So if the winter tire legislation has not been made law in B.C. why will Inspector Brewer and his cohorts be issuing tickets? The article reads as though the fuzz will ticket you if you are caught driving with all season tires on your vehicle, but I suspect he meant to say they will fine the driver of a vehicle equipped with "poor tires" (mah tires is flat busted) So will all the mounties be issued with official Twonies/Toonies to help them decide if you should be fined or not? I think that everyone should run only winter tires anyway, studded if possible. Those all season radials are a joke, I call them rim protectors.
metalman.

Stick a twoonie in your tire. If the tread doesn’t hit the gold centre of the twoonie, it’s time to speak to a tire expert about new winter tires/?? I have brand new winter tires that can't do this...what are these people taking?

Did a double check...tread is just over that depth..guess they expect me to replace my tires every winter?

Threats threats threats the ol inspector must have had a shot of testosterone before his little talk. Sounds like a police state, oh right that is what we are turning into. Snow tires might be a little better but I have had no issues with all seasons for decades. You drive for the conditions. Will they ban all terrain tires for blacktop as we know they are not as good as street tires. Will we have to change to a rain tire when it rains.

Come on and lets use a little common sense. Anyone really have any issues with all season tires.

The motor vehicle act requires that the tread has to be more than 3.5mm. Measure that up to the twoonie???

Drive to the conditions. Winter tires don't make bad drivers good.

Winter tires certainly don't make bad drivers good, but I'll stick to my studless winter tires. That way when some dumb-ass starts sliding into me because they are too smart for proper winter tires, I'll be able to get out of the way.

does this inspector have shares in a tire company? the centre of a toonie might be a good reference for tractor/trailers.otherwise we will be buying new tires every year to keep to that standard.

does this inspector have shares in a tire company? the centre of a toonie might be a good reference for tractor/trailers.otherwise we will be buying new tires every year to keep to that standard.

Forget winter driving, I say retest 95% of PG drivers anyway. My guess is there would be a huge rate of failure.

There isn't much doubt that winter tires perform better than all seasons. That said, whether you NEED them will depend on where you drive, in what conditions, etc.

Personally, we have winter tires on my wifes car and on my truck, I run quality all terrains. I'm a bit anal about tires though, so I always make sure that I have good tread remaining and I probably replace them sooner than I need to. Better safe than sorry. Tires are one thing I don't skimp on.

Of course, I can understand why they are focused on this as an issue. Just take a walk around any parking lot in town and look at some of the tires on some of the vehicles. Some of the worse culprits out there are SUV's and 4WD vehicles. It's simply blows me away at how some people run tires that are well beyond the tread wear indicators and in some cases, basically bald. 4WD or not, that's just plain stupid and dangerous.

Here is what the MV Act states about tires and, more specifically, winter tires

208 (1) For the purpose of this section, "winter tire" means a tire that is
(a) advertised or represented by its manufacturer or a person in the business of selling tires to be a tire intended principally for winter use, and that provides, or is designed to provide, adequate traction in snow or mud; and
(b) in the condition respecting tread wear and other particulars the regulations prescribe.

(2) The Minister of Transportation and Highways may, by public notice or by placing signs, prohibit vehicles from being driven or operated on a highway that are not equipped with chains, winter tires or sanding devices, or a combination of these the minister considers adequate and necessary in view of prevailing road conditions.

(3) For the purposes of a prosecution under this section, the onus is on the defendant to prove that a tire alleged not to be a winter tire is in fact a winter tire.

7.161 (1) No person shall drive or operate a motor vehicle or trailer equipped with pneumatic tires that are not in good order or that have any one of the following defects or conditions:
(a) cord break or an air leak;
(b) tread damage including cracks, cuts or snags in excess of 2.5 cm in any direction and deep enough to expose the ply cords;
(c) bumps, bulges or lumps apparently caused by separation of the tread or sidewall from the ply cords or by partial failure of the tire structure, including the bead area;
(d) tread worn to the extent that
(i) in the case of a commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 5 500 kg or more, less than 3 mm of tread groove depth of a front tire or 1.5 mm of tread groove depth of a rear tire, or
(ii) in the case of a vehicle other than a vehicle referred to in subparagraph (i), less than 1.5 mm of tread groove depth on any tire remains at 2 points on the circumference of the tire tread not closer together than 38 cm, or tread worn to the extent that tread wear indicators in any 2 adjacent grooves of the tread contact the road surface.

