Another TireBob Tire Suggestion is a Hit!

[AB2506]

It was time for new winter tires on our 2009 Toyota Rav4 V6 Limited AWD. TireBob suggested the Goodyear Winter Command.

I'm a little leary of Goodyear tires (long story), but Bob assured me they would be great for Calgary winter roads and that they would be quiet.

Our worn out winter tires were Michelin Latitudes. Good traction, but noise wise, you knew the winter tires were on.

Today, I had the Winter Commands put on. We don't have snow yet, but I had to make a run to Airdrie. What I noticed is that the these tires seem to be much quieter than the Michelins. If they give as much traction (or more) than the Michelins, Bob has steered me in the right direction again.

If you are in the Calgary area, it is a good idea to contact TireBob for tires (and rims etc).

[tirebob]

Thanks for the kind words sir! I hope they do as well for you this winter as they do for me. It is the same tire on my own family SUV going into their third winter now and I am happy with their performance level and durability for value within the market place!

This said, as you mentioned, people have a tendency to get hung up on brand being the 100% indicator of good or bad, or fast wearing or long lasting, or loud or quiet etc etc, where it is far more important to look at models within brands.

As with anything, you cannot compare everything within a brand the same way. You can buy a Chev 3500 Dually and a Chev Corvette and a Chev Sonic... All three are Chevy's but if you work as a welder in the middle of an oil field, only one of those is effective, or if you are a starving student on a budget, only one is reasonable, or if you like to enter races on the weekend, only one is a performance car. You can see what I mean. They are all Chevs but they are all radically different.

Anyhow, off my soap box! I just was super happy to see you bring that up to give me another chance to try and show people they can be a little more refined about how they think about tires, and anything else for that matter!

[OL_JR]

Originally Posted by AB2506

It was time for new winter tires on our 2009 Toyota Rav4 V6 Limited AWD. TireBob suggested the Goodyear Winter Command.

I'm a little leary of Goodyear tires (long story), but Bob assured me they would be great for Calgary winter roads and that they would be quiet.

Our worn out winter tires were Michelin Latitudes. Good traction, but noise wise, you knew the winter tires were on.

Today, I had the Winter Commands put on. We don't have snow yet, but I had to make a run to Airdrie. What I noticed is that the these tires seem to be much quieter than the Michelins. If they give as much traction (or more) than the Michelins, Bob has steered me in the right direction again.

If you are in the Calgary area, it is a good idea to contact TireBob for tires (and rims etc).

Sorry for the derail but have been thinking about getting that gen of rav 4 with the V6. Pros/Cons in your experience?

[sailor]

Originally Posted by tirebob

Thanks for the kind words sir! I hope they do as well for you this winter as they do for me. It is the same tire on my own family SUV going into their third winter now and I am happy with their performance level and durability for value within the market place!

This said, as you mentioned, people have a tendency to get hung up on brand being the 100% indicator of good or bad, or fast wearing or long lasting, or loud or quiet etc etc, where it is far more important to look at models within brands.

As with anything, you cannot compare everything within a brand the same way. You can buy a Chev 3500 Dually and a Chev Corvette and a Chev Sonic... All three are Chevy's but if you work as a welder in the middle of an oil field, only one of those is effective, or if you are a starving student on a budget, only one is reasonable, or if you like to enter races on the weekend, only one is a performance car. You can see what I mean. They are all Chevs but they are all radically different.

Anyhow, off my soap box! I just was super happy to see you bring that up to give me another chance to try and show people they can be a little more refined about how they think about tires, and anything else for that matter!

Bob, I have been driving for quite a few years on Nokians Wr2 then on WR4 but on quite a fast car Subaru.
For wife we always had 2 sets - winter and summer.
But now , when kids grow up and we have 4 cars can I just get WR4 for her SUV- for both - winter and summer ?
No room in garage as kids have 2 sets for each

[fishinhogdaddy]

TireBob is the MAN!
Being low on $s, I reached out to him and for a remedy for my old truck and if he could help or provide any suggestions. He didn't have anything that was in my budget or I could make work but suggested another shop and I got 4 better tires for 1/3 of the cost of new!
Thanks again Sir!!

