My Halloween Rant: Discrepency on Tire Prices

Garfi the angry cat from Google images

OK so most of us Canadians and some Europeans have bought all this bullshit over the years on how car prices in the US are lower than in other countries because they sell more units. Basically the more units sold in that country the lower the manufacturers cost per unit thus the lower the purchasers price. This in economics is called economies of scale, if you would like to read more about this; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economies_of_scale
Yes, I agree that there are more vehicles sold in the US than in Canada and thus the cost per unit is lower as well that the US dollar is 10% higher than the Canadian dollar.

Which brings me to my RANT, winter tires. To my knowledge the only country other than Canada that purchases more winter tires is Russia. So then if economies of scale hold true how come winter tires are approximately 15% cheaper in the US than in Canada?
For example just to compare apples to apples I will use the same retailer and same winter tires, Costco and the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 & Michelin X-Ice3(195/65/15)
In the US not including any promotions $99.99 and $99.99 respectively.
http://tires2.costco.com/SearchResults.aspx?SearchID=61148cf8-5861-4bee-900a-ba17ae519092
In Canada not including any promotions $114.99 and $138.99 respectively.
http://tires2.costco.ca/SearchResults.aspx?SearchID=700fbf47-1805-446c-a5b6-a601f58d298a

Almost all cities in Canada in the winter require winter tires just to get through our daily commutes, maybe with the exception of the province of British Columbia. Here in Quebec (winter tires are mandatory on all vehicles after December 15 of every year. Just in the province of Quebec in year 2010 that's 5,913,950 vehicles with winter tires installed. http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/chart-number-of-vehicles-on-quebec-roads-has-soared-since-1978

How can ALL tire manufacturers justify higher winter tire prices in Canada than in the US. If economies of scale hold true we should be paying much less for our winter tires than our American counterparts. The only answer folks may be cross border shopping. Until manufacturers and retailers get their act together and offer fair pricing across all countries of this world.

2014-2015 Best Winter Tires Review / Meilleur pneu d’hiver 2014-2015

With the winter season around the corner once again I have decided to post the top winter tires for 2014-2015 as tested once again by PMC tire.  
Reluctantly I post this article because PMC has decided not to included NOKIAN and VREDESTEIN tires in their testing, both companies have been previously rated consistently at the top year after year. Please read the note placed at the bottom of their test link below.
Link to PMC 2014-2015 winter tire test results: http://winter-tires.pmctire.com/x-stuff/docs/en/eval-winter/PMC-en-2014-2015-winter-car-evaluations.pdf
Here is the previous years winter tire test results from PMC including those companies for comparison: http://i.imgur.com/t65VLwd.jpg

As you can see both NOKIAN and VREDESTEIN have topped the charts, the Hakkapeliitta 8 has now replaced the Hakkapeliitta 7 at the top of the ranks.
Another item that buyers fail to look at is the durability of the winter tire. How deep the tread is, as an example Nokian Hakka 7's come with 13/32" (new) tread depth while the Michelin's come with 10.5/32" (new). In deep snow that difference in of 2.5/32" makes a world of difference. For those of you who actually care about your winter safety please do your research before you buy.
This may be the last year that I will be using PMC tire as my tire information source.

APA winter tire test results from 2013-2014 link: http://www.apa.ca/WinterTires2013-PassengerCars.asp

Auto123 top winter tire recommendations for 2014-2015: http://www.auto123.com/en/auto-parts/top-2014-15-car-winter-tire-recommendations?artid=171740
(is a compilation of winter tire test data from 7 different sources). The only tire I would have ruled out is the Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter. Any one of their other winter tire recommendations will be a good choice for you, choose which ever tire is best for your budget.