7.162 A winter tire as defined in section 208 of the Act shall have not less than 3.5 mm of tread depth across the surface of the tire in contact with the road.
---------------------

For non commercial vehicles, tires need a tread depth of a minimum 1.5 mm. There is no mention of season.

Then there is a section which identifies the need for winter tires or chains on roads marked as such. The tread depth is 3.5 mm minimum. The distance from a loonie's edge to the edge of the inside gold section is 5 mm, not 3.5 mm.

Here is a notice for people driving to Sun Peaks, for instance.

http://www.skisilverstar.com/home_showSection_ID_594.html

------------------

I have driven all season radials on my passenger cars for the last 4 decades. In the past few years, I generally do not drive on highways, other than in the city, in the winter. On snow packed city roads, I find no difference in driving with winter tires versus all season tires. Winter tires do not help in raising the distance between the road surface and the underside of my car. THAT is the problem in driving in this city in the winter. They do not plow the streets frequently enough to keep up with a series of snowfalls. Especially bad is when the snow is wet, ruts have formed, and then a deep freeze hits and we are into almost solid ice furrows that can remove the underside of a vehicle.

Okay .... so it is SilverStar, not Sun Peaks ..... :-)

This is the situation in Sweden

Snow Tires
The use of snow tires is mandatory between December 1 and March 31. You have the choice of studded tires (good for ice and packed snow, but are noisy and drag on clear roads), or stud-free snow tires made of a VERY SOFT RUBBER (which are only good for three years, and also drag on clear roads). Due to the country's northerly climate, EXPERIENCE IN DRIVING ON ICE AND SNOW is recommended before negotiating Sweden's winter roads.

I think Sweden has it right as to what is needed to drive in the winter!!!!

http://www.consumersearch.com/snow-tires/review

Right on Gus! Wonder if this applys all over B.C.? Mainly, the lower mainland...never seen so many worn out tires on vehicals specialy in the winter. I know theres gonna be the folks who say well the conditions are waaaay different down there...the snow is heavier bla bla bla. The facts are ...you still need good tires...just like anywheres else! Good tires and the use of the brain can usally get you there and back.

Let's all go south for the winter, and come back when it is safe to venture out onto the roads again.
metalman.

The Twoonie test is extreme. This link takes you to a more sensible coin measurement: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=51

Most tires have built-in wear bars that will tell you when you should replace the tire.

Deep tread can be better in deep snow and rain conditions, but shallow tread (like slicks) may actually give superior grip on smooth surfaces. I have witnessed bald tires outperforming tires with big lugs on glare ice.

Tread design may be as important as tread depth. Lots of sipes (slits in the tread)work better than big lugs to remove water and snow so the tire makes contact with the road.

The rubber compound is probably more important than the tread. Many all-season tires are not designed for temperatures below plus 7 degrees C. They harden like hockey pucks kept in the freezer, making them slide.

Because conditions vary, I choose good studded winter tires with soft rubber, deep tread, and lots of sipes. I pay nearly double the price of cheap winter tires and I get nearly double the traction. My life is worth it.

The Twoonie test is extreme. This link takes you to a more sensible coin measurement: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=51

Most tires have built-in wear bars that will tell you when you should replace the tire.

Deep tread can be better in deep snow and rain conditions, but shallow tread (like slicks) may actually give superior grip on smooth surfaces. I have witnessed bald tires outperforming tires with big lugs on glare ice.

Tread design may be as important as tread depth. Lots of sipes (slits in the tread)work better than big lugs to remove water and snow so the tire makes contact with the road.

The rubber compound is probably more important than the tread. Many all-season tires are not designed for temperatures below plus 7 degrees C. They harden like hockey pucks kept in the freezer, making them slide.

Because conditions vary, I choose good studded winter tires with soft rubber, deep tread, and lots of sipes. I pay nearly double the price of cheap winter tires and I get nearly double the traction. My life is worth it.