makes a lot more sense and increases the chances that you can take advantage of the warranty wherever you are.

Hope this short post helps readers in making decisions about tire sales.


Colored Tires – A New Fad?

Are you tired of the same old black tires? We used to actually have white wall tires and they were very popular at one time until consumers decided they just were not cool anymore. I am not sure if you can even buy them any longer. consumers starting installing their tires with the white wall on the inside of the tire rim so that you could not tell that the tires actually had white walls. Times have changed and there is a new fad for tires.

Well now you can buy tires that are colored to match your car or make a statement. Apparently they are really popular in Japan, however we have not seen here in North America yet. You can still purchase the standard black tires, but as you can see from the picture there are a variety of tiers in various colors now available.

Yellow, pink, green and light blue tires are available to match your cars paint or just to make a statement. Imagine the looks you are going to get when people see you driving down the street with one of these babies.  I am not sure that I am going to be one of them. I really cannot picture a set of tires on any car that I would drive.

Attracting Attention with Colored Tires

Imagine a hot rod with lots of power ready to hit the streets and impress the girls with yellow or green tires. Somehow that just does not seem to catch my imagination! Anyone driving a a nice car wants to have great wheels with alloy rims, the tires jet black and brand new. who would want to shell out the money to have colored tires on a muscle car for example?

We also do not really see gram-pa or grandma picking up a sedan with colored tires. Sure it would be a conversation piece around the coffee shop or the golf course, but they have other things to spend their money on and it is not tires with colored sidewalls. Even the 30 somethings with a family are not going to spend money on this, they just have too much other things to put their money towards. So who is the target market for colored tires? Is there one?

Tell Us What You Think

If you read this article we would really like to hear from you to get your thoughts and impressions on.  We happen to think that people who are single, young and a have a bit if the artistic flare would be the potential buyers for this product. They just happened to like stuff that is different and attracts attention. They also have the money to spare and may be willing to shell out a few extra dollars for colored tires on their car. We are not sure if there is a large enough market for this product. There might be but it will take awhile to catch on!

Now colored tires for golf carts would be all the rage and probably quite attractive. if everyone had different tires of various colors on their golf carts, the players would all get a good laugh and it would be something to talk about on the 19th hole. maybe it would be too distracting for everyone’s game to have a bright pink golf cart with matching pink tires roll up beside you just as you are about to hit your shot!

let us know what you think about colored tires. We are in no way associated with anyone who is selling these tires, but thought it would be a neat addition to our blog for our readers.

For more posts about buying tires and specialty tires, click here.


Wide Tires vs Narrow Tires

Wide Tires vs Narrow TiresDo you enjoy taking a corner or two a bit crazy once in a while? Or you have found that you needed to swerve to miss another car? You may find your car’s current handling performance a bit lacking. There are a number of things that affect the way a car handles corners including the width of the tires. Wide Tires vs Narrow Tires can make a difference. Improving some  of these elements may increase the handling capabilities of your car.

Sliding off the road:

One of key components to how well your car corners is the tires. Tire width and compound of the rubber play crucial roles in keeping your car from sliding off the road.  Wider tires have more surface area in contact with the road which will help to  improve traction in all sorts of conditions. Wider tires also have the unfortunate side effect of decreasing your gas mileage due to increased friction with the road. Many people find that after they install wider tires that they see their gas mileage go down by 50 miles per tank!

Car makers routinely put such skinny tires on their vehicles to improve gas mileage claims. Wider tires with low tread depth may also  turn into skis in winter driving conditions.

Stickier Tires

Installing stickier or softer tires will help your dry traction considerably. Wide Tires vs Narrow TiresSofter and stickier tires will wear out much faster. Snow tires which are considered a soft tire and are excellent in cold winter conditions and will wear out much faster during hot summer conditions. They are softer so that they can conform to the hard ice surface of the road and bite into snow conditions. They also have much more tread on them that is deeper and can allow your tire to find traction in snow conditions.

High performance summer tires may also perform very poorly in wet and icy conditions,  since they are too hard and do not bend or adapt to the road conditions, which means you’ll probably want another set of tires for winter driving.

Wide Tires vs Narrow Tires

Wide tires often have a shorter side wall which will improve handling slightly when you go  around a corner at high speed  your tires will actually flop over sideways. If you have the shorter the side walls are the less likely  to let this happen, but unfortunately this also leads to a slightly rougher ride as there is less tire height to absorb bumps in the road.

Low profile tires are not mass produced and as a result you will find that the prices are much higher for a set of four tires.

Wide Tires vs Narrow Tires – Tire Size

Your speedometer is attached to your transmission, so regardless of what size of tire you have on your car your speedometer will register a specific speed based on the RPM’s of the transmission. I once borrowed a car and got a speeding ticket because the owner had installed oversize tires on his car. Although the speedometer registered that I was doing 60 miles an hour on the highway, I was actually doing 70 miles an hour.

He was not willing to pay for the ticket! If you are changing your tires from narrow to wide and not changing the diameter you should be ok, Going to low profile tires will change the registered speed on your speedometer. Note the changes and drive accordingly.

Body Roll:

Does your car feel like it is leaning over sideways when you tear around a turn? This is what is known as body roll. There are a couple of ways to deal with  this problem.

The easiest of which that is also the thing that has the least effect on ride comfort is to install a set of sway bars or anti-roll bars. They are usually thicker than the stock sway bars, which flex less and keep your car  from leaning as much during cornering. The difference these bars make can be tremendous. They can be installed yourself in a few hours and shouldn’t cost more than a few hundred dollars at most.

Another thing that affects body roll is your car’s center of gravity. The closer your car is to the ground the less effect the forces of cornering will have on it. Installing a set of lowering springs which bring your car an inch or two closer to the ground. This should improve handling considerably.

