Icy November roads like this helped create the winter tire frenzy around North Bay this month. PHOTO BY CHRIS DAWSON.
Many of us woke up Monday morning to see the grass on our front lawns.
However, that lack of snow didn’t slow down the very busy snow tire season in North Bay.
“We are still catching up from three weeks ago,” said George Stockfish Ford's Mike Stockfish.
Like other garages in the area that are involved in the tire business, Stockfish says his service centre has been going non-stop since late October.
“It really is insanity,” said Stockfish.
“We have been trying to pre-book customers since the end of September with very little luck. Most people don’t want to put a winter tire on when its dry pavement and when the snow comes fast and furious like it did this year, people go to work Monday morning and they are slipping all over the place and they want tires to be done that day and the challenge is when you get a large body of people wanting it done at the same time, it’s tough to do. We’ve added extra hours, brought in more technicians but it is a very tough proposition.”
Stockfish certainly blames the early winter conditions for causing the snow tire frenzy, but he also believes more and more drivers are turning to winter tires.
“There has always been snow tires of course but now everyone wants them and once you have snow tires in the winter you never want to go the next year without them,” he said.
“It’s like a 4-wheel drive, once you get used to driving a 4-wheel drive sport utility you won’t go back to a front wheel drive or a rear wheel drive car. And it’s the same with the snow tires, so now every year we are selling more snow tires.”
Stockfish also notes that tire technology has changed in the past decade, and he says summer and all-seasons aren’t made as winter friendly as they used to.
“A lot of tires are being made more for fuel economy and aren’t as good in the snow,” said Stockfish.
Which makes winter tires even that much more of a priority.
