 Canadian winters can be harsh and at times dangerous. We all know that having winter tires on is a great way to ensure some extra safety and traction while driving in unpredictable conditions.
Did You Know? In 2016, the Ontario government created a new rule that pushed insurance companies in the province to provide a discount to drivers who buy and install winter tires. This discount is not just about saving money, but more about reducing potential danger on our roads. By having winter tires on your vehicle, both yourself and the insurance company benefit. That is why insurance companies offer a 5% discount if your vehicle is equipped with winter tires. Here’s How: To take advantage of this discount, call your insurance company and ask for the following details:
More Information: Visit Ontario.ca for more information!
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 DOOR PANEL STICKER: |  *note: this image does not reflect the given example and is only for reference |
In this example, we can see that the tire size is 255/55R18.
The first number, 255, is the measurement in millimeters taken from the outside of the outer wall to the outside of the inner wall of the tire. To better understand where this measurement is taken from, imagine cutting the tire in half and measure from the fattest points of the rubber.
The 55 is the aspect ratio of the tire given as a percentage. It is the sidewall height (from the bead where the tire seats on the rim to the tread surface) as a percentage of the tire width.
The last number, 18, is the diameter of the rim in inches.
Once you are familiar with these measurements, you can begin your search. Any tire for sale that has a dimension bigger or smaller than the one shown on your vehicle should be checked by your dealership to ensure the percent differential is within the 3% allowance mark.
The first number, 255, is the measurement in millimeters taken from the outside of the outer wall to the outside of the inner wall of the tire. To better understand where this measurement is taken from, imagine cutting the tire in half and measure from the fattest points of the rubber.
The 55 is the aspect ratio of the tire given as a percentage. It is the sidewall height (from the bead where the tire seats on the rim to the tread surface) as a percentage of the tire width.
The last number, 18, is the diameter of the rim in inches.
Once you are familiar with these measurements, you can begin your search. Any tire for sale that has a dimension bigger or smaller than the one shown on your vehicle should be checked by your dealership to ensure the percent differential is within the 3% allowance mark.
Condition:
Once you have mastered down the understanding of the correct tire size for your vehicle, you can begin searching online. The quality of the tires is very important when buying used compared to new. Don’t be shy to ask the seller to send you photos of each tire each side of the tires. You may also ask for some close up photos to see if there is any cracking happening in the rubber. Taking this step can save you a lot of time.
What to look for:
1- The “DOT” marking on the tire is the week and year the tire was manufactured. Try to buy tires that are less than 5 years old to ensure the rubber has not deteriorated.
2- Inspect the tire tread depth on all 4 tires. Do they meet the requirement? Click here to read more about tire tread depth.
3- Outer and inner wall should have no deep scratches or bulges. Also, try pinching or pushing at the rubber, there should be no signs of micro cracks. Check for any patches or plugs. A punctured tire may not last as long as a fully intact tire.
4- Make sure your tires are a matching set. They should be the same size (width and aspect ratio) and have similar tread wear and a similar tread pattern.
3- Outer and inner wall should have no deep scratches or bulges. Also, try pinching or pushing at the rubber, there should be no signs of micro cracks. Check for any patches or plugs. A punctured tire may not last as long as a fully intact tire.
4- Make sure your tires are a matching set. They should be the same size (width and aspect ratio) and have similar tread wear and a similar tread pattern.
Tips:
Always maintain the recommended tire pressure (indicated on the sticker located on the inside of the driver side door panel).
Ask your tire technician to rotate your tires in pairs. The two front tires change place with the pair in the back. This ensures tread depth is balanced on the axel.
Tires should not be stored outside in the sun. The UV’s accelerate the deterioration of the rubber. Store in your garage or shed.
Don’t be shy to call an expert to ask simple questions. It could save you!
Typically, summer tires should be installed on your vehicle when temperatures are hovering at 7 degrees celsius. Because summer tires are made of a harder rubber than winter tires, they perform differently in different temperature conditions.