European winter tire test from TM (tekniikanmaailma) from Finland, written in English. Excellent comparison test, very strict testing on ice and snow, some tires only available for European market. Here is the link: http://www.aveq.ca/uploads/9/3/4/2/9342609/hakka_8_and_r_review.pdf

MTD Modern Tire Dealer article: " Testworld, an independent testing company, just tested braking on ice between 128 studded and studless tires. The top 10 tires were all studded. The Hakkapeliitta 8 was number 1. The number 11 tire was the new studless Hakkapeliitta R2. There were 30 brands of studded tires that did not work as well on ice as the studless. And that’s a complete change. "
If you would like to read the full article: http://www.moderntiredealer.com/channel/retailing/article/story/2014/03/will-chart-topping-snowfalls-mean-record-winter-tire-sales/page/3.aspx

In French (en Francais) La Presse test results 2014 on clicktire, (Auto & SUV VUS) best in class result Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8, full test results link: https://clicktire.com/evaluations-top-5/pneus-dhiver-2014-le-top-5-de-la-presse/

2015 Lexus NX finally priced!

OK so it's not cheap starting at $35,405 US, but it's a beautiful work of art. I gotta say Toyota has not built such an amazing looking car since the last turbo Supra. The F-sport version (top) is just awsome looking while the standard fascia is fairly bland.

• 17 inch wheels are standard with an optional upgrade to 18 inch
• LED daylight running strips underneath the regular headlights
• Fog lamps that swivel with the wheels to light up upcoming corners are optional
• Illuminated exterior door handles and puddle lamps to guide you in the parking lot
• Engine options are: entry-level NX 200t getting a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder. NX 300h gets a 2.5-liter 16-valve engine paired with electric drive both paired with a 6-speed auto transmission in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options
• NX 200t has 235 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque, with a 0-60 mph (98 km/hr) timing of 7.2 seconds in FWD and 7.0 seconds in AWD. NX 200t averaged 26mpg (9 L/100km) during testing by SlashGear
• NX 300h has 192 HP and 152lb-ft of torque, a 0-60 mph (98 km/hr) comes in 9.1 seconds and is estimated to average 31 mpg (7.59 L/100km)
• F SPORT cars don’t actually get any engine or power changes all modifications/options to the NX are all either aesthetic or to the suspension
• F SPORT paddle shifters
• Technology - "There’s a single CD slot, AM/FM radio, SiriusXM, Bluetooth, and eight speakers as standard, along with a USB 2.0 and aux-in jacks. Upgrades include ten speakers and 3D navigation, also throwing in a second USB port in the process, and all versions get Lexus Enform, the company’s app suite for things like Pandora, Bing search, Facebook Places, and Yelp, as well as remote-start, automatic alerts after crashes, and weather/traffic reports"

If you really are interested in learning more about the 2015 Lexus NX and F-Sport you can follow the link to SlashGear to read the full article. With a very detailed article and greater amount of photos it's a must read. http://www.slashgear.com/2015-lexus-nx-first-drive-crossover-crunchtime-13337134/
MotorTrend has also posted their article at: http://wot.motortrend.com/1410_priced_lexus_nx_starts_at_35405_hybrid_at_40645.html

Cars with the BEST resale value (2009-2013)

Even though today only half of all cars sold are financed/purchased this is an important article even for those who lease cars. Why? Well the car manufacturer on the lease will list a "buy back" price, this is the price that you can buy your leased car once the lease has expired. On cars with higher resale values the difference between the "buy back" and your selling price can mean a profit for you.

Here are 13 of the most popular categories of vehicles. Information is provided by Canadian Black Book. (For those of you reading my blog residing outside Canada resale values should be similar in your countries)

1. Compact - Toyota Prius (hybrid vehicle), Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Corolla
2. Full size SUV - Toyota Sequoia, Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada
3. Intermediate SUV - Toyota FJ Cruiser, Toyota Venza, Hummer H3
4. Compact SUV - Jeep Wrangler, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Xterra
5. Sport - Dodge Challenger, BMW Z4,  VW GTI
6. Upscale Sport - Nissan GT-R, Porsche Boxster, Porsche 911
7. Subcompact - Honda Fit (Jazz), Nissan Cube, Kia Rio
8. Full-Size - Hyundai Genesis, Nissan Maxima, Pontiac G8 (discontinued)
9. Intermediate - Subaru Outback, VW Passat CC, Subaru Legacy
10. Van - Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest
11. Luxury - Lexus GS, Acura RL, BMW 5 series
12. Premium Luxury - BMW 6 series, Lexus LS, Audi A8
13. Entry Level Luxury - BMW 1 series, Lexus IS, BMW 3 series

The first car in each list is the winner of that category with the other two being the runner ups.

Please do not mistake this list for reliability, just because a car has a high resale value it does not make it mechanically reliable.
Full article can be found at autonet.ca through this link: http://www.autonet.ca/en/2013/06/07/best-resale-value-for-your-car