Outfitting your vehicle with winter tread wear

John Mahler

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Q: I have a 2007 Saturn Aura XR with its original P225/50/R18 tires. I would like to outfit it with winter tires and rims but have not seen 18-inch tires and rims. What could I use? The car also has an electronic tire pressure system that displays on the dash. Would it matter if the winter tires do not have this feature?

A: The Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 is an excellent tire for your Aura XR. It is a high-performance tire, not a multi-cell compound like the lower speed-rated Blizzak family.

It will fit on your rims so the tire pressure monitoring system will work just fine. The system is part of the wheel assembly and works with all tires.

Q: I have been searching without success throughout Ottawa for the Michelin X-Ice tire. I have even tried Quebec, thinking maybe it has the market cornered due to the new provincial law enforcing mandatory use of snow tires. Would you know where I might find some?

A: These tires are in short supply everywhere – except the United States. To order from the U.S., try tirerack.com. It ships UPS and prices are reasonable. I have had lots of positive feedback from people about this place. See the next letter from another reader:

Ottawa is sold out of the Michelin X-Ice Xi2. In fact, all of Canada is sold out in P205/65/R15. List price is $162 (Canadian) per tire but I went to tirerack.com and got four shipped to my door for $500. The tires were just $57 (U.S.) each, plus shipping, taxes and exchange. They are amazing.

Q: I have a 1995 Grand Marquis with almost 390,000 kilometres on it. I generally use Michelins for the winter but with the mileage and cost, I'm looking for a less expensive tire. I live in Cobourg where the roads are not always cleared quickly and I am curious about Nexus and Dunlop brands.

A: Stay away from Nexus. The Dunlop will serve you very well for grip longevity and value but the best economy tire is the Canadian Tire Nordic Ice.

Q: Gislaved tires seem like they would be ideal for Canadian winters but I am unable to find much information about this brand. How do they compare to Michelin, Bridgestone or Nokian? My Honda dealership quoted me $922 (mounted, balanced on Honda steel rims and installed) for a set of Toyos for my Accord EXL. The dealership also recommended Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) sensors on my car for $54 each. Meanwhile, a private tire shop quoted the Gislaved tires at $138 each (including rim).

A: The Gislaved is an excellent all-around winter tire. The company's roots go back to 1893 in Gislaved, Sweden, where brothers Carl and Wilhelm Gislow manufactured rubber products. In 1992, Gislaved was swallowed up by giant Continental AG.

The Blizzak WS-60 and the Yokohama IG-20 are a bit better on ice but that's about it – Gislaved makes excellent products at unpretentious prices.

You can run without TPMS if you don't mind the dashboard light being on all winter. Or you can buy the sensors and have the shop install them on the steel rims. The TPMS is part of the valve stem assembly, not part of the wheel or tire.

Q: I am looking for steel rims with tires for my 2008 Mini Cooper. The tire store only offers rims with a centre hub size of 57.1 mm, which is different from the factory hub size of 56.1 mm. Would that difference cause shaking or other problems?

A: Using these wheels could result in shake or vibration. The hole in the wheel is used to centre the wheel on the hub while the lug nuts' job is to hold the wheel onto it. It is possible to get centring rings made, which correct the gap by fitting into the wheel centre hole.

They are available for alloy wheels but I have not heard of them being available for steel wheels. Your tire shop should be able to sort this out. If not, phone Tiremag in Concord on Keele St (905-738-0710) for help.

Q: My 2004 Murano has 72,000 kilometres on Goodyear P235/65/R18 Eagle LS tires. The spare has never seen the light of day except for pressure checks. After almost five years, can I use the spare, purchase three new and employ one that I am removing as a spare or should I purchase four new tires and continue with the existing spare?

A: Your spare, if used on the vehicle, would have considerably less grip that the three new tires. It would likely develop cracks and be discarded within a year. Four new tires is indeed the answer.

If you are lucky enough to get a full-sized spare the next time you purchase a new vehicle, use it in the rotation on a regular basis and you'll get a little more life out of the tires, spreading the wear over five instead of four.

Increase the inspection rate on the old spare tire. Use a flashlight to look at the base of the tread blocks for cracks. When cracks appear, it's time to buy a new spare. Or just buy five tires now so they are all in sync age-wise, and rotate the five every 5,000 kilometres.

You cannot do better than the Goodyear Fortera TripleTred or the Nokian WR SUV as an all-season replacement. Both are severe snow rated. If you go with the Goodyear, make sure it is the TripleTred Fortera, not the plain Fortera as it is not snow rated.

TREAD BITS

Good advice from a long time tire dealer, Paul Ross at RNJ Tires in Pickering: "Since everyone is hot on winter tires these days, it would be wise to mention that all cars in the household should have winter tires.

"A dangerous situation could occur if one car had all-season tires and the other had winter tires. The all-season driver would be okay if they were to drive the car with winter tires, but the winter tire driver would be at risk driving the all-season car. "

Email tire questions to John Mahler at thetireguy_1@hotmail.com. Please include vehicle's make, model and year, tire brand and size, as well as your name, address and phone number. Volume of mail prevents us from answering all queries or providing personal replies.

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