There is no way to run an ad-supported site without cookies. Rather than bury that, BrakeTireGuide lists each one it sets and the reason it exists.
Keeping this current
Expect this list to move over time. It is revised whenever the underlying services change, and the revision date sits at the top of the page.
What is stored
- Technical. Delivery, security, and the record of your own cookie answer. Refusing these leaves a site that does not work.
- Readership. Google Analytics tells us which pages are actually read and which are ignored. It counts visits, not people.
- Ad selection. Google AdSense reads and writes cookies to pick the ads on the page and avoid showing one too often.
Lifetime
Duration is not uniform. What the site needs to work is discarded on exit; what measures and advertises stays until it expires or you delete it.
The actual names
- _ga, _gid – Google Analytics. Distinguish one browser from another so visits are not double-counted.
- __gads, __gpi – Google AdSense. Ad selection and frequency capping.
- wordpress_test_cookie, wp-settings-* – WordPress. Check that cookies work, and remember display preferences.
- comment_author_* – set only if you leave a comment, so the form remembers your name next time.
It is worth saying what is absent. No cookie here reaches your files, tracks you outside the browser, or gets sold. None exists to put a name to a reader.
How consent is recorded
The prompt you see on a first visit is how consent is gathered for the cookies that need it. Your decision is kept in your own browser, not in an account, which is why clearing your browser brings the prompt back.
Third-party embeds
Some pages embed content from elsewhere, a video player for example. An embed can set its own cookies once it loads, under its provider’s policy rather than ours. Pages without embeds do not carry them.
Where to opt out
- To stop personalised ads everywhere, not just here: adssettings.google.com.
- To stop Google Analytics from counting you anywhere: the opt-out browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
- To handle it locally: your browser’s privacy settings block or delete cookies, per site or across the board.
On Do Not Track
We make no claim about Do Not Track: the signal has never been standardised into an obligation. What works is refusing the cookies, by the means listed above.
How to say no
Every browser lets you block or delete cookies. Blocking the necessary ones will break parts of the site; blocking the rest will not.
Getting in touch
Questions go to the contact page.