[Nova316]

Just got new tires from Tirebob and his staff, exceptional service. I see why he gets all the rants and reviews, definitely lived up to expectation.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Always have top-notch service from TireBob.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my raft of questions, Sir! The Duratracs have been great for the ol' Tundra.

My son is really looking forward to that new set for his F150 too!

[Albertadiver]

That reminds me. I need to make an appointment to get my studded winter commands mounted. Picked those up last winter and holy cow are they awesome tires.

[kevinhits]

Bob is the best. Been going to him for a couple years now and by far the best customer service I have ever had. His staff are the friendliest. I keep recommending Bob to everyone looking for tires, installs and change overs.

He's also a pretty good damned moderator if I say so myself.

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by sailor

Bob, I have been driving for quite a few years on Nokians Wr2 then on WR4 but on quite a fast car Subaru.
For wife we always had 2 sets - winter and summer.
But now , when kids grow up and we have 4 cars can I just get WR4 for her SUV- for both - winter and summer ?
No room in garage as kids have 2 sets for each

No reason you can of course! Just adjust your expectations a bit for extreme levels of traction and wear. You always sacrifice a bit in both directions when trying the split the middle, but as long as they are working up to your needs then go for it!

And thanks all for your words and loyal business! I do try my best and if I ever get it wrong (I am only human right?), I will always work hard to make it right!

[AB2506]

Originally Posted by OL_JR

Sorry for the derail but have been thinking about getting that gen of rav 4 with the V6. Pros/Cons in your experience?

We love our Rav4. We have had it since new and we (I) enjoy the 270HP. If you need to pass, it will go from 100/110 to 140/160 in a blink of an eye. That's with 4 people, lots of luggage in the back and a loaded Thule on top. (Cabelas run before there was Cabelas in Alberta)

The Rav4 handles nice, but it isn't super economical on gas, at least the way I drive it.

The most critical thing I can say is that while the cab is well insulated against engine noise, you can hear the rear tires, it is essentially a wagon after all. That's why I can tell winter tire noise from summer tire noise. These Winter Commands are quieter than the old Michelins.

[HuyFishin]

i'll give the winter commands a try sometime.

I used to have the goodyear ultragrips on my f150 a long time ago
(not sure if they still make them)

It felt like a death trap. It was more like ultraslips.

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by HuyFishin

i'll give the winter commands a try sometime.

I used to have the goodyear ultragrips on my f150 a long time ago
(not sure if they still make them)

It felt like a death trap. It was more like ultraslips.

A completely different tire... Those were designed for ultra long life in a winter tire which meant the compound on ice was harder. These new ones are a much better balance of ice and wear. They even have a new one called the WinterCommand Ultra which is extra sticky, but they will wear faster because of it. I personally prefer to stud up my normal WInterCommands to get the best of both worlds!

[Albertadiver]

Just got back from Bob's and have my studded winter commands mounted now.

Our crazy Aussie 'COVID' compatriot is picking up some winter commands for her SUV. She drives like an animal and I insisted she get winter tires. She picks her set up tomorrow I believe!

[walker1]

Yeah Bob had those winter commands installed on my wifes beetle last fall........... yes her beetle!!!! Great tires although I only drove that car once in the 2 years owned .... I don't fit in it. When we get a big dump it is tough but that is not the tires it is the lack of clearance on the car and we both jump in my 350. Put 4 sets of winters on last saturday with the neighbor.
Beer tasted good afterwards!!!

Like Bob said, the hard rubber compounds will last but not grip as much and the softer grip but wear out faster. I love Blizzacks. Went with his suggestion on the Winter Commands and those are great tires on her little car. I did install LT blizzacks on my 350. I only do 3-4 k in winter as I am not running to hockey rinks with my boys any longer. Got 8 years out of my Hankook Ipike so I am not entirely brand loyal.

