Today I performed my biannual ritual of swapping between summer and snow tires. Not an easy job today with bitter temperatures and wind chills as low as 8 degrees, which we’ve had the last few days.
In previous seasons I would switch much earlier, usually mid to late October. I really pushed it this year as the tread depth on my (still incredible) Nokian Hakkapelittas is getting low, and also because my summer BFG SP Sports work well in lower temperatures (as long as the road is dry). The Yokohamas I had previously would basically fall off a traction cliff in temperatures below 50-60 degrees. So I’ve been very satisfied with the moderately priced BFGs; Excellent dry and wet summer traction, and a wider temperature range.
Another addition I added just over a week ago were Valeo Ultimate wipers. I was tempted for years to get the jointless wipers, but I kept going for the inexpensive blade-only replacements from my dealer’s parts counter. I am downright shocked at how silent the Valeos are. I’ve always been annoyed by wipers both visually and sonically and therefore run them at as low a speed as possible. You can’t even hear these wiping. Contrary to reports I read years ago, they do not lose contact at high speeds either; a small spoiler is molded into the back. We’ll see if they continue to be as impressive through the winter.
Not much other news, as my MINI continues to serve well on my long commute. It will reach 80,000 miles in the next week or so.