Tired of dealin’ with tires?

If you have an old clunker sitting in the driveway, tires may be the least of your challenges. That’s what we’re here for! We make vehicle donation simple, quick, free, and friendly!

When folks donate their car, van, truck, or SUV they often ask about keeping the rubber. Our agent will require that the car has four tires for ease of transport. If you need to hold on to your good set it’s fine to swap them out. Even flats and spares are fine. The agent just needs to be able to roll the vehicle around the yard.

Donors also ask if good, or newer tires will boost their donation amount. Unfortunately, we typically do not see good rubber impacting our donation outcomes. This is because the price that you and I pay for tires is so inflated – our agents do not pay the mark ups that we do, which means that they have less dollar value to them.

Heading into winter

Another common query is about donating an extra set of tires. This is a generous extension of vehicle donation! Donors will often note that they’re including their winters or all seasons with their vehicle gift. Our agents are always happy to include those extras when they do the free tow.

When a vehicle is re-sold or auctioned, an extra set of seasonal tires can mean a little bump in the donation. Every little extra can enhance the value of the donated vehicle in a potential buyer’s eyes!

1-2-3 and done!

‘Ready to donate your vehicle (and whatever combination of tires you may have to go with it)? You can select any registered Canadian charity as the recipient of your gift. Donating is a simple three step process:

1. Fill in an online donation form. This will take less than 10 minutes.
2. Wait for your phone to ring — Your tow agent will be calling to set up your FREE TOW!
3. Watch your inbox: your tax receipt will arrive to you via email shortly after the net proceeds from the re-sale or recycling of your vehicle are disbursed to the charity.

More questions before you jump on in? Give us a call (1-877-250-4904 — real humans answer this line!). Or, pop over to our frequently asked questions page. The answers to your wonderings are probably close at hand!

We’re excited to work alongside you on behalf of the charity you love!

The post Tires: Do They Make a Difference? appeared first on Donate A Car.

Is it important to buy winter tires? We Albertans get a little spoiled each Winter: even our worst winter seasons come with Chinook winds. We often enjoy long stretches of relatively mild temperatures. As a result, my family has never bothered to swap out our all-seasons for winter tires.

This year is different. Having recently had a fender bender in the family, and having a smaller, lighter vehicle on the road, we’re checking our options to see if this might be the year to invest in that added peace of mind.

In their annual tire review, Consumer Reports provides some detailed information in their “Top PIck Tires for 2016” article. Based on their extensive testing, they are able to provide guidance on All Season, All Terrain, Summer, and Winter tires. Author (and tire-testing engineer!) Gene Petersen notes,

Top Pick: For the winter months, the Michelin X-ice XI3 offers outstanding snow traction and grip on ice, along with a smooth, quiet ride.

How do they come to this determination? Gene writes,

“To help our readers make informed decisions, we put more than 150 tire models through a battery of tests, including braking, handling, hydroplaning resistance, winter traction, ride comfort, and rolling resistance—a factor for fuel economy. We also evaluate how long a tire wears, by driving on them day and night for up to 16,000 miles apiece in rural Texas. The testing is so extensive, it takes us a full year to evaluate each major group.”

Here’s to a winter of safe driving on our predictably challenging Canadian winter roads!

The post Are Winter Tires For You? appeared first on Donate A Car.