[Dean2]

Tire Bob truly is a great guy and a credit to his industry. Wish he was up here. Am in GP this week and I can tell you the Firestone Transforce ATs that came as the extra cost offroad option on my new Dodge 2500 absolutely SUCK the big Migla in mud. They should be tagged as APs, All Payments. They have a absolutely zero steering control. They pull forward ok but slide left and right completely out of control if u go faster than a crawl. One quiet tire on pavement, don't throw rocks on gravel but totally useless in mud. Headed to town in the morning for a set of Duratacs cause these just don't work.

[tirebob]

Hey thanks everyone! I must apologize if I am a bit scattered and miss a contact here and there. It has been a weird month to say the least on top of being smashed with the winter tire season!

Please, if anyone is looking for me and has not heard back, bug me! E-mail at bob@urbanexp.ca and a double up using the PM's is never a bad plan of attack... haha!

[threeforthree]

We love ya Bob<<<

[HeavyD111]

Originally Posted by AB2506

We love our Rav4. We have had it since new and we (I) enjoy the 270HP. If you need to pass, it will go from 100/110 to 140/160 in a blink of an eye. That's with 4 people, lots of luggage in the back and a loaded Thule on top. (Cabelas run before there was Cabelas in Alberta)

The Rav4 handles nice, but it isn't super economical on gas, at least the way I drive it.

The most critical thing I can say is that while the cab is well insulated against engine noise, you can hear the rear tires, it is essentially a wagon after all. That's why I can tell winter tire noise from summer tire noise. These Winter Commands are quieter than the old Michelins.

We have the same vehicle, and its pretty hard on fuel. Wifes Xterra is better, but Rav has lots of power. Side opening rear “hatch” door I hate, and it rattles constantly..actually it has quite a few rattles, surprising for a Toyota. But fun to drive and pretty easy to live with on a daily basis as long as you can take the less than stellar mpg. Just my 2cents.

[Sundancefisher]

Nice shop.

Great staff there


https://www.google.com/maps/@51.0916...HXoE7uI5i!2e10

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Nice shop.

Great staff there


https://www.google.com/maps/@51.0916...HXoE7uI5i!2e10

Those blue rims look sweet.

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Nice shop.

Great staff there


https://www.google.com/maps/@51.0916...HXoE7uI5i!2e10

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Those blue rims look sweet.

Thanks kindly sir! I do thank you immensely for that salmon too... That was very generous of you and my kids and I are so looking forward to cooking that up! I wish I could say my wife as well but after 25 years of marriage, I still can't get that lady to eat anything from the water. I guess everyone has got to have some kind of quirk!

[North40Rules]

Hi Bob, I have a question for you since you are an expert in the tire industry, and I would like to say for the record that if I lived in Calgary you would definitely be my tire shop NO DOUBT!

A week ago I tried to book my wife's SUV into Canadian Tire (because they are by my home) to have her winter tires that are mounted on their own rims swapped out from her summer tires, they said they could get me in in two weeks. I didn't want to wait because of the snow here so I called Midas and they did the job the next day, all good.

I drove her SUV the next day after the tire swap and noticed that the car was dangerously pulling to the right so I figured that she needed a wheel alignment. I called Canadian tire again, they said they could do that right away for 140.00 so I took it in. A few hours later they called me and told me that I needed new winter tires as well as a wheel alignment, balancing @ a cost of $950.00 on their special.

I almost went for it until it dawned on me that if the tires needed to be replaced that Midas would have told me when they swapped them out, so I called Midas and they told me that the tires were fine and that they would do the alignment for $160.00 next day. So I took it in and had them do it and they again said the tires were fine!

My question is, are Canadian Tire known for this type of practice and if you were I, would you get a third opinion? My wife's safety is of paramount importance and I want to make sure that she is safe when she is driving. She is a horrible driver and does not need bad tires on top of her poor driving skills.

In fact, when I used to let her drive with me in the car, I would actually close my eyes, so I would not be screaming because I was afraid for my life lol.

Thank you sir!

Cheers N40

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by North40Rules

Hi Bob, I have a question for you since you are an expert in the tire industry, and I would like to say for the record that if I lived in Calgary you would definitely be my tire shop NO DOUBT!

