Best memories

Summer is a great time of the year. You get so many really nice memories during such a short period of time. It’s almost as if everything is happening during the summer and nothing is happening in the wintertime. Winter wonderland… as if. Summertime is full of exciting and fun events. Everyone wants to get married during the summer and I have not yet managed to find a couple that would be eager to get married in mid-January. This is mostly due to the weather, but I really think there is more to it. People’s mindset changes when it’s summertime. People always smile and they are so willing to try everything new. People are more considerate and more polite. It is almost as if everything that was all sorrow and darkness during the winter months is healed by the sun.


People gather so many memories during the summer that I don’t even know where to start. When I found one summer tire from the attic, I remembered one special weekend of the summer holiday.


We packed a good set of things to eat and took the camping gear as an extra. We were going to sleep over at our friend’s place but we decided to make sure that we have something on top of our heads if something were to happen. We were going to Ahvenisto. Ahvenisto is a place for all petrol heads around the Scandinavia. It really is the mecca for motorsports and all the big events are there during the summer.


I have driven around Ahvenisto in many different types of vehicles. I have been riding a motorcycle, SUV, racecar, rally car and even an ATV. Ahvenisto is open all summer and you just have to make sure there are no bigger events scheduled if you want your chance to drive on the circuit. The track itself is not that difficult but the location and the atmosphere are truly unique. And what comes to the summer tires (in Finnish: renkaat) I found on the attic, it was a Nokia Hakkapeliitta tire and the tire was used in a Maserati that I got to drive around the circuit. A great memory.

Don’t be too cheap

Post wisdom is the best wisdom they say. When something happens and you get a chance to say ‘I told you so’, that is the greatest feeling of them all. At least that’s what they told me.

There is really only one problem with post wisdom and that is usually the fact that when something happens that one should not be proud of, it might happen to you too and then if you need a helping hand, it’s not that easy to get if you’re a wise guy.


Now seriously thinking about the things you don’t want to be too cheap about. There are not many things you can be too cheap about. What are the most important ones?

A tire (in Finnish: Rengas). What would cars be without proper tires? Seriously people, if you plan on being too cheap about your tires you might as well put some nails on your driveway and see whether you hit one. It is far too stupid and far too cheap to gamble with bad tires because it is not only winter when you should have proper Hakkapeliitta tires to go with the wheels. During summer time it is very important to have a good set of tires, too. When it’s raining, there is always the danger to get into a waterslide and that can cause some serious damage. Also, you should always remember that you are not the only one driving on the roads and you cannot affect how your tires or your car behave in some situations. In short, you cannot master the car or the roads but by choosing the right tires you can make the circumstances work for you and not against you.


I had a friend who used to always measure his tires with coins. He always measured them but he never really took care of them or changed them. He was always running on the edge of having illegal tires. Once he got caught in such a bad waterslide with his mother as a passenger that he realized it sure wasn’t worth having bad tires. Luckily nothing happened but he got so scared that he decided to take care of his tire issue for good.

I have heard many things in my life but…

Every time I hear people rationalizing their need for bigger car, I just find it too amusing to listen to these people telling themselves and most likely their wives about the seriousness of their need for a new car. There is nothing wrong about this but as it is cheating yourself, it does seem a bit ridiculous.


The stories I have heard range from a one piece of nasty rock that can be found on the cottage driveway to some other ridiculous reasons. The rock itself could be removed with the manpower of two but why bother when you can spend 50 000 euros extra for an SUV so that you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Other stories include things like getting a boat for managing a fleet of dogs. What is funny though is that they always seem to make sense. Whenever I hear someone lying to himself about the need for a bigger and better car, I go and browse the internet for one. Then I start the same drill. First, I tell myself many times how cool would a big fat car be like, then I decide to take it a bit further and say it out loud. Then it sounds a bit corny so I start to flavor it a bit and by flavoring I mean these stories about the rocks on the road etc.


When I’m done with all this, I usually go to sleep. If I haven’t figured out to out rule my mind while I was asleep, I always look out and see my pretty small car in the yard and remind myself: I just bought new set of summer tires (in Finnish: renkaat), so why change the car. The tires are actually a funny thing; I see my car’s value in its tires. I bought a new set of Nokia summer tires a month ago and I feel like the car looks almost like new even though it is actually almost ten years old. I can’t really tell whether it’s only in my eyes or if other people can see it too.

Small car can do the trick

When living somewhere arctic, like in Finland, one thing you come to realize is that how important it is to have a good car. Owning a car seems to be a status symbol but owning a good four-wheel drive car in the wintertime seems to be the symbol of wisdom. When you get many meters of snow during two weeks and you are struggling with your front wheel drive, you realize that it’s not even worth trying.


People make themselves believe that there are so many good reasons to buy modern SUVs. There is really only one good reason and that is heavy winter. To summer cottages you can actually almost always get with your two wheel drive, you can even tow a boat with a fairly small car these days but you can’t survive the winter with a toddler. Or can you?


I have had a small Hyundai Getz for a bit over a month now. It is the very heart of winter and I live in the very heart of the city. This equation means no parking spaces and semi-hard uphills with a lot of ice. The winter and all of its ups and downs can actually be managed with a really good set of tires (in Finnish: renkaat). With proper wheels on and great tires you can get along just fine even with a smaller car. I have travelled through hell and beyond this winter with my Getz and having a good set of Nokia Hakkapeliitta winter tires on makes it actually really comforting.


The thing about Finnish winter and the mentality towards it is that it always lasts too long, everyone seems to have their opinion about it and it looks like it is filling two thirds of our year with snow. Still the winter always comes as a surprise to the drivers.


Really, though, having a 4x4 is a great solution for the winter but if you can’t afford it or you are perfectly happy with your two wheel drive then just go for proper winter tires. They are better than a life insurance and cheaper than the first pole you’re about to hit with the old tires. Be smart.