New shoes day
Today was “new shoes” day. Not for the humans, or the dog; this time around, the car got the nod. Not cheap, either. In fact, a round of tires, which seem to have a useful span of about three years in seasonal mode, cost more than all the other family footwear, combined.
i wasn’t caught by surprise, because when we swapped on the winter set, six months ago, the tire guy had given notice: not enough remaining tread to play outside any more. I waited, and hoped. I mean, maybe a good rest in a warm basement would lead to regeneration. Nope. And my price range was known, thanks to the websites of various corporations. All that I needed to do was to show up, in payer mode.
Early this morning, after putting two pans of ribs in a slow oven, I headed over to the same tire shop that we’ve been dealing with for three decades/too many cars to remember. I showed him the “recipe” (P255/55R-18) and he offered to install four shiny black tires for exactly what I was ready to spend. Just over an hour later, the job was done and I was homeward bound… with notice that we really do need a complete set of brakes. The Cost Of Operation for the average auto is much higher than those shiny, speedy advertisements on TV ever mention (even in the really tiny text that makes us all squint with curiosity).
Outside, the temperature climbed above 21C today. My tire timing is good, since snow tires tend to melt in such warmth.
All that remains is the exercise required to move wheels to the basement, where the rubber does not regenerate.