Many drivers may not know that summer tires need just as much tread depth attention as their winter tires do. In our climate we sometimes use our summer tires longer than our winter tires, so the wear and tear can take a toll on them.
It is also important to check the tire tread depth. Good tread depth is important in summer conditions. Gripping the road and eliminating the chances of hydroplaning in wet weather are the main reasons good tread depth is important.
Many drivers may not know that summer tires need just as much tread depth attention as their winter tires do. In our climate we sometimes use our summer tires longer than our winter tires, so the wear and tear can take a toll on them.
It is also important to check the tire tread depth. Good tread depth is important in summer conditions. Gripping the road and eliminating the chances of hydroplaning in wet weather are the main reasons good tread depth is important.
 A tread depth gauge or a simple quarter can be used to check this: 5mm - tire tread depth is good 3mm - tire tread is low and needs replacing very soon 1.5 mm - tire tread depth is too low and needs to be replaced |  |
Be sure to check your tires for cracks or bulges on the side walls. If anything looks abnormal, it is best to take your tires to a garage to have them repaired or replaced. You can also ask your Tire Changers technician about your tire’s condition.
If your tires do need replacing, there are many places throughout the city you can take them to to have them recycled.
If your tires do need replacing, there are many places throughout the city you can take them to to have them recycled.
Spring driving unfortunately means dodging or hitting potholes. Running into one could be damaging to your tire and rim. Here are some key points to follow to lessen your chances of damaging your precious vehicle:
1. Keep your tire air pressure topped up. Hitting a pothole with low tire pressure can lead to rim damage and will likely become a costly repair.
2. Two hands on the wheel. We have the most control of our vehicle when our hands are placed at 9 and 3 on our steering wheels. If a pothole is approaching and it is safe to steer around it, this position will give you the most control while steering around it.
3. Slow down and do not tailgate. Keep enough distance from the car ahead of you so you can have clear view of what’s to come on the road. Tailgating is dangerous as it is and adding potholes in the spring just adds to the potential damage you can do to yourself and vehicle.
4. If you’re going to hit a pothole, make sure you get off the breaks just before you hit one. This will reduce the pressure on the front suspension and allow the suspension to do its job when absorbing the impact from the pothole.
5. Report potholes. The city of Ottawa has an easy online system for the public to use to report potholes on the road. You can also call 3-1-1 or 613-580-2400. The information you submit can save others the headache of hitting dangerous potholes.
Check for Damages
The tires. It is important to have your tires filled with air to the proper specifications. If not, hitting a pothole could mean damaging the tire and rim Check for bulges along the sidewall of the tire and check for any tread tears. Having a damaged tire can lead to many problems and can be very dangerous.
The rims. Hitting a pothole hard could lead to bends, cracks or chips on the rims. Always check the rims very carefully because even a hairline crack may mean your rim is no longer safe for driving on.
Alignment and suspension. The suspension is there to absorb any impact the vehicle runs through. After hitting a pothole, the suspension and alignment can be thrown off. If you begin to feel vibration and/or pulling to one side while driving, best to take your car to a garage to have it checked out.
The body. Going over a large pothole can sometimes scrape the underside of the vehicle. Check to see if the exhaust, side skirts and bumper are still intact. A short visit to the garage may be a good idea if you suspect damage was done.
Tire Changers and owner Crystal Karam were featured in Septembers Automotive News - "The Unobvious Ones".
| Tire Changers featured in national tire magazine, TireNews by Autosphere (page 18 &19). Nationwide, the automotive industry is taking notice: mobile tire changing services are a welcome alternative to the typical garage experience. Check out the full article below! |  |
Here we can see that the break even point occurs after only 1-1/2 years!
Furthermore, after 4 years the savings add up to $280, definitely not pocket change!
