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Wm mm Snow tire useaae depends on area limitations car handling effi miles to enable the tires to ad ciency and other safety can just to one another When pro siderations Yo will find the perly broken in to road condi Snow tires are essential for winter driving in most areas of Canada They provide better traction and greater degree of safety According to John Dubee Montreal maintenance manager for Tilden RentA Car it is generally sufficient to install snow tire only on the rear wheels However if you plan to do lot of driving especially in hilly country or in areas where snow removal is problem you might consider using them on all four wheels Also it is good idea to keep couple of bags of sand in the trunk to provide extra weight over the driving wheels If you specifications in your owners manual Accordng to Dubee you should never use smaller tires then those that come with your car Smaller tires mght affect ground clearance which is even more important in winter than in summer instrument ac curacy and the suspension system Never mix tires of different construction bias belted or radial on the same axle Naturally it is best to use the same type on all four wheels However if you insist upon using pair of radial tires with happen to get stuck on snow or bias or belted tires the radials ice the sand can be used as an should always go on the rear abrasive under thw wheels to axle provide traction When new tires are mounted When installing any tires you you should drive no faster than should take into account size 55 miles an hour for the first 50 Chaotic rush when winter hits Going to wait until the snow flies before you put snow tires on the car this year Read what couple of tire dealers had to say about their business during the first heavy snowfall last year Its crazy Its nuts There are people all over the place Its been chaotic around here during the last few days Many people procrastinate about buying snow tires until the snow actually falls and then watch out We hope that will help to convince you to make early preparations for winter driving said Jack Scarcliff director of consumer affairs for The Firestone Tire and Rub ber Company With winter weather only few flips of the calendar away Scarcliff offered some basic questions and answers on snow tires as guide to motorists When is the best time to put on snow tires It depends on the geographical area of the country but early November is good rule of thumb Just be sure to beat the first snowfall to avoid the rush to tire dealers and service stations Also when show tires are put on or taken off the regular tires should be rotated for balanced wear If snow tires are put in rather warm weather motorists should check the air pressure when it gets colder because tire loses about one pound of air pressure for every lodegree drop in temperature What about radial tires Dont they provide enough traction so that dont need snow tires Because of their generally more aggressive tread designs ordinary radial tires provide somewhat better tracv tion than their nonradial counterparts on pack or shallow snowbut in deep snow only winter snow tire will do the job If you needed sow tires before switching to radial tires youll probably continue to need them In addition if you have radial tires on the front be sure to put radial snow tire on the rear axle Radials have quicker steering response than biasply tires as well as different ride characteristics and it is important for proper car handling to avoid mixing tires of substantially different heandling characteristics Should separate wheels be purchased for snow tires Its good idea so they can remain mounted during storage It also saves on mounting fees and reduces the possibility of damage that could result from twiceyearly switching And if youre doityourselfer you can switch tires in your driveway job that takes only few minutes Remember when storing mounted tires that the air pressure should be reduced 10 to 15 pounds and that mounted or unmounted tires should be stored in cool dry place away from direct sunlight tionsthey will function more efficiently at higher speeds as an integral unit Short trip without antifreeze Motorists who live in areas where winter temperatures are frigid know that driving without sufficient antifreeze protection is like driving without wheels You wont get anywhere Yet many motorists are not familiar with other products that help cars function in cold weather Every fall have our cars cooling system flushed out with radiator flush and add fresh 5050 mix of antifreeze and water to guard against rust and corrosion as well as subzero temperatures The other liquids in the car need special attention in the cold weather also change of oil standard procedure year round is crucial now because in colder temperaturss some oils thicken like molasses And mechanics agree molasses makes terrible automotive lubricant Many cars suffer from the frosty problem of gas line freeze Moisture build up in the gas tank and can freeze in the line blocking the flow of gasoline in the carburetor The result may be nonstarting car Dry gas helps prevent moisture from freezing in your fuel system and it helps prevent carburetor icing too Warmweather conditioning Before the thermometer dips below freezing levels take ad vantage of the remaining warm weather to condition your car for the cold months ahead The Automotive Council offers the following tips Starting with the exterior of the car put the highvpressure nozzle on your garden hose and clean the under parts of the car thoroughly Pay special atten tion to the fender wells the door sills and door bottoms where rust can get head start Listen for unusual noises such as pings screeches groans or rattles and look at the color of the exhaust smoke if it burns blue or black you could have problem If in doubt consult mechanic Winter visibility is