Snowmeggedon

Why snow tires matter in winter

February 26th. On a perfectly flat road, with a maximum speed of 25 mph, in a galaxy far, far away (Belgrade, MT)….

 

A 2018 Dodge Pick-up, 4×4, ends up in the ditch. This Dodge is equipped with the exact same tires that most Chevrolet Suburbans are equipped with from the factory, Goodyear Wrangler SR-A. They are awful. Equivalently leather soled dress shoes on a freshly zambonied hockey rink. The worst.

Four-Wheel-Drive doesn’t matter if you have bad tires.

 
These are the same tires that most rental Chevrolet Suburbans at the Bozeman Airport are equipped with. Most car rental agencies do not change the tires on rental SUVs from what is equipped from the factory. The factory typically chooses the cheapest tires (to keep down price) with the most fuel-efficient tire tread (to boost EPA MPG ratings). This model Goodyear tire has been the terrible tire of choice on new GM and Dodge SUVs and light trucks for years. This happened on a perfectly flat road, 1-mile from the Bozeman Airport. And frankly, it probably was most likely the tires fault and not the drivers. If you are planning on driving to Big Sky from the Bozeman Airport, you will add a couple of thousand feet of elevation and be in a windy mountain pass- which is generally 1000x worse than the roads in Belgrade. Be safe folks; if you are local, please buy yourself some decent tires, otherwise, you are a risk to everyone else on the road. If you are a visitor, please get a rental car with decent tires, or best yet; dedicated snow tires.

 

Rent an SUV with snow tires, or this could very easily be you.

Why snow tires matter in winter? There is a reason Explore Rentals goes through the effort and expense to upgrade our rental cars with snow tires, the reason is YOUR SAFETY!PS. No one was hurt, except perhaps the grass that I have worked so hard on for the last 5-years…

Why Explore Rentals is better.

We only rent 4WD and AWD vehicles. Subaru Outbacks, Toyota Tacomas, Chevrolet Suburbans, and Mercedes 12-passenger vans. Combined with our upgraded tires, you have the safest, most capable vehicles available for your winter trip to Big Sky. 

HOW IT WORKS

Step 1.

On our Reservations page, enter your requested rental dates. Available inventory of each item will be displayed. Select what you desire and add to your cart.

Step 2.

Verify your Cart and rental dates/ times. A 15% credit card deposit is required to confirm all bookings. You will be prompted for flight info and contact info, as well as the CC deposit.

STEP 3.

Pick up your rental gear at the office at your scheduled time. If you are picking-up after-hours, your gear will be boxed and labeled in our secure storage locker.  Go and enjoy! 

STEP 4.

Prior to your departure flight, swing by the office to drop off your gear. If it is prior to our 9am open, you can leave it in the storage locker outside. Your CC on file will be billed the balance due.

ABOUT RENTING FROM EXPLORE RENTALS

Explore Rentals has been the best reviewed car rental agency in Bozeman since 2011. Our goal has always been to provide the best, and safest, rental cars for whatever the Montana conditions may be. Explore Rentals is the only company in the US to offer the awesome 4×4 Mercedes Benz Passenger vans, as well as to guarantee rental cars with snow tires.  

Our location next to the Bozeman Airport, with after-hours pick-up and drop-offs possible, allows for tremendous convenience with no waiting in line, and no hassle.