News

Imagine you’ve had a flat tire and you’re on your own. Are you safely off the road? Can you find the jack? On some vehicles it’s under the hood. On others it’s under or above the spare. Do you know how to assemble the jack and make it work? Read the directions in your owner’s manual or on a sticker under the trunk lid. Can you find the spare? Maybe it’s mounted under the vehicle, as in the case of some pick-up trucks and SUVs. If it’s in the trunk, can you get to it? How long s...

  What is it? There are several ways to check tire tread depth. The first way is to measure tread depth with a tread depth gauge. The second method involves the use of a penny inserted into the grooves of the tread. Tire wear bars are also used on today’s tires as a hands-off visual indication that a tire needs replacement.   What does it do? Regular tread depth checks are important to ensure that your car’s tires are safe. Excessive wear can result in a loss of traction, especially on wet an...

What is it? Proper tire inflation pressure is the specified air pressure given by a carmaker for a certain tire on a specific vehicle. This pressure specification should not be confused with a tire’s maximum pressure, which is usually listed on the tire’s sidewall. Some vehicles may specify different pressures for the front tires and the rear tires. Maintenance Tips/Suggestions For the small amount of time it takes, checking tire inflation at least once a month is one of the best investments ...

Looking for a way to occupy the kids on a long winter road trip? Assign them the project of comparing odometer readings with highway mileage markers. A difference of tenth of a mile or two in a 10 mile stretch is not unusual. Oversized tires will cause both your odometer and speedometer to read low. New tires, with full tread, make fewer revolutions per mile than do bald tires. What happens to all that rubber that’s worn off millions of tires? It accumulates alongside our nation’s highways. S...