crucial for safe driving Windshield wipers should be checked to see if they are performing adequately Consideration should be given to snowblades to insure improved winter visibility permitted the examiner Thursday Oct 25 1979 3A Before starting out on trip this winter be prepared for the worst that winter may have to offer At the least your trunk should contain bucket of sand or rocksalt shovel battery booster cables tire chains traction mats tow chain or strap safety flares or reflectors an auxiliary lighting equipment Tips you Can follow Never too premature to prepare for winter With another winter just around the corner the Safe Winter Driving League reminds motorists that now is time to get themselves prepared for winter driving While the added hazards of winter driving reduced visibility and inadequate trac tion often trap the unwary driver the typical winter driv ing accident could be avoided if drivers practiced few commonsense precautions developed by the National Safe ty Councils Committee on Winter Driving Hazards This nationwide group of research and testing engineers has evaluated the performance of vehicles and equipment as well as driving techniques over wide range of hazardous driv ing conditions during its annual winter driving test program Basically safer winter driv ing depends on the car and its equipment as well as the driver according to Ross Wilcox League Executive Secretary Have car in top notch condition So first of all its essential to have your car in top notch con dition paying particular atten ton to those items affecting traction and visibility These include the brakes tires lights defroster windshield wipers and emergency equipment As far as visibility is concern ed keep your windshield as well as the side and rear win dows clear at all times And dont forget to clean the headlights taillights and direc tional signals Replace streaking wiper blades that have gone dead from exposure to sun wind emissions and oily road film For most efficient winter operation use the new rubber encased winter blades When it comes to traction good deep tread is important all year around but especially on wet snowy and icy surfaces Snow or studded tires Conventonal snow tires pro vide substantial improvement over regular tires for pulling through snow although they are of little or no help when it comes to stopping on glare ice studded snow tires on the other hand improve both stopping and pulling ability on glare ice Studded tirss are now banned in number of states in most other states they are generally only during specified winter period And contrary to the impres sion of many motorists radial tires per se are not necessari ly substitute for snow tires according to the Councils tests These tests have disclosed that the performance of radial tires on snow varies widely and is dependent on the tread con figuration In other words if radial tire has snow tread it performs pretty much as conventional snow tire if it has regular highway tread it performs as regular highway tire Tire chains best For the ultimate in winter traction the Councils tests have shown that reinforced tire chains far outperform any type of winter tire yet developed They provide from four to seven times the pulling ablity of regular tires for climbing icy grades or pulling through deep snow Next give your trunk safety check before starting out on winter trip so youll be prepared for emergency situa tions that could arise In addi tion to chains you should carry bucket of sand or rock salt shovel battery booster cables tow chain flares or fuses and flashlight or electric lantern be sure the batteries are fresh Now that your car is ready the most essential part of safe winter driving is up to you the driver Few drivers realize that the braking distance on snow and ice can be from three to nine times as far as the normal dry pavement distance This ob viously means that speeds on slick pavements must be drastically reduced Increase distances Following distances must be increased appreciably and any type of maneuvering whether accelerating braking or steering must be perform ed with far more care and finesse 0f most importance winter drivers should learn the habit of getting the feel of the road This can be done when out of the way of other vehicles by jabbing the brake pedal or by gunning the engine momen tarily to see whether the wheels skid or spin This is particular ly critical at times when the pavement appears to be wet but may actually be starting to freeze good driver practices this technique whenever theres any doubt about the condition of the road surface and then drives accordingly Next when slowing or stopp ing on slippery pavement pump the brakes Dont panic and jam them on or you will lock the wheels and almost certainly go into skid Apply brakes gently Instead apply the brakes gently until you feel that skid is about to startthen release steer and pump again This in termittend braking action will keep th front wheels rolling so you can maintain steering con trol Advance planning well maintained and properly equipped vehicle and common sense driving habits will go long way toward safe and en joyable winter driving Be wellrested before starting car driving Most Canadian drivers are at least vaguely aware that fatigue can be an undesirable condition The result too often can be tragedy The Canada Safety Council offers these tips to drivers who wish to fight off fatigue Be well rested before star ting the trip Avoid heavy foods and alcoholic beverages im mediately before starting and during the journey If using prescribed drugs know their effects on driving eg drowsiness hallucina tions etc Wear good quality sunglasses in bright daylight and keep eyes moving Dont permit them to become fixed on the road ahead Keep the vehicle well ven tilated Stop at least every two hours or break and get out and walk around have an oc casional high protein snack