Morning Brew: December 17th, 2008

<i>"I'm about to drive to Ottawa, in a rental car with "all-season" tires, where a public transit strike is in effect."</i>

Just don't drive over to Hull with those all-season tires unless you want to risk a $200 to $300 fine.

Canadian Idol, Ben Mulroney and the trifecta of talentless judges are off the airwaves. Finally, some good news to come out of this economic downturn.

Here in Ontario, you will probably have a very hard time finding winter tires on rental cars purely for the reason that they will get stolen. I remember a friend of my fathers was a manager at a rental agency a while back and he mentioned that it wasn't uncommon for somebody to rent a car and replace the tires with their worn out tires from home.

I guess it happened all the time he said.

"I'm about to drive to Ottawa, in a rental car with "all-season" tires, where a public transit strike is in effect."

You should have paid the extra for an SUV, and be less of a hazard to yourself and others on the road. Not only would you get far better traction and ground clearance, an SUV is more likely to come equipped with chunkier near-winter grade tires.

"Incidentally, the new Required Snow Tires legislation in Quebec (I know that's not the official name!) is probably why it's almost impossible to get a rental with snow tires outside of Quebec."

No it's not. Most major rental agencies have always refused to pay the added expense of purchasing snow tires and labour for swapping between them and all-season tires on every car in their fleet twice each year. Mostly because they are not forced by law to do so. (Though this may now have changed in Quebec.)

Believe me, I have had protracted discussions with all major rental agencies at the Calgary airport, in the middle of a blizzard, regarding this. Apparently I should shut up and be grateful that there was a snow brush in the damn Celica (which they insist is a full-size sedan, by the way).

"I remember a friend of my fathers was a manager at a rental agency a while back and he mentioned that it wasn't uncommon for somebody to rent a car and replace the tires with their worn out tires from home."

I think the rental agency manager was BSing. What garage would swap tires on a rental car for a private citizen? And how would the car pass the return inspection, where their goal is to try to find the most obscure flaw to charge you damages for?

Oh boy.
SUVs aren't necessarily safer:
-at 2-3 times the weight of a sedan, they take longer to stop
-four-wheel drive is useless if the tires slip
-a higher center of gravity makes them more likely to slide sideways
while making a turn
-it's not the tread that makes a winter tire, it's the rubber

Re Erin & Diane

Erin is right. The key element of a winter tire is the rubber, which provides better traction and handling at below 7 degrees C, whereas all-seasons and "summer" tires are better at above 7 degrees C.

Four-wheel drive is also only useful in gaining or maintaining traction in terms of acceleration. It can reduce wheel slippage when moving from a stop, or to help maintain speed and control in a corner, for example, but four-wheel drive has nothing to do with stopping capability.

Unfortunately, your average person in an SUV in the winter tends to get an inflated sense of confidence and rely on the vehicle more than their own abilities as a driver.

All season tires are fine if you don't drive like an idiot (difficult this far south, I know). I lived for twenty years in the far north of the province (by which I mean near Manitoba, not Barrie), where virtually nobody changes to winter tires. All they do is drive to match the weather conditions, and, miracle of miracles, they manage to get where they're going without incident. Many people, down here in the more urbanized parts of the province in particular, seem to view winter tires as license to drive as though it hasn't snowed, whereas they have far less impact on your car's winter performance than regular maintenance and responsible driving habits.

Erin, you're wrong on all counts.

"-at 2-3 times the weight of a sedan, they take longer to stop"

This would be true if SUVs were in fact 2-3 times the weight of a sedan. Typically, that's not the case. (Comparing a Hummer to a Smart is not a typical case, BTW.)

"-four-wheel drive is useless if the tires slip"

That's exactly what four wheel drive IS for. It transfers power to the wheel that is slipping less.

"-a higher center of gravity makes them more likely to slide sideways while making a turn"

Not at all. An unequal front-to-rear weight distribution would make a vehicle more likely to slide sideways. A higher centre of gravity would increase the chances of tipping, were the axles not raised and suspension stiffened to compensate.

"-it's not the tread that makes a winter tire, it's the rubber"

While rubber for winter tires is formulated to stay softer at lower temperatures, the tread design is paramount. Winter tread is designed with broader channels that are also wider at the surface in order to shed compacted snow while the wheel turns. Without this capability, snow impacted into your soft winter tire would give it an effectively smooth profile, with predictably unhappy results.

Serotonin, you are correct that "four-wheel drive has nothing to do with stopping capability", but I never said anything to the contrary.

"Unfortunately, your average person in an SUV in the winter tends to get an inflated sense of confidence and rely on the vehicle more than their own abilities as a driver."

Idiots will always be among us. But most of the ones I see each winter are driving racer-boy Hondas with giant spoilers, and going way, way too fast.

My dad works for Discount and he laughed when I asked him if they put winter tires on their fleet. He said the company's philosophy is, and I quote, "If you crash a car it's your problem." You being the customer.

Good luck driving!

I see more SUVs in ditches than I do any other kind of vehicles.

<i>"Or perhaps you're more likely you notice it when it's a sport utility vehicle in the ditch. Do you pump your fist and shout "Yes!" too?

Your concerns for the environment, while laudatory, should not lead you to spread knee-jerk disinformation that could possibly cost someone their life."</i>

Ummm. Did I say anything about hating SUVs? Did I make any statements about the environmental costs of SUVs here? Provide disinformation? All I said was that I see a lot of SUVs in ditches.

Seriously, Diane? You read my statement, made a few very assumptive leaps, started talking about unrelated issues (the environment? fist pumping cheers?) and you want me to apologize for revealing a personal observation if my opinion is that SUVs are more dangerous than other vehicles? Forgive me if I'm not willing to go any further on this one with you. :)

Well, Jerrold, here's hoping that your Ottawa trip is a safe one, no matter how you choose to do it.