I'm often told we have the best job in the world, which is a bit of an exaggeration considering there really are professional fluffers out there. That aside, I try to explain just how hard this job can be. Take the Bridgestone Blizzak event I attended earlier this year. You have no idea how tough it can be to have to catch two planes to reach the Steamboat Springs winter resort in Colorado. Then there's the agony of staying in a resort hotel, driving ski-doos in the morning and snowboarding in the afternoon. And all that effort before we actually get to drive the damn tires at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School, where we got to slide around on snow and ice all day. Really people, this is a tough job! Obviously every day isn't like that, or why would anybody do it?
The aim of the exercise was to prove that the start of winter need not signal the end of your fun. With good snow tires, it's still possible to reach your destination safely. And if you're driving in snow, Steamboat is a great destination. They prepare the snow every night so it's perfect the next day. Check out www.steamboat.com if you want top ski, snowboard and ski-doo action.
regularly drive in snow but have never experienced a specific snow tire before, and the difference is remarkable. The reason is that a tire's tread compound is designed to conform to the irregularities in a road surface within a specific temperature range, so summer tires don't like the cold, and vice versa. A snow tire just won't be happy when it gets hot. So those of us living in areas with proper seasonal changes should consider changing their tires to cope with the conditions.
Hurry and pick up the December 2005 issue of eurotuner Magazine for the complete story, and a lot more photos