Getting a grip

Drivers get ready for winter with tire changeover

MARY AMES

Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU -Last year's snow seems to be haunting drivers this year. It must be those memories that are pulling them into local tire stores to get winter tires put on their vehicles.

"We've done about 500 in the last few weeks," said Kenny Oxenrider of Johnson Tires in Wasilla, on Monday. "We were busier last year because of the snow. That's pretty normal. When it snows, more people get winter tires put on."

Over at Mr. Lube in Wasilla, Margaret Keene, office manager, is seeing a lot of customers, too.

"I think it's last year's snowfall," Keene said Monday. "It snowed last year in September, and really never stopped."

Studded tires have been legally rolling in the Valley since Sept. 16, but so far the roads have remained snow-free. And not all winter tires are studded.

Although the brand names are different for studless tires, the idea remains the same.

Oxenrider said the Nokian tires, with a special rubberized treatment, are legal to drive year-round. The silicone-embedded rubber and the cut of the tires' design are what makes the tires a good winter gripper, he said.

Winter tires are a big investment, and it's necessary to have the studded tires removed in the spring or face a fine. But even studless tires should be changed, both managers said, because they tend to wear more on dry pavement.

The rubber in studless tires becomes softer in cold weather, according to Keene, who sells studless Latitudes. And the feedback from her customers who run on studless tires, she said, is positive.

One way to reduce the cost of the twice-a-year tire change is to keep summer and winter tires mounted on rims. The initial cost is higher, but it is possible to save about $20 with each change, according to Oxenrider.

Rotation and balance are also important, he said.

"It's important to get even wear," he said. "You should have a a rotation and balance done every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. Especially with front-wheel drive, you can get a lot of abnormal wear from the tires spinning if you don't have them rotated and balanced."

For drivers who commute from the Valley to Anchorage every day, that's at least one rotation and balance midwinter, even if someone just uses a vehicle for the daily round trip to work.

Keene had more words of wisdom for winter drivers.

"The best advice is what someone gave to my 16-year-old daughter," she said. "Do everything extremely slow. Start slow and stop slow, and be prepared for anything."

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.