Winter is starting to settle in for good, leaving inches of snow on the ground and dropping the temperature by a few degrees. Summer or all-season tires no longer have the required effectiveness to ensure safe trips and commutes. Winter tires are strongly recommended -- in fact, they're now mandatory in Quebec from December 15 to March 15.
Our own test driver also had to make the switch. Last spring, after thousands of kilometers with new Michelin X-Ice tires, she replaced them with her good old all-season tires. But now, it's time to face Mother Nature's cold personality once again.
Our colleague usually travels over 25,000 kilometers a year and, despite a record-breaking winter, her Michelin X-Ice are in pretty good shape. According to tire expert Alexandre McCabe, the accumulated wear represents less than 10 percent of the tires' total lifespan. What this means is that, even with extensive use, these Michelins should retain their grip for at least 3 to 4 more years.
Moreover, Mr. McCabe used a precision tool to measure the thickness of the tire tread. Based on his calculations, the tires lost about one 32nd of an inch of their original thickness across the entire tread surface. Therefore, we not only know that the X-Ice is durable but also that a proper wheel alignment prevented abnormal tire wear.
Remember that you can also check the condition of your own tires and find out if they're healthy enough to withstand one more winter season. All you have to do is to put a Canadian quarter at the base of the tread (down the grooves). If the rubber hides the nose or antlers of the caribou, you can keep using your tires.
Finally, it's important to rotate your four tires to ensure they all spend equal time in heavy-wear positions so as to deliver maximum traction performance. However, in the case of directional tires, you can't make them switch sides because they have a specific rolling direction.
As for our test driver, she's finally ready to take on winter after having her Michelin X-Ice tires installed back and her vehicle thoroughly checked out. We'll see in a couple of weeks if the Michelins held up their end of the deal.
photo:Matthieu Lambert
 |
Our own test driver also had to make the switch. Last spring, after thousands of kilometers with new Michelin X-Ice tires, she replaced them with her good old all-season tires. But now, it's time to face Mother Nature's cold personality once again.
Our colleague usually travels over 25,000 kilometers a year and, despite a record-breaking winter, her Michelin X-Ice are in pretty good shape. According to tire expert Alexandre McCabe, the accumulated wear represents less than 10 percent of the tires' total lifespan. What this means is that, even with extensive use, these Michelins should retain their grip for at least 3 to 4 more years.
Moreover, Mr. McCabe used a precision tool to measure the thickness of the tire tread. Based on his calculations, the tires lost about one 32nd of an inch of their original thickness across the entire tread surface. Therefore, we not only know that the X-Ice is durable but also that a proper wheel alignment prevented abnormal tire wear.
Remember that you can also check the condition of your own tires and find out if they're healthy enough to withstand one more winter season. All you have to do is to put a Canadian quarter at the base of the tread (down the grooves). If the rubber hides the nose or antlers of the caribou, you can keep using your tires.
Finally, it's important to rotate your four tires to ensure they all spend equal time in heavy-wear positions so as to deliver maximum traction performance. However, in the case of directional tires, you can't make them switch sides because they have a specific rolling direction.
As for our test driver, she's finally ready to take on winter after having her Michelin X-Ice tires installed back and her vehicle thoroughly checked out. We'll see in a couple of weeks if the Michelins held up their end of the deal.
 |
photo:Matthieu Lambert
Article Gallery