A week ago I tried to book my wife's SUV into Canadian Tire (because they are by my home) to have her winter tires that are mounted on their own rims swapped out from her summer tires, they said they could get me in in two weeks. I didn't want to wait because of the snow here so I called Midas and they did the job the next day, all good.

I drove her SUV the next day after the tire swap and noticed that the car was dangerously pulling to the right so I figured that she needed a wheel alignment. I called Canadian tire again, they said they could do that right away for 140.00 so I took it in. A few hours later they called me and told me that I needed new winter tires as well as a wheel alignment, balancing @ a cost of $950.00 on their special.

I almost went for it until it dawned on me that if the tires needed to be replaced that Midas would have told me when they swapped them out, so I called Midas and they told me that the tires were fine and that they would do the alignment for $160.00 next day. So I took it in and had them do it and they again said the tires were fine!

My question is, are Canadian Tire known for this type of practice and if you were I, would you get a third opinion? My wife's safety is of paramount importance and I want to make sure that she is safe when she is driving. She is a horrible driver and does not need bad tires on top of her poor driving skills.

In fact, when I used to let her drive with me in the car, I would actually close my eyes, so I would not be screaming because I was afraid for my life lol.

Thank you sir!

Cheers N40

Well I would never say they "specifically" are know for that simply because they are a CT, and as with any company, you can get employees who are bad and are either not properly trained or are some just downright crooked.

The bigger issue is generally with your more massive chain type stores, it is tough in a business like that to retain employees that care about the business as a whole as they are usually just a numbered employee who has no connection to the owners of the company. It gives no feeling of belonging to a family that supports each other. Often they are paid on a heavily commission based salary which IMHO is the wrong way to cultivate honest staff who care more about lining their own pockets rather than doing what is best for the client.

The companies themselves too often have too many people to properly manage as a whole so they rely on blanket training people in "their way" of doing things, which again is often treated as simply a way of maximizing immediate single sale profit rather than thinking long term because most customers who buy at massive chains are the type of clients who simply price shop to the penny or by convenience of location and are not overly loyal to the brand. The companies know it so they try and get as much as they can on a single sale rather than thinking long term about retaining a client for a lifetime because they know there is a good chance they will never see this person again.

The tire work side of things in large companies as well is often treated as something to feed apprentices for mechanical work rather than training their people to understand that the tire and wheel side of the business is a legit specialty of its own.

I could go on and on about the intricacies as I see them, but really in the grand scheme of things, I still will never want to say that a company is bad or good as a rule as much as if you get a good employee, they can make a bad company seem good or if you get a bad employee they can make a good company seem bad. That is a why I opened my own company. I worked for mostly independents my entire life other than a couple times I delved into the corporate ladder type companies, and what I saw and experienced on that corporate side of things just did not make me feel good about my industry. I wanted to do things different and live or die by my own decisions and moral compass taking care of the client properly rather than by having to be greasy to survive, or even worse becoming one of the type that enjoy being greasy.

So anyways, all this said, the very first thing from your experience that stands out to me is that simply changing tires is not going to affect your alignment, so if it was good when you drove in and pulled like crazy when you left, I can't see how alignment was your issue. Something seems weird about that. I mean if you went from super skinny stock tires to some massive, wide and heavily offset kind of a set up, and your alignment was already out, then maybe the new set up could cause a very different handling feel for sure, but just going from summer to winter tires and having a radical difference like you describe, you had something else going on. That doesn't mean maybe your alignment wasn't out, but it could have been something as simple as someone goofed on your air pressure, or improperly positioned tires, etc. I can't say what your issue is for certain, but that just ain't right.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by North40Rules

Hi Bob, I have a question for you since you are an expert in the tire industry, and I would like to say for the record that if I lived in Calgary you would definitely be my tire shop NO DOUBT!

A week ago I tried to book my wife's SUV into Canadian Tire (because they are by my home) to have her winter tires that are mounted on their own rims swapped out from her summer tires, they said they could get me in in two weeks. I didn't want to wait because of the snow here so I called Midas and they did the job the next day, all good.

