Knowing Your Tires for Winter Safety #KalsTireTesting

Would you wear running shoes outside on slush and ice? Imagine adding 4000 lbs, the average weight of a car, to those same shoes. For physical safety, you’d wear winter boots for these conditions but many people don’t consider the same kind of traction when choosing the tires on their vehicle.

On the farm we rely on quality tires and regular maintenance to keep our family safe and our farm running smoothly in all-weather conditions. Given our lifestyle, I was more than intrigued to be invited by Kal Tire to a behind the scenes tire testing event. I joined Kal Tire and their track test team to have an in-depth look at how and why Kal Tire is going above and beyond to make sure they provide their consumers with unbiased test rating tires.

I had first hand experience of the rigorous tests that Kal Tires’ test team puts tires through to give them their rating.  With the cars equipped with the latest tire testing technology, we took the tires to their limits. Consistency in professional drivers and making sure test conditions are identical test after test, for every different tire, are two of the major variables that Kal Tires’ professional team strives to achieve.

Have you noticed the expiration date on tires?

All tires have a manufacturer date on them; tire experts say the shelf life of a tire should not exceed 6 years from it’s manufacture date. This is something to keep in mind when that new set of tires seems like a too good to be true deal.

Have you ever thought “why put my winter tires on if there is no snow on the ground?” Winter tires should be installed according to outdoor temperature.  At Kal Tire, test results have proven that the structure of tire rubber on 3 season and all-season tires changes and winter tires should be installed when temperatures drop to 7° C and lower.

Who does Kal Tire get to test their tires?

Owner, Alan Sidorov, of SPDT Performance Driving Technologies and his team put many brands of tires through their testing/rating system.  This is different because the actual tire company does not tell them how they should test their brand of tire to give the fairest results.  The professional drivers don’t know the brand of tire they’re testing. The tires are put on not knowing the brand; each set of tires are put through the exact same tests, under the exact same conditions. This ensures all tires are on the same level playing field, or should I say same test track. This is the only way that Alan and his team test tires achieving an unbiased test report for Kal Tire, who then shares with consumers.

Although winter tires are the best choice for conditions below 7° C, with the undeniable addition of stopping 14 meters shorter than 3 season or all-season tires, all-weather tires are treading their way right behind them with the option of keeping them on your vehicle year round.  This makes it a popular choice for consumers with limited storage space for that extra set of tires.  Remember, all-season in not all-weather.  

Winter tires, and now all-weather tires, are the only tires marked with the made-in-Canada severe service winter tire designation, the peaked mountain symbol with a snowflake in the middle. 

The next time you’re in a Kal Tire store and see the performance ratings, you will know that each tire was tested the exact same. You will have knowledge behind your choice of tire, making an informed decision for the safety of your family this winter.

If you learned something here, I’d love if you’d pin it for later on Pinterest or follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I was invited to a #KalsTireTesting event to learn about the importance of unbiased tire testing. All opinions are 100% my own.