Many ladies I know in Ontario have made a move to a mythical land I like to call Denial. Denial is a pretty place, where the weather is always warm and food has no calories. It’s filled with procrastinators who refuse to put socks on in mid-October, have still not packed away their summer clothes and naively think that’s there’s always more time. It’s also a place where they like to leave some not-so-fun chores to the men in their lives. The land of Denial can be super fun, until reality comes knocking; that reality my Canuck friend, is winter, and it’s coming.
You may be asking yourself how I’m such an expert on this topic and it’s because I’m practically the Mayor of this magical place. I refuse to give up my flip-flops for mukluks until the snow is over my feet, and I like to think my husband will remember to get the patio furniture put away before the snow flies. There’s one area though where I no longer pass the buck, and that’s getting my winter tires on.
The #7CSwitch
For the last two years I’ve been working with Kaltire to spread a really important message—ALL SEASON TIRES ARE A MYTH. Your safety truly relies on understanding this and the time to put your winter tires on is now! Your all season tires begin to lose traction long before the snow hits the ground.
One of the best analogies I’ve heard about putting your winter tires on when the temperature consistently hits 7C was from Geoff Wiebe, a Kaltire tire expert. Geoff pointed out that you don’t wait until an accident is about to happen to put your seatbelt on, so why would you wait until winter is here to put your tires on? Touché Geoff, touché.
Your 4WD Is No Match for Canadian Winter
I get it, I do. I drive a big car, and I couldn’t figure out why my ginormous AWD SUV drove like a ten-speed bike with bald tires in the snow. It was the tires! You can have all the bells and whistles on your vehicles, but if your tires aren’t right, it won’t make a bit of difference. This year, I had the pleasure of meeting Amber Balcean, the first Canadian woman to win a NASCAR sanctioned race in the US at the annual Kaltire event. Aside from the fact that she’s a kickass woman blazing a trail for herself in a male-dominated field, Amber is also whip-smart.
I asked her where she felt safer driving—on the track at breakneck speeds or on the road? She’d take the track any day, and that’s because our roads are too unpredictable. Amber and her fellow NASCAR drivers know all too well the importance of having the right tires for every condition, but it’s a knowledge that’s not translating to the streets.
Knowledge is power ladies, so get yourself to a local Kaltire to ask the questions yourself. I promise, these guys are not going to talk down to you like you’re the “little lady”. The men (and some ladies – hooray for diversity) are straight shooters and will happily tell you everything you need to know about which winter tires are right for your vehicle. Once you do the #7CSwitch, be sure to pass it on. The more winter tires we have on the road this winter, the safer we’ll all be.
Want to know more about winter tires and become a Kaltire Keener like me? Check out my post here about five things to know about your winter tires, and here, so you can avoid being “that guy”.
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