The automobile has been our friend ever since the Frenchman, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, built the first car in the year 1769. It was a steam powered, three wheeled vehicle with a top speed of six kilometers per hour that was built in the French Arsenal for the purpose of moving cannons. Cars have come a long way since then and a lot has changed about them but one thing remains the same; They save us a lot of tread on our shoes. Unfortunately, they do use some tread on their tires, and to safely drive your car, you need to add fresh tires on occasion.

When the time for new tires arrives, it is time to get the bet price by shopping for a car tires quote at various dealers.

What Should Your Quote Include?

The first thing to look for in any car tires quote is the number of tires included in the quote. Does the quote include a whole set of tires and, if so, does it include the fifth tire for a fresh spare or is the quote merely on a per tire basis. Paying attention to what may seem a trivial detail in your car tires quote here can save you a lot of money and trouble down the road.

The next thing to consider is the tread type to be used on the vehicle you are getting a car tires quote for. Do you travel mainly on paved streets or muddy back roads? Do you live in an area that rarely sees rain or do you look out your second story window and stare a Sherpa in the eye? The conditions you travel in effect your choice of tires and treads and will thus change your car tires quote accordingly. A set of street radials may have a very sweet looking price tag but paying the towing service to pull you out of a snow drift every few days would probably show you that the mud and snow tires might have been a better value.

Another very important thing to look for in a car tires quote is the cost of labor and warranties. Does the price include removing your old tires, mounting and balancing the new tires and installing them on your vehicle? Is there a fee to leave your old tires with the shop for disposal or a surcharge to take them with you for your own disposal? Is there a road hazard policy covering such things as punctures and flat repair or warranties against blow outs or defects?

In conclusion, shopping for car tires quotes does require a bit of research and asking questions of your prospective dealer but you will find that the investment of time you make while researching car tires quotes will pay off with a great deal on your new tires and the added safety it will provide for you and your loved ones.

Since its inception, The Snow Tire FAQ has helped thousands of people learn about snow tires and has helped them make the right choice for their needs. “There are many people making many claims about tires. We try to help the consumer see through the confusion and make clear choices,” says editor John Werner.

To that end, the Real World Snow Tire Tests were started in 2001. The Tests provide both quantitative and qualitative evaluations of snow tires in Real World conditions. “While testing tires for ice traction on a hockey rink has the definite benefit of being very reproducible, it doesn’t necessarily correlate with the conditions that are likely to be found in the real world. Very seldom have I seen bare, flat, glare ice on the roads. Usually I see snow with a mix of ice and pavement, and none of it is flat.”

The 2006 edition of the Real World Snow Tire Tests marks the 4th time the tests have been run. For this year, three manufacturers agreed to provide a total of four sets of tires to be tested and reviewed:

• Green Diamond Icelander
• Nokian Hakkapeliitta 4 (studded)
• Nokian RSI
• Vredestein SnowTrac 2

The snow tires are fitted on nearly identical cars that are driven on real roads throughout the winter weather that Rochester, NY has to offer. The weather provides a good mix of snow, dry, ice, and mixed conditions road conditions. It is the driving the cars in the real world that forms the base of the qualitative reviews.

The quantitative evaluations come at the Shoot-out. In the Shoot-out, the fore/aft and lateral acceleration of the tires is tested. The testing includes braking and acceleration tests along with a series of timed runs through a closed course.

According to John Werner, “the Shoot-out provides us with hard numbers to back up the opinions of the drivers. It also provides the testers with the chance to make further qualitative evaluations under identical conditions.” [PRWEB]

tagTRAX: snow tires | acceleration tests | real world | john werner | snow tire

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