At a time when we can now change our winter tires for summer tires, we see that Quebecers are shying away from tires made with Russian materials.
Quebecers can put on summer tires since last Wednesday. We have to admit that the people of Sherbrooke are in solidarity with the Ukrainians right up to the garage. Many Sherbrooke residents refuse tires made from components from Russia.
“Several customers come to see me and, when we tell them that these are tires made in Russia, the customers don’t want them,” explained Réal Bolduc, owner of the Pneus Estrimont inc. garage. in Sherbrooke.
The automotive expert at CAA Quebec, Jesse Caron, is aware that some could make this choice. “If some make this decision, you have to know that there is enough choice for consumers to choose products that come from everywhere else on the globe,” he said.
Fewer choices than usual
Even if other choices are available to consumers, several specific sizes could become rare among some garages, believes Mr. Bolduc. According to the CAA Quebec expert, this scarcity could indeed be felt in the coming weeks, but people who plan ahead should be able to obtain the desired product, he believes.
We must admit that the price of tires has increased again in the last year. A delivery of a Container of 900 tires cost approximately $4,500 Canadian to the Pneus Estrimont garage. This year, Mr. Bolduc pays more than US$18,000. The Eastern Townships mechanic has no choice but to increase its prices by about 20% compared to last year.
However, there is no question of compromising on the quality of the tire, believes CAA Quebec automotive expert Jesse Caron.
“Some people might be tempted to keep their old winter tires to save money, but that’s not a good idea. On hot surfaces, they have a much larger braking surface,” he explained.
Remember that the tire company Nokian transferred some key parts of its production in Russia to Finland last February.