Tire Tips
To aid in your tire
purchasing decision we have put together this page with a
few tips to help you make the right choice.
First decide what kind of tire you want. Touring, High
Performance, All-Season, Snow, or an All-Season Performance?
Try to think of the weather conditions in the areas where
you drive. Rain, snow, dry roads? Then, what kind of car do
you drive? Sports car, family, sport utility?
Next, determine the size tire your car uses. This can be
found in a number of places; Owners Manual, placard inside
the door, or read the sidewall of the tire. Determine your
buying criteria. For example, buying the highest quality
tire for your car at the most competitive price. If you look
for only the cheapest tire ultimately what you will get is a
cheap tire.
You can use the links below for more specific questions.
Mixing Tires
Generally tires should not be mixed on any vehicle. To
receive maximum safety and performance it is preferable to
keep every tire on a vehicle identical in size, brand,
model, rating etc. One of the only exceptions is if the
front and rear wheels are different like on all Porsche's
and other high performance vehicles.
Storing Winter Tires
The best place to store winter tires is in a cool, dry
location. (Basement, or possibly a garage). You can lay them
down flat, stacked on top of each other no taller than 4
high. This offers the most support and should eliminate any
fitting problems the following fall. We also recommend that
you return to the store/dealer from where you purchased your
tires from and ask for storage bags. This will protect the
tires from natural ozone in the air which can cause tire
rubber to dry and crack. Wrap each tire individually and
stack them.
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Air
Pressure
The most common way of damaging tires is improper inflation.
As tires lose pressure over time it causes them to
experience irregular and early treadwear, and also give you
poor gas mileage. One of the most common ways to spot
whether a tire is inflated properly or not, is to simply
look at them regularly. Do the tires squeal when you go
around a corner at a regular speed? This may be a sign of
one or more of the tires is low on air. You can find out
what the proper inflation numbers on your tires are by
checking the owner's manual of your vehicle or tires. Also
remember to check your spare tire for loss of air.
Note that inflation checks should only be made when the
tires are "cold", meaning they have not been driven for at
least one hour.
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Tread wear Indicator
As your tires wear down, their ability to grip the road
decreases. Each tire has what are known as wear bars. Each
of these bars are small raised points of rubber that run
across the tread design and are visible when tires are worn
out. It will be very easy to judge if your tread is as high
as the wear bars. If so, you need a new tire(s). Usually
before the tire gets to this point, they will begin to feel
unsafe. If that is the case, do not wait for them to get to
the wear bars. Just because the tread depth is not as low as
the tread wear bar, does not mean it is safe.
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Tire Rotation
Because each tire on your car typically supports a different
amount of weight, and your driving patterns will typically
wear out one tire faster than the others, it's important to
rotate your tires every 5000 to 8000 miles. Rotation
patterns differ depending on what kind of vehicle you drive.
The best place to check is in your vehicle's owners manual.
If you can not find what you are looking for, below are some
diagrams sowing you the most common patterns.
Of course, if your vehicle has different sizes of tires from
front to back, or if your tires are directional, these may
not work. Consult a professional if you are still not sure.
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Alignment
Vehicle alignment is one of the most important factors in
not only vehicle care, but tire care. Improper alignment on
either the front or rear wheels can result in unusual tread
wear, damage to your suspension, and unusual handling for
the car.
There are several alignment types, including both two and
four wheel alignment. Four wheel alignment is always
recommended, but some vehicles are not able to have the rear
alignment adjusted. Consult with an alignment specialist you
trust to find out what's best for your car. Check your
alignment often as many unexpected everyday factors such as
hitting a curb, rocks, and potholes can misalign your
wheels.
Warning signs include your car pulling to one side or
another, and irregular tire wear.
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Puncture Repairs
A puncture to any area of a tire's tread will affect
performance and safety, and therefore must be immediately
attended to through either replacement of the tire (spare or
new tire) or a patch. Any patch that is applied to a tire
must be applied to both the outer part of the tire (tread)
and the inner part of the tire. The reason for this is that
the rubber on each side is very different (inside is made of
halobutyl rubber meant for holding air, while the outside is
a harder durable rubber primarily designed for traction). A
good tire repair can only be made if the tire is removed
from the rim (wheel) and inspected carefully for any hidden
damage.
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Noise & Vibration Problems
Below are the most common (but not the only) causes of noise
and vibration problems:
a poorly seated tire on the rim
tire / wheel assembly out of balance
irregular tire wear
an out of round rim
an out of round tire
If there is a problem with your tires and the way they have
been installed they will most likely begin to shake and
vibrate your vehicle at between 50 and 65 mph.
When do you need to Replace Tires?
Tires are typically replaced when their natural lifespan has
come to an end. There are however any number of factors that
can affect this including storage, temperature, surfaces
they are driven on, how aggressive of a driver you are,
punctures, etc.
The usual recommendation for replacing tires is when they no
longer feel safe to the driver. You can see when they are
worn out using the tread wear indicator. A typical set of
tires under normal driving conditions will last
approximately 40 000 miles or 64 000 km. Some tires
of-course are designed for much longer, even up to 80 000
miles or 128 000 kilometers.
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Mounting & Balancing
When mounting wheels & tires ensure the following checks are
made:
Wheels are not damaged in any way
There is no dirt or oily build up between the hub and the
wheel
Lugs are properly torqued
Both tire beads are securely mounted
Any retaining clips on the brak drums are removed
Improper tire balancing can have adverse effects on your car
and your safety. The most common signs of unbalanced tires
are vibration and noise problems. These can affect the
speed, handling and mileage of your vehicle.
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Oil Change
Your vehicle's engine has hundreds of moving parts in it. These
parts cause friction when they rub against each other and the
friction, in turn, causes massive amounts of heat in your engine. To
protect against all of this friction and heat, we introduce
lubricating oil into the engine.
The oil has two jobs in the engine.
One is to reduce the amount of friction by putting a layer of oil
between the moving parts and the other is to help vehiclery heat
away from the hottest parts of the engine as it circulates through.
If there were no oil in your engine, the moving parts would
create so much heat that they would eventually melt together causing
the engine to lock up. Once those engine parts melt together, there
is no getting them apart. So we can all agree that the oil in your
engine is pretty important.
But why change the oil? Isn't the oil that came with the vehicle
good enough? The answer is no, and here is why...
Over time, all oil breaks down. There are many factors that
contribute to the breakdown of the oil in your engine, but heat is
the biggest contributing factor. In addition to the breakdown of the
oil itself, there are also additives that are put in engine oil.
These begin to break down and lose their effectiveness over time.
There is also the issue of contamination. Small bits of dust, dirt
and debris get into your engine and make the or way into the oil.
All these little bits of "stuff" make the oil much less slippery and
much less effective at cushioning the moving parts of the engine.
So, how often should you change the oil? Most technicians
recommend that you get an oil change every 3000 miles for maximum
engine protection. Check your vehicle's owner's manual for the
recommendations for your specific vehicle, but be vehicleeful. Some
manuals recommend an oil change every 7500 miles under certain
driving conditions. Make sure your oil is changed regularly.
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Thank You
Best Tires in Town
