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I'm going to be moving from Saint Paul, Minnesota to Nanaimo, BC in less than a month, and we are planning on driving. The tires on my car are close to needing to be replaced anyway, so I was contemplating buying a set of used snow tires for our drive through the mountains, and then replacing them with new all seasons shortly after we arrive. A friend of mine suggested nokians wrg2 instead of dedicated snow tires, since we won't need snow tires in Nanaimo, BC, and then simply not replacing them when we arrive. So what do you guys think?
Also, I am contemplating skirting off the I90, down the I15, and then back north on the I84 in order to bypass some of the mountains. Any thoughts or opinions about that/
The Nokian WRG2 is listed/rated as an 'all weather' tire...on some brands, that designation means the tire is just so-so in any season, and made for going to the store or soccer practice with the kids. Some Net Noodling suggests that the Noke tire is pretty good in snow, but certainly not a dedicated snow tire by any stretch, imo.
The idea of buying a used set for the trip makes some sense, if you can find a set in good condition, maybe only used one season. Or, look around for a set of dedicated snow tires, (with the snowflake logo on sidewall), put 'em on, drive to BC, replace with regular/all season tires.
The tires will cost you a lot more in Canada than they will in MPLS.
Your going to be on the main highway so your all-season tires will be just fine plus your car will be full of your gear giving you more weight, this is good for traction should you see any snow on your trip.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,553 posts, read 81,067,970 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by irman
Just make sure those used tires are less than 4 years old.
5 years old, I would NOT use them.
Do you have a set of chains with you ??
I agree, tires over 4 years old even with plenty of tread can come apart on along road trip like that. There are codes on them that can be used to identify the date of manufacture. recently some tires sold as new have been found to be from old 2-3 year old stock.
I'd suggest new all season M+S tires and carry chains.
Just buy the all-season tires you would have bought anyway, and enjoy the drive. Nanaimo doesn't get all that much snow. If you need to chain up to get over the Rockies, you can rent the chains at the pass. If you run into a snowstorm along the way, it will be moving in the opposite direction, so you can check into a motel and wait it out for a day. The plains and prairies are pretty dry, so they generally don't get much snow unless there is actually a heavy storm system in progress, which occurs only a few times per winter. Otherwise, there may be icy patches on some highways, but no standing snow in which snow tires would be essential as opposed to all-season.
I know that a lot of law firms are trying to scoop up accident victims who had old tires on their car when they wrecked with ads, web sites and press releases.
And, the auto manufacturers are covering their butts with press releases. But, where is some hard data on tire failures by age. I don't want to call BS on this 4 year thing until I've seen some data, but where is it?
Well, here is the data. You can read it yourselves but I think a 6 year old tire is about as much more dangerous as carrying a metal umbrella instead of wearing a raincoat in a thunderstorm.
Please note that the Firestone Tire suit, recall and investigation had to do with a manufacturing defect causing de-lamination of the tire tread from the belts over time. Not just old tires.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,847,869 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wilson1010
Well, here is the data. You can read it yourselves but I think a 6 year old tire is about as much more dangerous as carrying a metal umbrella instead of wearing a raincoat in a thunderstorm.
Thanks Wilson for the source.
In any case, anybody is allowed to use whatever tires he or she thinks are OK to use.
Keep in mind, that I mentioned *I would not use them*.
I did NOT say *You should not use them*.
The studies mention 5 as the lowest amount of years,
after which there should be regular inspections,
and concern for failure possibilities.
So to stay on the safe side, I mentioned 4.
At least there is some kind safety factor there.
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