Another Two Tires Replaced
This afternoon I spent 90 minutes sitting at the tire shop to get two tires on our convertible replaced. Just four months after our last visit to the tire shop, here we are again. Two more tires have fallen victim to the pothole riddled roads in the SF Bay Area.
This car's tires are fairly prone to damage from potholes because they're run-flats. By design they remain driveable after minor damage. But the stiffer sidewalls that are part of that design are more susceptible to damage from hitting bumps too hard. And when there's damage on the sidewall it's (a) dangerous and (b) basically unfixable. The tires have to be replaced.
For years we've been buying tires at America's Tire. They're convenient because they have a shop a 10 minute drive away. But the big reason we buy from them is they offer a road-hazard insurance policy. For an extra 15% (roughly) of the cost of a new tire they'll repair or replace it for free. And they're a nationwide chain, so we can get warranty service even if we've driven hundreds of miles from home.
It's not hard to do the math on this. Paying 15% means I'm betting on roughly 1-in-7 odds of a tire needing to be replaced due to damage before old age. With these pothole allergic run-flats and the crumbling state of California roads, it's a bet I'll place. I figure my odds are at least 1-in-3... for a 7-to-1 payoff. See, insurance really is like gambling! And already one of the two tires I bought just four months ago is being replaced today, so I'm beating the house.
This car's tires are fairly prone to damage from potholes because they're run-flats. By design they remain driveable after minor damage. But the stiffer sidewalls that are part of that design are more susceptible to damage from hitting bumps too hard. And when there's damage on the sidewall it's (a) dangerous and (b) basically unfixable. The tires have to be replaced.
For years we've been buying tires at America's Tire. They're convenient because they have a shop a 10 minute drive away. But the big reason we buy from them is they offer a road-hazard insurance policy. For an extra 15% (roughly) of the cost of a new tire they'll repair or replace it for free. And they're a nationwide chain, so we can get warranty service even if we've driven hundreds of miles from home.
It's not hard to do the math on this. Paying 15% means I'm betting on roughly 1-in-7 odds of a tire needing to be replaced due to damage before old age. With these pothole allergic run-flats and the crumbling state of California roads, it's a bet I'll place. I figure my odds are at least 1-in-3... for a 7-to-1 payoff. See, insurance really is like gambling! And already one of the two tires I bought just four months ago is being replaced today, so I'm beating the house.