new tires

We had to replace the tires on my spouse's Honda about a month ago and decided to try out a set of the new low rolling resistance tires to see whether they really impacted mileage.  We have a 35+ mile commute each day so even a small increase would be helpful so it felt worth the try. 

We went with the Nokian eNTYREs as our tire dealer gave us a good price and had good things to say about them.   Our first trip with them was from our home to Oakland to see our daughter and son-in-law.  I was impressed.  Handling was much the same as the previous tires (I forget what they were).  They were a little quieter.  Most important, mileage did increase although it was difficult to tell exactly how much since the mix of highway and city was different for those five days.  Since then as she's been doing her typical driving we have seen a significant increase.  Her typical mileage with the previous set of tires was about 28 mpg.  Since we replaced her tires with the eNTYREs, it has been between 30 and 31.  I'm very, very happy with that number.

I have no idea how they would handle with wet roads or snow, we essentially have neither... especially this year when our rainfall was about 25% of normal which is still technically "semi-arid."  For her situation, I am really pleased with them in every way.  The real question will come when I need tires for my GTI.  I don't know whether they have the size for my car and I'm not sure that I'd be willing to sacrifice my stellar handling for a few miles per gallon... but I might... and that will be a decision to make.

household gods

In the Hebrew scriptures there are a few passages that reference household gods - those little deities that are kept in the home and secure blessings for the inhabitants. When someone moves, they take the household gods along to keep the blessings coming. You make offerings, visit the high priest, do what you can to keep them happy and they perform their duties.

I think the closest thing we have today to a household god is a car. Think of it for a second... Before we can receive their blessings, we have to go through training and receive a certificate that tells everyone we have been initiated and know the rules of caring for and operating our little god. When we make use of them, we begin with a series of ritual movements, each of which must be performed in a specific way at specific times. If we do not follow the prescribed patterns, we are punished either by the god directly or by a special society of men and women wearing special clothing and carrying magical implements who watch to make sure we comply with the rules. Once a week we make an offering of the remains of dead animals and plants to them to keep them well fed. Every few weeks we perform personal rituals - washing them, checking fluids... and a few times a year, when they get cranky, we take them to visit the high priest who, for an offering of cash which often is significant, takes them back into the holy of holies where we cannot venture, waves magical implements, applies special ointments, and when finished, returns our household god back to us, happy and ready to serve.


Over the past few weeks both of our household gods - a 2002 VW GTI and a 2003 Honda Accord have been to visit the high priest. The GTI required a significant offering. Oh well. I love my GTI and it serves me well. (FWIW, that is not my car but looks exactly like it)