So if you're one of the smart ones out there with winter tires on separate rims, you can now tell your co-workers that you're saving a pile of money and you have the added convenience of having Tire Changers come to your home :)
Furthermore, after 4 years the savings add up to $280, definitely not pocket change!
So if you're one of the smart ones out there with winter tires on separate rims, you can now tell your co-workers that you're saving a pile of money and you have the added convenience of having Tire Changers come to your home :)
It seems like many drivers out there use steel (black) rims for their winter tires, let's find out why.
We called our local Canadian Tire to get prices for averaged sized steel rims, the cost was about $200 for 4 steel rims, aka 'steelies'. The charge for a tire changeover on separate rims was $40 and the charge for a tire changeover with one set of rims was $100.
The cost for a tire changeover with one set of rims is higher because mounting tires on a single set of rims take a much longer and is more labour intensive.
Each off-season tire would need to be removed from the rim, then the in-season tire would have to be put back on the rim, and then the tire and rim would need to be re-balanced (balancing is a process by which small weights are added to the rim so that the complete tire and rim roll smoothly).
Let's see how much it will cost after a few years in both cases...
We called our local Canadian Tire to get prices for averaged sized steel rims, the cost was about $200 for 4 steel rims, aka 'steelies'. The charge for a tire changeover on separate rims was $40 and the charge for a tire changeover with one set of rims was $100.
The cost for a tire changeover with one set of rims is higher because mounting tires on a single set of rims take a much longer and is more labour intensive.
Each off-season tire would need to be removed from the rim, then the in-season tire would have to be put back on the rim, and then the tire and rim would need to be re-balanced (balancing is a process by which small weights are added to the rim so that the complete tire and rim roll smoothly).
Let's see how much it will cost after a few years in both cases...
How to Buy Tires from the USA for the Biggest Savings
It’s no secret that the price of tires in the Unites States are cheaper than here in Canada; the real question is ‘How big of a discount are we talking here?’ and then ‘You had me at ‘big discount’, how to?’.
To make it easy I’m going to select a popular tire size (215/60-16) for my comparison. You may have a different tire size but the end results will likely be similar.
I live in Ottawa, ON and the closest American city is Ogdensburg, NY, which is about a 50 minute drive. Similar results will apply if you live in any Canadian city close to the US border.
To buy tires from the USA, I usually head over to these popular websites: TireRack.com, DiscountTire.com and Walmart.com. Obviously there are plenty other options, but these three tire retailers will make my point.
If you’re buying from Tire Rack or Discount Tire, you will need to have the tires shipped to an American address. Businesses that can act as your US address, like the UPS store in Ogdensburg, will accept parcels on your behalf for a small fee. If you’re buying from Walmart.com, they will ship any item on their website to any American Walmart store for free (they call it ‘site to store’).
Getting back to the tire price comparison. I mentioned a popular tire size of 215/60-16. I’m also going to choose a very popular winter tire, General Tire Altimax Arctic. It was pretty easy to find this tire/size combination across every website for the comparison.
Next, I’m going to compare tire prices from our American friends to the tire prices at Canadian Tire. Keep in mind that this chart should serve as a general reference, as every store has sales and discounts from time to time. The table below includes all of the costs associated with buying tires in Canada and in the USA.
It’s no secret that the price of tires in the Unites States are cheaper than here in Canada; the real question is ‘How big of a discount are we talking here?’ and then ‘You had me at ‘big discount’, how to?’.
To make it easy I’m going to select a popular tire size (215/60-16) for my comparison. You may have a different tire size but the end results will likely be similar.
I live in Ottawa, ON and the closest American city is Ogdensburg, NY, which is about a 50 minute drive. Similar results will apply if you live in any Canadian city close to the US border.
To buy tires from the USA, I usually head over to these popular websites: TireRack.com, DiscountTire.com and Walmart.com. Obviously there are plenty other options, but these three tire retailers will make my point.
