Don't wait too long to re-tire

I was driving to work the other morning just after we received a few inches of fresh snow. Heading east on Long Lake Road the light at the Lahser intersection turned yellow, and, as I applied my breaks I just kept sliding down the hill. I wasn't stopping and that light was getting very orange. I skidded right into the heart of the intersection and fortunately nobody jumped the light going the other way. Nothing happened other than I was supremely wide awake and extra cautious the rest of the way in to the office.

When I last serviced my car in September my trusty mechanic showed me that I needed new tires. Why, when I always have extra, fresh running shoes on hand did I put off taking care of my tires? I'm not sure.  Maybe I was still reeling from a terrible experience at Sears Automotive three years ago. The one hour promise that turned into three hours in a dank waiting room.

This time I visited our nearby Belle Tire.  The experience was great. It couldn't have been any different from my Sears horror years ago. The manager at Belle had the exact tires I wanted in stock, got them mounted and had the wheels aligned all exactly when promised.

There used to be a rule of thumb about needing new tires around Lincoln's head on a penny, or is it Jefferson's head on a nickel, or Washington's head on a quarter? It doesn't matter now as I'm able to stop on a dime.