I drove her SUV the next day after the tire swap and noticed that the car was dangerously pulling to the right so I figured that she needed a wheel alignment. I called Canadian tire again, they said they could do that right away for 140.00 so I took it in. A few hours later they called me and told me that I needed new winter tires as well as a wheel alignment, balancing @ a cost of $950.00 on their special.

I almost went for it until it dawned on me that if the tires needed to be replaced that Midas would have told me when they swapped them out, so I called Midas and they told me that the tires were fine and that they would do the alignment for $160.00 next day. So I took it in and had them do it and they again said the tires were fine!

My question is, are Canadian Tire known for this type of practice and if you were I, would you get a third opinion? My wife's safety is of paramount importance and I want to make sure that she is safe when she is driving. She is a horrible driver and does not need bad tires on top of her poor driving skills.

In fact, when I used to let her drive with me in the car, I would actually close my eyes, so I would not be screaming because I was afraid for my life lol.

Thank you sir!

Cheers N40

A good fried had new tires installed at Canadian Tire, and found that he had a very slight pull to one side afterward, so he took it back and they did a wheel alignment. We we chatting in the driveway, and to me, it looked like one side of the front end was higher than the other. We had a closer look, and one front tire was a 225, instead of a 205 like the other three tires. He took it back and they replaced the 225 with a 205, but apparently, they never even bothered to recheck the alignment. How someone could not notice the difference in size is beyond me, but it happened.

If I lived in Calgary, I would be a Tirebob customer, but it's just a little too far to drive for tires. And my new truck won't need summer tires for another year or two,and I am hoping to get a couple of winters out of the used Firestone Winterforce LT tires that I bought with sensors and like new take off Ford aluminum rims for $600. The Winterforce LT seems good in soft and hardpacked snow, but they are less than impressive on ice, despite being studded. I will likely be going with the Nokian LT3 next, and they won't be studded.

[North40Rules]

Originally Posted by tirebob

Well I would never say they "specifically" are know for that simply because they are a CT, and as with any company, you can get employees who are bad and are either not properly trained or are some just downright crooked.

The bigger issue is generally with your more massive chain type stores, it is tough in a business like that to retain employees that care about the business as a whole as they are usually just a numbered employee who has no connection to the owners of the company. It gives no feeling of belonging to a family that supports each other. Often they are paid on a heavily commission based salary which IMHO is the wrong way to cultivate honest staff who care more about lining their own pockets rather than doing what is best for the client.

The companies themselves too often have too many people to properly manage as a whole so they rely on blanket training people in "their way" of doing things, which again is often treated as simply a way of maximizing immediate single sale profit rather than thinking long term because most customers who buy at massive chains are the type of clients who simply price shop to the penny or by convenience of location and are not overly loyal to the brand. The companies know it so they try and get as much as they can on a single sale rather than thinking long term about retaining a client for a lifetime because they know there is a good chance they will never see this person again.

The tire work side of things in large companies as well is often treated as something to feed apprentices for mechanical work rather than training their people to understand that the tire and wheel side of the business is a legit specialty of its own.

I could go on and on about the intricacies as I see them, but really in the grand scheme of things, I still will never want to say that a company is bad or good as a rule as much as if you get a good employee, they can make a bad company seem good or if you get a bad employee they can make a good company seem bad. That is a why I opened my own company. I worked for mostly independents my entire life other than a couple times I delved into the corporate ladder type companies, and what I saw and experienced on that corporate side of things just did not make me feel good about my industry. I wanted to do things different and live or die by my own decisions and moral compass taking care of the client properly rather than by having to be greasy to survive, or even worse becoming one of the type that enjoy being greasy.

So anyways, all this said, the very first thing from your experience that stands out to me is that simply changing tires is not going to affect your alignment, so if it was good when you drove in and pulled like crazy when you left, I can't see how alignment was your issue. Something seems weird about that. I mean if you went from super skinny stock tires to some massive, wide and heavily offset kind of a set up, and your alignment was already out, then maybe the new set up could cause a very different handling feel for sure, but just going from summer to winter tires and having a radical difference like you describe, you had something else going on. That doesn't mean maybe your alignment wasn't out, but it could have been something as simple as someone goofed on your air pressure, or improperly positioned tires, etc. I can't say what your issue is for certain, but that just ain't right.

