Is it safe to be frugal with winter tires?

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-19-2008, 03:17 PM

One stipulation to this year's trip to Sherwood Park, AB is that DH puts winter tires on the van. Every year that we have gone it has been pretty rough as far as the weather goes, and I don't want to risk anything this year. I'm pretty paranoid of highway drivers, especially with it getting dark at night way earlier.

We got the flyer today from Canadian Tire and inside, it had a sale on winter tires. I know that there's a shortage coming up with winter tires because of Quebec's new law making it mandatory for all vehicles to have winter tires or face fines. We live in Alberta but it would still hit us pretty hard. I have never bought winter tires, neither has DH, so this is new to us. We want to save money and not skimp on quality because tires are the most important thing on our vehicle to keep us from getting into an accident or sliding off the road.

Can you really be frugal with winter tires, yet not compromise the safety of the vehicle and its occupants? We're looking at spending about $500 on winter tires and those are for a size 15 tire on an aluminum rim.

**Greebo** · 11-19-2008, 03:35 PM

In your neck of the woods, I'd be safe and buy the tires. However, don't get rid of the all-weathers. Take em home, store em, and put em back on next season. You should get a couple years out of the winter tires that way too.

Or is that a bad idea?

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-19-2008, 03:55 PM

Nah, not a bad idea at all. We can always take the all-season tires back to where we got the winter ones, have them check the tread on them and then balance them for us. They're charging about $20 for balancing on aluminum rims and $15 on steel rims. We have aluminum rims on our van. We may actually be in the market to buy new all-season tires because the ones we have on the van at the moment are the ones that came with the van when we bought it in February.

**Gardengal18** · 11-19-2008, 04:09 PM

Unless you want to risk your life and that of your family then go for it. Otherwise I think it's a very bad idea. There are just some things one can not skimp on and one of those is safety

**Grayce** · 11-19-2008, 04:29 PM

Definitely get winter tires. I have been using a set for 4 years now. The brand I got was Nordic. I think they were Canadian Tires Brand. I was planning to get a name brand like Blizzak or Michelin X-ice but the price was out of this world. The Nordic ones were reasonably priced and at the time I bought them they had a sale on, buy 1 get one 1/2 off. I had them put on a set of steel rims so my DH can switch them spring and fall. That saves about $50 each time. Also since you will have the snow tires on for 5-6 months a year your all-seasons will last much longer so it might end up being just as frugal to have the snow tires.

They really make a huge difference in my driving. I live in ski country and we get tons of snow and ice. The tires are just great. I would never consider driving without snow tires again.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 11-19-2008, 05:03 PM

That's the sale that's going on right now actually.

They have Goodyear Nordic tires for $101.49 per tire, MotoMaster Total Terrains if you buy 1 and you get the second for half price. Those MotoMaster ones are $112.99 for the first, $56.49 for the second one. We planned on budgeting in at least $500 for the entire set of four. We get snow here in Calgary between September and April (plus we had that freak storm in May last year) and I can only imagine how much you guys get in ski country. The TCH is pretty slippery heading west into Banff and while we don't plan on going there, we do live close enough to where if Banff gets hit hard then we get it too.

We're pulling from the emergency fund for the tires and using the rest of it for Christmas, then funding it within a month or two to get the EF back to $1k.

Let's hope they have some at Canadian Tire this weekend and that we're not waiting forever to have them put on.

**Greebo** · 11-19-2008, 10:56 PM

My only concern with what I suggested earlier, and the reason for my question, is I do not know if sitting for 6 months without use would cause any damage/dry rot/deterioration to the tires that are "in storage".

But it makes sense that it wouldn't. Spare tires sit unused in trunks (or worse) for years sometimes.

**LuvMyHubby** · 11-29-2008, 06:31 PM

^^ we switch off and on our studded tires and our regular tires, without a hitch. We just store them in our shed.

**Mavourneen** · 11-29-2008, 07:50 PM

Have you checked craigslist in your area? http://calgary.en.craigslist.ca/

I live in a much more Southern area than you...so my need for winter tires isn't the same...but Mr Mav and I simply can't afford new tires right now. I got two perfectly decent tires with about 15,000 miles on them for $20 each from the Washington DC craigslist. Took them to a local tire shop, who mounted them and installed them for another $20 each. $80 total for $250 worth of tires.