Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

WINTER IS COMING

Time for travellers on B.C. highways to trade all-seasons for winter tires

Oct 4, 2021 | 4:14 PM

KAMLOOPS — Call it fall, autumn, spooky season, hockey season, or pumpkin spice latte time – it all means the weather is getting cooler and folks who drive B.C.’s highways should be making plans to get their winter tires put on, and soon.

Local tire shops are busy. And from the sounds of it, certain types of tires are in short supply.

He’s like your own personal pit crew. Tyler Graham owns Elite Mobile Tire, a full-service tire shop that travels to where his customers are located. It’s a service in high demand these days.

“Especially for businesses that have more than half a dozen vehicles,” Graham explains. “They don’t have to take two or three guys to drop a vehicle at a shop. I can come right to their compound, or where they’re working and do stuff for them. There’s no downtime.”

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This time of year, anyone who installs tires is busy. As of Oct. 1, vehicles travelling on B.C. highways are required to have tires marked with the Mountain Snowflake symbol, or at the very least M&S. According to Alan Hay, owner of Integra Tire on Notre Dame, his customers have been making preparations.

“It definitely started earlier this year,” Hay says. “We noticed at the end of August people were starting to prepare, probably mostly due to tire shortages and issues with everything.”

The pandemic has had a significant impact on the global supply chain. From appliances, electronics, new cars and yes, tires – anything manufactured overseas and shipped to Canada has seen impacts.

“It just depends on what you want,” Hay says. “There’s still lots of tires available, but certain brands have been a bit more of a struggle to get. Light truck tires are definitely an issue this year.”

Graham works fast – however, there’s only so much a one-man crew can accomplish.

“Between 10 and 15 (tire changes) per day. I’m only one guy, sometimes I do have a helper,” Graham says. “It’s a bit slower pace than some of the big shops, but I am booked up for the next four weeks solid.”

And if you need to buy new rubber, better to act fast instead of waiting too long, or you might find yourself out in the cold.

“I wouldn’t be the last person to try and find tires this year,” Hay says. “There’s not going to be a lot of options once the snow starts to fly.”