A Rolling Tire
Getting into the car to go hit some balls at a nearby driving range, my brother-in-law points to my car and says: "Did you know that you are ready to have a blow-out?" I responded that, indeed, I did not know that I was ready to have a blow-out.
Wise in the ways of car repair as he is, he had noticed that my passenger-front tire wad a huge bubble in it, and a hole big enough to fit your pinky in. (Yes, I stuck my pinky in it and, yes, it was a stupid thing to do). After 50k, the tires were also mildly bald (although I probably could have gotten another 10k or so off of them...)
Time to get new tires (if you are shopping for tires, be sure to give The Tire Rack a try, they have good prices, selection, and ratings).
My "old" tires stayed about the same price: $177 per tire.
Now, several years ago, for reasons unknown, $177 per tire seemed like a good deal to me. Surely these are some kick-butt tires, but at this point in my life, I'm not going to spend $700 on tires for my car.
Enter the Kumho Excsta ASX , priced at $94 each. Much better, and they are rated for longer tread life as well.
They score a tenths of a point behind my old tires in most categories (8.2 instead of 9.0 for dry traction, for example) but hard to beat at half the price.
So I had the tires delivered and put on my car and that's when I came across a startling realization: new tires greatly affect how you feel when riding in your car. These tires are much quieter and much smoother than my old tires. it is a sensation which drives me crazy (I hate "floating" on the road), but which Linda loves (she hates feeling every crack in the asphalt. My car truly rides like a different vehicle.
So startling was the difference that I got caught up in thinking how such (relatively) small changes can completely alter our experiences. Trust me, it is plenty easy to drop $400 into your car and notice no change whatsoever (sometimes that money is spent to prevent a change!)
But it does make one wonder how other seemingly inconsequential changes made in other areas can bring a breath of new experience into a familiar place. A coat of paint, some planted flowers, re-arranging pictures, a scented candle, even just running the vacuum, all small things which have "larger" effects on how people experience the things around them.
Cheaper still, and of far greater value, are the mental tweaks we go through to "tune up" our attitude.
Wise in the ways of car repair as he is, he had noticed that my passenger-front tire wad a huge bubble in it, and a hole big enough to fit your pinky in. (Yes, I stuck my pinky in it and, yes, it was a stupid thing to do). After 50k, the tires were also mildly bald (although I probably could have gotten another 10k or so off of them...)
Time to get new tires (if you are shopping for tires, be sure to give The Tire Rack a try, they have good prices, selection, and ratings).
My "old" tires stayed about the same price: $177 per tire.
Now, several years ago, for reasons unknown, $177 per tire seemed like a good deal to me. Surely these are some kick-butt tires, but at this point in my life, I'm not going to spend $700 on tires for my car.
Enter the Kumho Excsta ASX , priced at $94 each. Much better, and they are rated for longer tread life as well.
They score a tenths of a point behind my old tires in most categories (8.2 instead of 9.0 for dry traction, for example) but hard to beat at half the price.
So I had the tires delivered and put on my car and that's when I came across a startling realization: new tires greatly affect how you feel when riding in your car. These tires are much quieter and much smoother than my old tires. it is a sensation which drives me crazy (I hate "floating" on the road), but which Linda loves (she hates feeling every crack in the asphalt. My car truly rides like a different vehicle.
So startling was the difference that I got caught up in thinking how such (relatively) small changes can completely alter our experiences. Trust me, it is plenty easy to drop $400 into your car and notice no change whatsoever (sometimes that money is spent to prevent a change!)
But it does make one wonder how other seemingly inconsequential changes made in other areas can bring a breath of new experience into a familiar place. A coat of paint, some planted flowers, re-arranging pictures, a scented candle, even just running the vacuum, all small things which have "larger" effects on how people experience the things around them.
Cheaper still, and of far greater value, are the mental tweaks we go through to "tune up" our attitude.
posted by Ed at 2:47 PM
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