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nsnews.com north shore news WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2016
Type of tire matters for winter driving All-season tires won’t cut it when the temperature drops ROSALIND DUANE rduane@nsnews.com
Hockey fans may know that a hockey puck in summer is soft and pliable to the touch, but on the ice it becomes quite firm and rigid.
The same happens to car tires, and that’s why Duncan Pearce of The Urban Garage
in West Vancouver recommends winter tires when the thermometer starts to drop. “Winter tires are an investment in safety,” says Pearce. “I think when safety is involved there’s no cutting corners.” He explains that typical summer and all-season tires are made of a compound that hardens as it gets cold. Winter tires perform better once the temperature dips below 7C, specifically with stopping distances, and the ability of the tire to grip and turn. “All-season tires are just tires made with the same
compound as a summer tire but their tread patterns are designed to evacuate the water through the siping more rapidly and more efficiently so they tend to perform a little bit better in the wet,” explains Pearce. Despite the North Shore being a fairly temperate zone, rotating summer or all-season to winter tires is a much safer choice for winter conditions because they grip the road better in cold temperatures. Buying a set of winter tires means spending money up front,
See Tires page 35
Beautiful British Columbia
Urban Garage owner Duncan Pearce checks the pressure on a couple of tires at his West Vancouver shop. PHOTO CINDY GOODMAN
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