Bad weather lets us know which part of our vehicle’s maintenance we have been ignoring.
Tires are a good example.
Because there was no serious rain for a few years across much of the Prairies, many of us were able to make do with the tires we had.
Now that it is wet and muddy, more than a few of us should get out and look at our tires, particularly on our trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Some spectacular tire failures have made it into the news in the past few years, creating such big waves that for the first time in 100 years, Ford severed its business ties with the in-laws – that would be the Firestone family – and put different tires on its SUVs.
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Prices had been softening for most of the previous month, but heading into the Labour Day long weekend, the price drops were startling.
Today, tires for SUVs and trucks are totally new, their engineering providing a plush ride and keeping them in one piece.
The problem is these tires cost big bucks. Some of the LT, or light truck, tires can be in the $200-$300 range.
Half-tons are no different. A Goodyear dealer told me he gets flack from Dodge Ram owners with the sport pack 20-inch wheels. He tells them the price and then the defibrillator comes out. Once the heart is back in normal sinus rhythm, the outrage continues, particularly when the tires have less than 30,000 kilometres on them.
To make matters worse, I was in Regina Wheel Works when a guy paid more than $6,000 for 24-inch wheels and tires for his truck. When the customer left I had to ask if he was nuts. The owner said no; it was becoming more common for people to get “dress-up” packages for their trucks.
He also said that for every person who dresses up their wheels, another 10 want the cheapest tire possible and he has a hard job talking them up to a minimum standard LT tire because an advertisement promised a car tire in that size for $99.
I once took part in a tire test that put a set of $99 tires on a performance car and a basic family sedan. We compared original tires to the new economy tires and our findings shouldn’t be a surprise. The original tires performed the best. The sedan suffered the least and to the average person probably wouldn’t be noticeable. On the performance car, however, it felt like the suspension had come undone.
Keep in mind that these tires were chosen to show extremes, but they did stay within categories. Our current problem is that many people still want to put passenger car tires on their truck or SUV because of a price difference or a perceived improvement in ride quality.
The result may be the opposite. Using a passenger car tire instead of a light truck tire reduces the vehicle’s carrying capacity and fuel economy, may increase side wall flex and generally ruin the vehicle’s handling.
It’s important to remember that light truck tires don’t need to cost a bundle because like passenger car tires, there is a full range in most sizes from which to choose. For my old ’85 Chev, which has been relegated to one level above a fuel truck, I picked up a set of Dunlop AT Radial Rovers for a reasonable price. Handling is better than the worn-out passenger car tires that were on it, carrying capacity and handling while loaded have improved and it is still quiet at highway speeds.
For me this was a win-win solution. I could afford these tires and they would safely do the job I wanted. If I had a different truck, an SUV or a small motor home, I would probably have made a different choice.
The point is that the world of tires is changing and while you can spend a fortune, you don’t have to. You need to ask questions, listen to the answers and act accordingly.
One last point. If you are going to buy a new SUV or truck and if the option sheet shows a tire pressure monitoring system, order it. That system may save your life if you’re the type of person who checks tire pressure only when the rim hits the ground.
Charles Renny is a freelance automotive columnist and a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. The opinions expressed in this column are the personal views of the writer.
