Vernon, BC - Tuesday, October 14, 2014
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Kal Tire Cautions Drivers and Recommends All-weather Tires
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”
“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.”
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.”