Car's New Kicks

It's been five years now since I brought the car home. And since then it has sported the same set of tires it had when it was in Manila. They were already worn but not throughout and still had a lot of grip, that replacing them would have been premature. One pair had more thread remaining than the others so I placed them in front as steering is more of a concern for me than fishtailing. The rear tires had about 50% of thread left, and the spare was the worst in the lot where the thread wear indicator was already in contact with the road.

Over the years they've worn out more and more until this year when the rains seemed to make the roads a little slippier than usual. Or maybe because not so many vehicles are out after hours that I find myself speeding more than necessary and I could really feel the drop in confidence whenever I drive over puddles or when I'm negotiating a turn. I had hoped to get new rubber back in February but news of the pandemic reaching the country made me rethink the expenses I had planned for the car. So the planned new tires had to be shelved for the time being. 

Yesterday, I was able to realize the delayed plan. I got the car a set of five new tires to replace all the old, worn, and cracking rubber. They're the same exact size as the formers (185/70 R14) BlackHawk Street Series from BlackLion tires, manufactured March of this year. It's an American brand to my understanding but is built in their plant in China. The feel of a car with new rubber really is significantly noticeable. The ride is now smoother and quieter, not to mention safer than before.