You should be aware though that putting lowering springs on your stock shocks will cause them to wear out faster. So it is recommended that you replace both at the same time to save money on labor in the future. Lowering springs also have a different spring rate than the stock springs. This modification will most likely result in a much stiffer ride than you’re used to.

Remember: Drive safe, wear your seat belt at all times, and have fun!


The Right Tires For Your Car

The Right Tires For Your CarYou  have found the right kind of vehicle that suits your needs and that of your family. As well as features that are important to you such as power windows and steering, his and her temperature controls, an upgraded sound system, a sun roof and much more. Of course, making these selections, balancing them with your spouse and of course the price is one of the most difficult things you have to do. Buying the the Right Tires For Your Car is also important.

Buying The Right Tires For Your Car

Many people do not give a seconds thought to the tires, taking whatever the standard is for the vehicle you are buying. When it comes to choosing the right kinds of tires for your dream machine, there are just as many combination’s to choose from and they all will have an impact on your vehicles performance. If you live in a climate where snow is prevalent, you may also need to consider purchasing snow tires for your car and some people will go as far as buying an additional set of rims just for the snow tires.

When you purchase a vehicle, you need to know your car’s specifications  for tires. Specifications about the  right size, type, and thread of the tire are all very important. Most dealers can assist you with your selection and they can also tell you which tires will not work with your new vehicle and which ones will.

Tire Size is Very Important

The size of a tire for your car, SUV  or truck is actually specified on the car owner’s manual. If you have gone through the manual, you will have come across this information along with the correct amount of tire pressure that your tires should have. Any deviation from these specifications will change the intended performance of your new vehicle sometimes improved while with other tires they may actually make your vehicle unsafe.

You can also look for the label inside the glove box or on the driver’s side door post. These are locations where the proper tire size is usually located. Make sure that you purchase the right size.

Purchasing the Wrong Tire Size

If you buy an oversize tire, it can actually rub parts of your car and wear these parts down earlier than it should. On the other hand, an undersized tire could make your vehicle overheat. An over or under sized tire will also change the actual speed that your vehicle travels. The speedometer records the speed based on your transmission, however if you have a larger tire than specified, you will actually be going faster than indicated on the speedometer. If you are not careful this could also mean an expensive speeding ticket!

Performance & Specialized Tires

There are various types of tires available in the market. It should be important that you know just what type of tire would fit your vehicle best. If you have a performance vehicle, then you will want to get performance tire. Other tire types include winter tires, all season tires, run flat tires, all-terrain tires, and mud tires. Consult your car owner’s manual regarding this. Typically specialized tires, such as low profile tires are more expensive.

Sufficient Tire Tread

The tread of your tire is responsible for keeping your vehicle on the road despite various conditions. Mud and snow tires are seasonal tires. This means that it could be used in various types of roads even those that have snow, slush, rain, or mud. However, for most vehicles, the standard highway treads do the trick of keeping the vehicle on the road. You also want to make sure that there is always sufficient tread, regardless of the type of tire, to avoid skimming or sliding on wet roads. Tires with little tread cannot disperse the water and will float on the road which is very dangerous.


High Performance Tires

In the early 1980’s Goodyear Tire prepared a few high performance tires for high performance cars, mostly the Chevrolet Corvette. The tire’s roots were based in formula one racing which demanded a tire that could withstand high speeds for an extended period and deliver excellent traction at those speeds. The tire’s design was very different from most passenger car tires and was an overnight victory with devotees of the race car.

The tire featured a low profile side wall, large tread blocks for good dry traction grip, a very stiff sidewall and a nylon cap over the steel belts to hold the tire together at high speeds. The tire received a unique sidewall rating and it was designated with a “V” which meant the tire had been safely tested in the laboratory to stay together at speeds as high as 149 mph. This is the first time the high performance tire was made in America and they were here to stay in America.

Cost of High Performance Tires

This tire was an instant hit and were also very costly, even by today’s standards. It was not uncommon for them to cost over $200.00 each. This was an immense price for a tire considering the average tire cost around $45.00 at the time. Even today, high performance tires are much more expensive and consumers are still being hit with a surprise when it comes to replacing their tires.

Since then however, the high performance tire has made its way onto almost every modern car. This is because automobile manufacturers found that high performance tires helped cars handle better. They corner better, stop better, steer better, were safer and worked well with anti-lock brake technology. These tires also appealed to the public’s imagination and romance. Many people wanted to have high performance tires. Because it made them feel a little better than the average driver who just drove his car on regular tires.

Touring Tires

During this time tire manufacturers began to produce a multitude of intermediate high performance tire known as “touring” tires which were designed to accede to high performance demands and lessen ride and wear issues. Within a few years, there was an entire list of high performance tire categories. Which include Ultra-high performance, performance, touring, cosmetic performance, touring performance, etc.

As technology advanced, automobile manufacturers began to equip nearly everything with a performance tire. Even the mini van because of one simple reason. They help sell cars because they are attractive. Also because of the benefits they add to the cars steering and braking.

The problem of this was that a consumer would buy a family sedan. Then end up unexpectedly having to pay up to $700 dollars for replacement tires. Performance tires in Canada are even more expensive with the same tires costing up to $300 more for a set of 4 tires.  This creates problems because consumers don’t want to pay. Because they don’t believe they are “performance” drivers. So, instead of replacing them, they end up driving on bald tires.

But the fact is that we are all performance drivers. Everyone profits from performance tires. They are safer, stop better, react quicker, steer better and are less likely to blow out on the highway. They react and work better with modern car systems. It is a good idea to look into getting performance tires, if not for your flashy sports car, at least for your own safety.

For more sports car information, click here.

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