By Andrew Field, President of CODE ZERO Licensing International Inc.
I’ve been a driving enthusiast for well over 40 years now and I learned very early on that as well as choosing the right vehicle for your needs, choosing the proper tire is one of your most important driving decisions. However, just like with a car (or truck) there are so many factors to consider when selecting that tire. Never mind choosing the brand (that’s easy for us at CODE ZERO because we choose YOKOHAMA), but what do I want to use the tire for… simple commuting, sporty driving, how about driving in the snow or on icy roads?
Well, I could select an all-season tire for all of my driving but like any true enthusiast would say, that’s a compromise and I don’t like COMPROMISING! Or, I could use a set of summer tires for day-to-day use, a set of high-performance tires for my weekend exploits at the track plus a set of winter tires for my snowy, slushy adventures. That would be the best of all worlds! Or would it?
3 sets of rims, 3 sets of tires, putting them on, taking them off… That’s EXPENSIVE and time-consuming!
No, I found a better solution for myself! Thanks to my friends at YOKOHAMA I found … ONE TIRE FOR EVERYTHING!!! Sounds too good to be true? I thought so.
Well, I was wrong. My daily driver is a 2007 Ford Focus station wagon econo-box. Yes, it’s not the Porsche that I want but it works for me and like most people, sometimes one NEEDS to compromise a little!!! However, like any true driving enthusiast, I’ve personalized it a bit in order to make it better for me… 17” rims, lowered springs, performance chip etc., plus of course, the very necessary CODE ZERO identification. (see the pic of my little baby attached) The greatest improvement though was with the tire choice. Yes, with my ‘TIRE FOR EVERYTHING’… my winter-rated performance radials… 215/45-17 YOKOHAMA W.DRIVE tires. As Yokohama boasts and I discovered… a tire that provides “high-performance moxie all-year round!”
Indeed, I am super pleased with my surprising discovery. I have been using the W.DRIVE tires since last October and to my delight, they do seem to do everything well… really well!. I’ve commuted back and forth to Vancouver (endlessly it seems!), I’ve driven through snow in the Okanagan, I’ve driven (spiritedly) around our CODE ZERO track and these tires performed fabulously in all cases. The best thing about these tires is that I don’t feel like I’ve compromised!
