Kal Tire Cautions Drivers and Recommends All-weather Tires
VERNON, BC, Oct. 20, 2014 /CNW/ - Each winter, almost half of Canadian drivers will be driving on all-season tires that freeze in the cold, slide on slush, and can take 30 metres longer to stop on smooth ice. To help make Canada's roads safe this year, Kal Tire is urging drivers to avoid all-season (three-season) tires and consider all-weather tires, 'the winter tire you can drive all year long.'
"We don't think drivers realize how dangerous all-seasons are in the winter, or that they have a much safer year-round tire option," says Carey Hull, director of retail products, Kal Tire. All-weather tires, sometimes confused for all-season tires, are designated winter tires that give drivers safe traction in the winter as well as superior handling in the summer. "What we're saying is, if you're going to have only one set of tires on your vehicle through the year, make it an all-weather tire."
| Safety Features |
All-season tires |
All-weather tires |
| Rubber compound remains soft and flexible at temperatures above and below 7 C |
NO Freezes at 7 C. Takes 30 m longer to stop on smooth ice, even at -1 C |
YES Precise, year-round braking and grip |
| Prevents slushplaning and grips snow and ice |
NO Snow and slush clogs the thin tread channels creating a slippery, unsafe surface for winter roads |
YES Thick grooves push away slush to prevent slushplaning, the second-most dangerous driving condition. Thick, chunky tread blocks bite ice, snow and slush. |
| Bears the mountain snowflake designated winter tire symbol to show it's passed requirements to be safe for severe winter conditions |
NO |
YES
|
Kal Tire wants to make sure Canadians get the safety they need through all weather conditions. Because the organization believes so much that the all-weather tire should replace the all-season tire for year-round use in Canada, and because of the tire dealer's understanding of the Canadian market, they were able to convince several manufacturers to produce more all-weather tires this year. Several new tires are launching this fall, including the Nordman WR, a high-quality, budget-friendly all-weather tire for passenger and SUV vehicles.
"We've had the Nokian WR all-weather tire for years, but we needed to give customers a value-priced, high quality option. Now there's no excuse for using all-seasons in the winter," says Hull, adding Kal Tire also wanted to accommodate Canada's growing light truck market, and give more choices to fleets.
Kal Tire also convinced Nokian to redesign the Rotiiva AT into a heavier version with all-weather elements for three-quarter ton trucks. Others to jump to Kal Tire's request include Nitto, which built an all-terrain all-weather tire for extreme work and off-road environments, and Muteki, which designed a rugged all-weather tire fit for the toughest off-road and mud conditions. The result is Kal Tire's 2014 lineup of all-weather tires, featuring six models to suit all types of drivers and budgets.
| PASSENGER AND SUV |
LIGHT TRUCK ALL-TERRAIN |
| Nordman WR and WR SUV |
Wild Country XTX Sport |
| Nokian WR G3 and WR G3 SUV |
Muteki Trail Hog |
| Nokian Rotiiva AT and AT Plus |
|
| Nitto Exo Grappler AWT |
Pioneered by the winter tire experts at Nokian, the all-weather tire was first introduced to Canada by Kal Tire in 2000. The Nokian WR G3 is now the fourth generation and last year was rated #1 in Performance Winter Tires by Consumer Reports. As the all-weather tire gains traction, organizations across Canada are now outfitting their fleets with all-weather tires, including police forces and car rental companies.
This fall, Kal Tire is traveling across Canada to educate drivers about the dangers of driving all-season tires in the winter. The tire dealer has enlisted the help of Bill Gardiner, contributor to Motoring TV since the start of the show, and often referred to as 'The Doctor of Cars'. For many years Bill has travelled the country educating Canadian motorists on the importance of car safety, and, as a licensed mechanic, every winter his customers count on him to make the right tire selection for their vehicle.
"As Canadians, there are so many things that are beyond our control in the winter," says Gardiner. "But how we prepare our vehicles for winter is 100 per cent within our control. I'm excited about working with Kal Tire to help share this important safety message."
About Kal Tire
Kal Tire is Canada's largest independent tire dealer and North America's largest commercial tire dealer. Kal Tire Mining Tire Group is a global leader in mining tire service and supply, operating on more than 150 mine sites in 17 countries across five continents. The company has warehouse facilities strategically located across Canada servicing over 250 Kal Tire retail and commercial stores. As the largest truck tire retreader in Canada, Kal Tire owns and operates 10 truck tire retread facilities plus an additional four earthmover retreading facilities are located in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ghana, West Africa. The company employs more than 5,400 team members. To learn more, visit www.kaltire.com and follow at www.twitter.com/KalTire and www.facebook.com/KalTire.
The following media resources are available on Kal Tire's online newsroom www.kaltire.com/news&info:
Video with caption: "Video: Kal Tire demonstrates the difference between and all-weather and an all-season tire.". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20141020_C3844_VIDEO_EN_6603.mp4&posterurl=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos.newswire.ca%2Fimages%2F20141020_C3844_VIDEO_EN_6603.jpg&order=1&jdd=20141020&cnum=C3844
Image with caption: "Think Your All-Season Tires are Safe for Winter? Think Again (CNW Group/Kal Tire)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141020_C3844_PHOTO_EN_6772.jpg
SOURCE: Kal Tire
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