The Winter's Coming Winter Tires Thread

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Serious question: anybody want to come to my house to swap my all-season tires with winter tires (already mounted on separate rims) on a Dodge Caravan? Cash job -- evenings preferred. Only catch is that I don't have a garage, so you'd have to do it in my driveway (I'd try doing it myself but I don't have the equipment).

What part of the city are you in?

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

If you had asked 2 weeks ago....when it was WARM! What neighbourhood?

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

What part of the city are you in?

I'm in Tuxedo Park. Doesn't have to be this week or anything -- anytime before December is good enough for me (you can check the weather forecast if you want to pick a warmer day lol).

[stampsx2]

Do you get a reduction on your car insurance premiums if you get winter tires?

[vtec260]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Do you get a reduction on your car insurance premiums if you get winter tires?

I am with TDMM and they said no.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Do you get a reduction on your car insurance premiums if you get winter tires?

As far as I know nobody in Alberta does, but I heard a few are looking at doing it

[ranchlandsselling]

To support what Pylon said (although the snow might have changed things) I picked up some sweet deals on kijiji although it took a lot of work.

Got a near brand new set of Bridgestone Duravis HD tires for about $400 and a near brand new set of Michelin XIce2's (look like maybe 1,000 kms) for $400. Also found a place that will mount and balance both sets for $140. That said, I'd been looking for tires for a few months and probably wasted a fair amount of time. . .

The bridgstone's have the M&S letters and snowflake on them. Truck's so bloody heavy that I think It'll be fine without winters and it's driven sparingly. The Winter tires on the often driven Cherokee will be nice.

[Doodlebug]

Just something to consider when buying used winter tires off kijiji. Seen a lot of folks selling winter tires quoting 50-65% tread left, and wanting roughly 50%-65% of what the tires would cost new. I have read that a lot of winter tires are basically useless in winter with 50% or less tread remaining. Might get a season out of them, in which case 20% of original cost would be closer to fair value.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Doodlebug

Just something to consider when buying used winter tires off kijiji. Seen a lot of folks selling winter tires quoting 50-65% tread left, and wanting roughly 50%-65% of what the tires would cost new. I have read that a lot of winter tires are basically useless in winter with 50% or less tread remaining. Might get a season out of them, in which case 20% of original cost would be closer to fair value.

Plus people are full of #### and/or don't know how to gauge tread depth. They'll say 80% when really it's closer to 60.

There's deals to be had but try and avoid anything that they've used for more than two seasons.

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Do you get a reduction on your car insurance premiums if you get winter tires?

I had just purchased my new car and I got a lower rate from Allstate, wasn't much, but it was lower.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by Doodlebug

Just something to consider when buying used winter tires off kijiji. Seen a lot of folks selling winter tires quoting 50-65% tread left, and wanting roughly 50%-65% of what the tires would cost new. I have read that a lot of winter tires are basically useless in winter with 50% or less tread remaining. Might get a season out of them, in which case 20% of original cost would be closer to fair value.

Originally Posted by btimbit

Plus people are full of #### and/or don't know how to gauge tread depth. They'll say 80% when really it's closer to 60.

There's deals to be had but try and avoid anything that they've used for more than two seasons.

Yup, the average person has no idea how to gauge tread depth. The amount of tires I saw pictures of that were "60-80% life left" were more likely 30-50%. When you've got a starting depth of 13/32 and it's bald at 2/32 that means you've got 11 to work with. So when there's 6/32 left, that's 4 of a possible 11 which is 36%. Although the average person selling these on kijiji are claiming 60%.

I actually went to a tire shop where the guy was claiming 70% left. I measured and at best the middle grove had 50% left and the tires were 6.5 years old. Manufactured in 2009. In a tire shop... Amazing.

[btimbit]

Plus people way overvalue their tires. They'll have some with 50% tread depth left, and expect you to pay 50% of the brand new price. BS. Those tires were $1000 new, and are half dead, you're asking $500? lol. Suck it

[t0rrent98]

So I went and put my winter tires on today. Everything went well and smooth until it came to the last tire. 2 of the lug nut bolts out of five are broken off but its still enough for me to put them on and secure it as tight as possible.

I don't really want to explain how it happened but I'm pretty sure it was the guy who put my summers on tightened up the things a bit too hard. Is it safe to still drive with 3 good bolts and 2 slightly broken ones? the 3 good ones are shaped like a triangle, if the 3 were all on one side I would say no its not good as the bottom is not secure.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by t0rrent98

So I went and put my winter tires on today. Everything went well and smooth until it came to the last tire. 2 of the lug nut bolts out of five are broken off but its still enough for me to put them on and secure it as tight as possible.

I don't really want to explain how it happened but I'm pretty sure it was the guy who put my summers on tightened up the things a bit too hard. Is it safe to still drive with 3 good bolts and 2 slightly broken ones? the 3 good ones are shaped like a triangle, if the 3 were all on one side I would say no its not good as the bottom is not secure.

I'm not an engineer, but I assume that when an auto manufacturer decides to use five bolts for a car, six bolts for a half ton, and 8 bolts for a one ton, that it has something to do with more than just securing the wheel to the hub. Probably more to do with shear strength. Like if you slam on the brakes, and the wheel locks up, the amount of weight pushing down on that wheel turns into force against the studs (bolts) on your hub, and the engineer thinks that it takes five of them to keep them all from shearing off and your wheel detaching. Probably just a matter of time before sh*t goes bad. But that's more of just a random thought than actual knowledge.

[t0rrent98]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I'm not an engineer, but I assume that when an auto manufacturer decides to use five bolts for a car, six bolts for a half ton, and 8 bolts for a one ton, that it has something to do with more than just securing the wheel to the hub. Probably more to do with shear strength. Like if you slam on the brakes, and the wheel locks up, the amount of weight pushing down on that wheel turns into force against the studs (bolts) on your hub, and the engineer thinks that it takes five of them to keep them all from shearing off and your wheel detaching. Probably just a matter of time before sh*t goes bad. But that's more of just a random thought than actual knowledge.

dumb question deserves a dumb answer i guess.. haha, i should have known. I won't be able to get it repaired until the 16th which sucks so I guess for now i may have to borrow my parents car to get to work.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by t0rrent98

dumb question deserves a dumb answer i guess.. haha, i should have known. I won't be able to get it repaired until the 16th which sucks so I guess for now i may have to borrow my parents car to get to work.

Whoever put your summers on probably used an air gun and over torqued them by accident.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Plus people way overvalue their tires. They'll have some with 50% tread depth left, and expect you to pay 50% of the brand new price. BS. Those tires were $1000 new, and are half dead, you're asking $500? lol. Suck it

Additionally what they forget is you're paying $1,000 new but that usually includes install, warranty, free repairs and rotation. Which knocks another $100 off the value.

A brand new set should start $200 below retail based on that alone.

[calgarywinning]

Anybody got a good source for mounting and balancing tires here in town? Thanks in advance!

[Northendzone]

so last weekend i swapped out my summer tires & rims and put on the winters. on the way to work my truck tells me that there is a tire pressure sensor fault.

had to take my truck in and get the sensors recalibrated - apparently that will need to be done every time i swap tires - a bit of a pain.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

so last weekend i swapped out my summer tires & rims and put on the winters. on the way to work my truck tells me that there is a tire pressure sensor fault.

had to take my truck in and get the sensors recalibrated - apparently that will need to be done every time i swap tires - a bit of a pain.

Just don't do it. It's not worth it.

It takes 2 seconds to check your tire pressure with a 5 dollar gauge.

[codynw]

TPMS sensors are the worst.