If you’re buying from Tire Rack or Discount Tire, you will need to have the tires shipped to an American address. Businesses that can act as your US address, like the UPS store in Ogdensburg, will accept parcels on your behalf for a small fee. If you’re buying from Walmart.com, they will ship any item on their website to any American Walmart store for free (they call it ‘site to store’).
Getting back to the tire price comparison. I mentioned a popular tire size of 215/60-16. I’m also going to choose a very popular winter tire, General Tire Altimax Arctic. It was pretty easy to find this tire/size combination across every website for the comparison.
Next, I’m going to compare tire prices from our American friends to the tire prices at Canadian Tire. Keep in mind that this chart should serve as a general reference, as every store has sales and discounts from time to time. The table below includes all of the costs associated with buying tires in Canada and in the USA.
*Initial tire prices are in the currency of store location. All prices are based per tire assuming a set of 4 tires will be purchased (eg. cost of toll fee and gas has been divided by 4).
Some interesting things to note are that Tire Rack adds a delivery charge and NY sales tax at checkout, while Discount Tire does not charge for shipping and does not charge state tax. All prices have been converted to Canadian Dollars for an apple-to-apple comparison (exchange rate at time of writing USD/CDN: 1.09).
Furthermore, if you want to have your tires mounted and balanced, the American Walmart store will do it for $15/tire, watch out though, they will only install tires that are sized according to car manufacturers guidelines. So it’s good to call ahead just to make sure. If you buy from Tire Rack or Discount Tire, bring them home, any local garage can mount and balance for about $20/tire.
So there you have it, buying tires from the USA can save you over $300 for one of the most popular tire brands and size. And now you know how to do it for yourself.
To help you make it even easier to see the potential discount, I have added a calculator that includes all of the fees and costs required to purchase from the USA. Simply enter the price for one tire from each retailer as advertised and see if it’s worth the effort to buy from the USA.
Drop some feedback below and let me know how much money are you able to save on your tires!
So how old are my tires anyway? And why should I care?
Tires deteriorate over time due to UV and air exposure in a process called outgassing. As the tire ages, the rubber becomes harder and more brittle which can eventually lead to major tire failure like tire-tread separation. Definitely not a good thing. Experts say that tire-tread separation can cause drivers to be involved in serious crashes that could result in death.
Tires deteriorate over time due to UV and air exposure in a process called outgassing. As the tire ages, the rubber becomes harder and more brittle which can eventually lead to major tire failure like tire-tread separation. Definitely not a good thing. Experts say that tire-tread separation can cause drivers to be involved in serious crashes that could result in death.
Manufacturers suggest tires be replaced if they are over 10 years old. It’s not only important to check how old your current tires are but when it comes time to buy new tires you want to check how long they’ve been sitting on the store shelf too.
Checking a tires age is actually pretty easy and fun to do.
Every tire has a “manufactured-on” date. It’s a 4 digit number found right on the side of the tire. To find it, look for a marking with the letters ‘DOT’, there should be a 4 digit number close by. Something like 1411.
The first 2 digits indicate the week of the year the tires were made, so 14 means the 14th week in a calendar year, which would be sometime in April. The last 2 digits indicate the year the tires were made, so 11 would mean there tires were made in the year 2011.
Checking a tires age is actually pretty easy and fun to do.
Every tire has a “manufactured-on” date. It’s a 4 digit number found right on the side of the tire. To find it, look for a marking with the letters ‘DOT’, there should be a 4 digit number close by. Something like 1411.
The first 2 digits indicate the week of the year the tires were made, so 14 means the 14th week in a calendar year, which would be sometime in April. The last 2 digits indicate the year the tires were made, so 11 would mean there tires were made in the year 2011.
Crystal Karam
Customer service has always been my strong point. As the owner of Tire Changers, I believe my customers deserve nothing but the best. The best part of my job is working hard all day and receiving the most thoughtful reviews by our loyal customers at the end of each day.
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