30 — Friday, January 23, 1998 ~ North Shore News Choos THE kind of tire you need for your 4X4 truck or sport utility depends just as much on you and the roads you choose to travel, as it does on your vehicle. Are you an enthusiast who loves the challenge of boul- der-strewn roads and gumbo trails? Is snow or gravel roads your main driving concern? Or do you drive in more tem- perate climates primarily on highways with only occasional trail work? Most tire companies offer sport utility and light truck ares with three or four differ- ent types of tread designs typ- ically, mud, all-terrain, snow and highway each with its own performance characteris- tics. Mud tires Mud tires are your best bet if off-road driving is your pas- sion, especially if you live on threwert West Coast where the seemingly never-ending rainy season can turn a dirt road into one long mud bog. These specialry tires sport a very aggressive design con- sisting of many blocks similar to the tread on a tracvor tire. Unlike a tractor tire, the shapes and sizes of the tread vary zo reduce the hum and drone caused by the large blocks. The blocks zigzag at the shoulder area of the tire, cre- ating large voids which enhance the tire’s digging ability. On the down side, the large blocks and voids create unstable tread support or “squirm,” a _— side-to-side motion or wiggle which shortens the tread life and provides poor footing on the highway. All-terrain tires The all-terrain tread is a middle-of-the-road product (no pun intended). It doesn’t provide the trac- tion of a mud tire, but cer- tainly excels the mud tire on the tarmac. On pavement, the all-ter- rain falls short of the comfort and performance of highway tires, but outperforms them in the mud, providing better off-road grip. It is & compromise tire, but tires are a product that Sales on Everything 2 AWIN Me OLE HEVROLET. Ol. LE, VROE mae SEER Une EAP north shore news > AUTO Tread patterns designed for specific driving conditions compromise. A tire that works well at 35° C cn hor, dry pavement will not provide traction at 20° C on ice-cov- ered roads. Nonetheless, an all-terrain tre will perform rel- atively well under all condi- tions. When it comes to loose gravel. it excels with predictabil- ity and traction iy abundance. typical passenger tires. Their continuous rib design increases tread life and comfort, bur still kas enough grooves to channel away water on rain- soaked — pave- ment. However, the tread tends to pleg up in mud, provid- ing litde bite, and it doesn’t have enough edges to grip well on ice or snow, “Most people use, and are served well by, highway tires or all- terrain tires all year round.” Highway Tires Highway tires use an all- season tread design not unlike Snow Tires Most people use, and are per month O.A.C., 36 months ‘TP. $15,929.68 Soin Prica $28,888 STK. 25-1387 loaded with leather! was $43,476 SUCH | NOW $36,886 e BEER Pan Suess aS 2. e Ca fs of LP ae SPF APSR HO og WERE RM DE tet Seg SENET A NAME YOU CAN TRUST! FOR COMPLETE AUTO REPRIS GAL MANES & MODELS = * NEW & USED HYUNDAI PARTS WE BUY & SELL PRE-OWNED VEHICLES “All wheel drive | 2.2L, 137 hp ABS Air Bags Alloy Wheels Air conditioning 80 watt AM/FM cassette Split folding rear seat Power windows & locks & many more extras JAVLORMOGTIVE’ | COLLISION SPECIALISTS B.C.A.A. - A.R.A. APPROVED CENTRE ALL MAKE COLLISION REPAIRS “LIFETIME GUARANTEE” Alternative transportation arranged TALKING x Estimates * YELLOW PAGES 299-9000 Consu Kation (7l4islS.. 985-7455 ing the righ? sport ull served well by, highway tires or all-rerrain tires all year round. However, if you frequently drive in snow or winter condi- tions, a dedicated snow tire may better suit your needs. Snow tires have many sipes, or cuts, that go across the tread. These create many edges which help to hold on to the rough edges of ice and packed snow. Modern snow tires use special rubber compounds Attention tires thar stay flexible at Jow tem- peratures. Some recent designs use a cellular construction which increases. the amount of edges in contact with the ice. Some other tires actually cast walnut shells into the sur- face mibber to act as little studs. Adrawback of snow tires is thar the softer tread com- pound, which keeps them flexible in winter, also wears more rapidly, decreasing the hie of the tire. 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