Last Tires

I put on the last set of tires my S10 will ever have last fall. Just before the snow season started, I visited my local tire store and got a set of snow tires and put them on all four wheels, even though I only have a two-wheel-drive truck. I slipped and slided too much for my taste the last few winters, so I got as aggressive a tread pattern as I could and still be able to drive it year-round. Take a look. Guess which is before and which is after.



It is just lovely having snow tires instead of all-seasons.  Why didn't I do it years ago?  Oh, yeah, I wasn't quite as flush when I put the last ones on in 2002.  I went with the least expensive option.  Considering these tires were less than $100 more than all-seasons, it was money well spent.  With this rubber, I don't slip, I don't slide.  I get where I'm going in one piece, and with a lot less sand in the bed.

When I say it's the last set of tires, I'mexpecting but note hoping that the truck will give out before the tires wear out. The tires are probably good for 40,000 miles. As long as I continue to work for the Benevolent Coloradans and have a commute that lasts exactly as long as the song “Margaritaville,” I shouldn't need to drive more than 4000 miles a year. That means the tires might last ten years but the rust on the truck will eat it alive much sooner than that. Not only that, another 40,000 miles puts me awfully close to 200,000, which is more miles than maybe I should expect out of a 1995 S10. Plus, I'm due for a major repair, be it a starter, alternator or whatnot. If the almost-inevitable repair is too big, I'll just buy a new truck. I'm hoping to get a few more years out of the old truck so I have time to save up and pay cash for the new one. No matter how it plays out, I'd be willing to bet that the truck dies before the new tires wear out.