30 - Friday, March 26, 1993 - North Shore News

ye erp Ont forget about tire care

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#2 Bas WEST 1ST, N. VAN. ! THESE ARE two types of winter tread tires available at Big © Tire At: f Dealers. Tire care is as important as any other aspect of car care.

NEWS photo Mike Waketiald

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TIRES ARE a fundamental part of a car’s operation and can determine the safe- ty and performance levels of any vehicle.

By Kevin Gillies Contributing Writer

“Making tracks’? is no longer something one can do without first considering a number of fac- tors that affect your car's tires — especially if you live on the North Shore,

Dwight Maher of Big O Tires on Lonsdale Avenue. says that tires wear faster here because our hills mean that a tire needs more torque to go uphill, and braking (another necessity of hillside liv- ing) puts more pressure on the tires.

“The tires will wear about 20% more here than they would if you

44 The tires will wear about 20% more than they

would if you live in Richmond. 99

live in Richmond,’’ he says.

According to Bill Hollowatty of North Shore Tire, it is very im- portant to have the right tire as far as size and performance rating are concerned because there are so many different types of tires for different vehicles. .

He suggests that before you replace a vehicle's tires, you have a tire professional examine a tire’s wear patterns.

It’s important, he said, to look for equal wear and how much tread remains in terms of depth.

Wear in the centre of a tire can indicate overinflation while wear on the outside of a tire can in- dicate underinflation.

If your tires are overinflated your car will wander due to less rubber making contact with the road.

Underinflated tires can increase a car’s fuel consumption because too much rubber is making con- tact with the road, thereby in- creasing resistance. ‘

In the summer, tire pressure should be checked daily, and ac- cording to Maher it should be checked while the tires are cold.

For front-wheel-drive cars, a lack of proper tire rotation is one of the main culprits when it comes to excessive tire wear.

Hollowatty said tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 8,000 kilometres regardless of whether the vehicle has front- wheel drive or not.

Wheel alignment can also be responsible for excessive tire wear.

Not quite as predictable as rota- tion, alignment should be checked at least once a year depending on where you do most of your driv- ing.

Roads with large potholes can cause alignment to go out of

_ Whack a fot sooner than well-

maintained highways can.

Maher says spring is the best time to buy new tires because that is when most tire specials run.

He suggests purchasing tires with an open-centre tread which is capable of channelling away the Lower Mainland’s renowned year-" ly rainfall.

He also suggests motorists buy radials.

“Radial tires are more fuel- efficient, and a radial tire also runs cooler,” he says.

‘Fve sold two bias-ply tires so far this year, and they will be the only two I sell all year.””