Thanks for your well-thought-out answer Bob, I concur with every point you made!

There was a slight pull to the right with the summer tires, the winter tires exacerbated it, to the point where it's dangerous. I will take it for a test drive later and will report my findings.

Thanks again N40

[Seabass]

I went to see Tire Bob yesterday. New set of KO2’s installed on my rig, in and out In under an hour, which in itself is unbelievable. Most businesses are so scattered and have such poor customer service, I was so grateful for my experience yesterday. A lot of shops would think nothing of making you wait there for hours and hours, and in the end, something would have been installed incorrectly.

Bob has great guys there, and they will get you sorted out, and in an extremely timely manner, and excellent pricing. There is a reason his google reviews are 5.0 (which I don’t believe I have ever seen before).

YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY IF YOU GO ANYWHERE ELSE FOR TIRES IN CALGARY!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dean2]

My 2 cents, Canadian Tire stores are franchises. On top of that, the repair shop my well be run by someone other than the store owner on what is effectively a sub-let of that aspect of the business. Same hold true for the Gun Department if the store happens to have one.

So being franchised, you can get huge variation in how well or badly the stores are run. The CT on 97 ST and 160- Ave in Edmonton is so badly run that if it was my only choice, I would never shop at CT again. This store abuses the CT return policy, has poorly trained and insufficient staff, are often out of stock on sale items, and corporate does nothing. If you Google that store the rating and reviews are atrocious. By the same token, the CT in St Albert is very well run. Like a completely different store. Now add on top of that the fact the shop my be sublet and variability increases even more. That is a long way of saying that it will be very hard to get any kind of a line on whether a particular CT is a good place to deal or not unless you do a whole lot of research. Personally, I have always sought out Independent operators recommended by people I know and trust. Guys like Tire Bob, Randy BoBandy, Bob at McBains, Clay at Prophet River and the like take a while to find but it really is worth the work.

[North40Rules]

Originally Posted by Dean2

My 2 cents, Canadian Tire stores are franchises. On top of that, the repair shop my well be run by someone other than the store owner on what is effectively a sub-let of that aspect of the business. Same hold true for the Gun Department if the store happens to have one.

So being franchised, you can get huge variation in how well or badly the stores are run. The CT on 97 ST and 160- Ave in Edmonton is so badly run that if it was my only choice, I would never shop at CT again. This store abuses the CT return policy, has poorly trained and insufficient staff, are often out of stock on sale items, and corporate does nothing. If you Google that store the rating and reviews are atrocious. By the same token, the CT in St Albert is very well run. Like a completely different store. Now add on top of that the fact the shop my be sublet and variability increases even more. That is a long way of saying that it will be very hard to get any kind of a line on whether a particular CT is a good place to deal or not unless you do a whole lot of research. Personally, I have always sought out Independent operators recommended by people I know and trust. Guys like Tire Bob, Randy BoBandy, Bob at McBains, Clay at Prophet River and the like take a while to find but it really is worth the work.

Funny, that is the location I went to lol.

In Edmonton when it comes to tires I only deal with Best Way Tires for the best prices and service!

[tri777]

Originally Posted by Seabass

I went to see Tire Bob yesterday. New set of KO2’s installed on my rig, in and out In under an hour,
which in itself is unbelievable. Most businesses are so scattered and have such poor customer service.."

^^Truth !!
In Oct, I switched out my summer tires, was not at all busy that day in their shop,
I sat in the waiting room 3hrs, 20mins.

Originally Posted by Seabass

YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY IF YOU GO ANYWHERE ELSE FOR TIRES IN CALGARY!

^^ Bingo
Wish Bob were more eastward !
Is one of the 'few' business's I would happily tip if the debit machine asked.
The Bob's of the world are facing extinction..his energy is of karmic Gold on full integral display.