Standing on my Winter Soapbox...

by - Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Snow tires are a farce.

Yes - I live in Canada. Where it snows all year and we live in igloos.  And I've never had snow tires.  Ever.

You see - I don't believe that people need them.  Once it snows, if you drive safely and pay attention, you can do just fine on all season tires.

Snow tires, in my honest opinion, give drivers a sense of invincibility. Like they can drive like they do in the summer, because they have a tire with a different tread.

On the walk in from the parking lot today, I saw three cars spinning tires trying to start up at a stop sign.  All had their winters on.  One, slid his way to a stop at the sign, because he was going too fast.  So why bother with the $1000 expense of winter tires?

You can drive safely on all season tires (even in Canada!) if you follow my rules of driving...

1) Slow the fuck down.  There is no need to break land speed records when there is ice/snow on the ground.
2) Use your goddamn signal (this is especially important in all driving conditions)... because in 17 years of driving I've yet to be blessed with the ability to read your bloody minds.
3) Drive a standard.  I can almost guarantee that the majority of people spinning their tires to get going are in automatics, cause they have less control.
4) Pay attention to those around you. You're not the only person on the damn road, so, like in all conditions, you must drive defensively.
5) Don't drive like a prick. This goes hand-in-hand with all my other rules, but I don't care what the hell tires you're using... driving like a prick just pisses people off.

Now... if you'd like to pay me $1000 for my advise instead of paying for winter tires, let me know. I'll send you my Paypal information.

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4 Comments

  1. I did end up getting snow tires this year, but only because they were free. I lucked out that my sis sells tires, and someone gave them not even 1 year old winter tires. I couldn't say no to something free.

    But I drive like a grandma in the winter.

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  2. OMG i totally agree!! ive never had winter tires in the 11 years ive been driving. I think its a total crock too.

    people just have to stop driving like a jack-ass and everything will be peachy keen.

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  3. awesome! extra super awesome post!

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  4. Nope. Yer wrong. I have driven on all season and I've driven on winter tires - and winter tires are better. Now, why you are also right is because most people are dickheads, so they drive like they are wanking off at the same time as they're driving with their winter tires - so it is moot. But I have winter tires for my drive to/from the uni (aka a 40 min drive on the highway) and my winter tires mean I can gear it down and get through things I otherwise couldn't manage.

    Remember, *most* people get winter tires. Therefore when you see someone driving like a douche in the winter you are more likely to ALSO see that they have winters on. Plus, most people are dumb. There are so many factors...

    Now, if you'd like to do a post about idiot sticks who drive on BALD tires during the winter...

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