Retractable Snow Tires Could Be The Real Wheel Profit Deal – But Will Ontario Get On Board?
Posted March 31, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
They will be mandatory next fall in Quebec. They’re recommended but not required in Ontario. And police say you’ll be safer if you use them. But many feel they’re an added expense, require a twice-yearly trip to the dealers or simply aren’t really necessary. And you can’t keep them on permanently once the winter driving season is over.
They’re snow tires and as the cold and snow mercifully seems ready to come to an end in the GTA, the switch back to regular treads for those who have them becomes a 6-month chore.
But what if you never had to make that decision and could avoid the hassle of going from one to the other? That’s where a product called ” Q Celsius Tires” comes in. The wheels are a remarkable breakthrough in tire technology and could save a lot of lives and a lot of trouble in Canada.
They feature retractable studs that emerge with the flick of a switch from inside the car. Hit a bad patch of road in the dead of winter and they provide more traction. Reach a section where it’s smooth sailing and draw them in.
They were created by a man named Michael O’Brien, who ironically enough was born in Southern California. But when he moved to the U.S. Midwest, he quickly discovered what drivers here already know – the semi-annual tire change ritual was, frankly, a pain in the bumper.
So he decided to figure out a way to have the best of both worlds. It took him five years to come up with a workable idea but the entrepreneur managed to raise $8.8 million in start-up costs and the product was perfected.
Although he does admit to stealing one idea: the name. The “Q” in Q tires comes from the resourceful inventor featured in the James Bond movies, who provided 007’s Aston Martin with studded tires for extra traction in 2002’s ” Die Another Day.“
“It’s a product which like so many … was invented by someone who said, ‘By God, there’s got to be a better way,'” explains company spokesman Bruce Starr.
So how do these inflatable wonders work? They’re designed with two air chambers, one of which inflates the tire, while the other forces the studs out through use of a wireless signal inside the car.
They’re prone to losing some air pressure about the 30th time they’re used, but the manufacturer doesn’t believe that’s a serious setback. And they cost more than conventional winter tires but the company thinks that will be offset by eliminating the price tag of having to do the double switch.
It sounds like a great idea in theory but will it have any traction in Ontario? Under provincial law, only drivers living north of Parry Sound are allowed to use lightweight studded tires and even then they have to be removed by April 30th. Motorists caught with them after that date or who live in Southern Ontario can face fines up to $1,000.
But the makers believe they can change minds here like they have in some U.S. states, which also had similar prohibitions. The state of Maine just altered its law prohibiting the use of the studs based on the new tires.
If it can happen there, reasons O’Brien, it can happen anywhere. For now, those looking to increase their traction on Ontario’s winter roads may have to just settle for winter tires. But don’t expect the makers of the Q Celsius brand to give up easily. Their attempts to change the minds of lawmakers here could one day be ‘tireless.’
