COVID-19 has been disrupting lives for the past seven months so another one really shouldn't surprise us.  

Another virus disruption that's being reported in some areas is in the supply of winter tires.  Some dealerships are saying certain winter tires might not be available when you need them because usually winter tires are shipped in February and March for the next winter season.  We all know what was happening in February and March and because of the shutdowns due to the pandemic being announced, some winter tires did not ship until June meaning they could be in limited supply until later into winter driving season.

Dave Morgan, Manager of Airdrie Fountain Tire says, at least at his shop, that's not the case.  "There's lots of winter tires available as far as different sizes and options of brands for sure.  In some specific tires in certain sizes there may be a few shortages but, so far, we haven't come across a whole bunch of them just yet."

And Morgan says it's not because there hasn't been a lot of demand for winter tires.  That hasn't been a problem.  "We've been so busy this year it's just crazy how many tires we've been selling already." 

According to Morgan, this year drivers are being proactive and taking advantage of the nice fall to get their tires on and his shop has been going steady.  If you're booking an appointment to get your tires changed over from summer to winter you're looking at about a 10-day wait.  If you just want to drop your car off and leave it for the day, Morgan says they'll accommodate you.

More drivers are moving from installing winter tires to the use of all-weather tires.  "Right now we're selling more all-weather tires," Morgan says.  "That's when people don't have to take them off, you can run them all year long." 

Morgan says while all-weather tires still aren't as effective as winter tires they give you a little better traction than an all-season tire. 

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