December 3rd, 2010 by cheapcar

Choosing Tires for Winter Driving

Choosing tires for winter driving, is of utmost importance when in many areas the presence of ice and snow on roadways creates a deadly hazard. It is not a difficult process if you have the necessary information.

The very first thing you should do is check your vehicle owner’s manual, to find the manufacturer specifications for the types and sizes of tires recommended by them.

Next, mount the appropriate mud and snow tires on your vehicle to help guard against the slickness of winter roads, these tires can be used anywhere as long as they do not have metal studs on them.

If you live in an area where ice is common in the winter, be sure to use the metal-stud tires that are available and keep your other tires (if they are in good condition) for the end of winter season as these metal stud tires are only allowed during the winter season and are banned in 10 states.

Another key to remember, is to make sure that all of the snow tires you equip your vehicle with are of the same size, type and tread. This is particularly important if your vehicle is front wheel drive where using mismatched rear wheels may result in a loss of traction when braking on the icy roads of winter.

When choosing tires be aware that equipping your vehicle with over sized tires that are larger than those recommended by the manufacturer, make result in difficulty steering and can rub the fender wells or suspension underneath.

As a rule, snow tires are manufactured with large empty areas in their tread so that they will have more traction on snow than normal tires, where regular all season type tires are more concerned with marrying a quiet ride with a modicum of traction.

Another time tested method that can be used when conditions warrant is the use of tire chains. Installing tire chains can increase traction as much as 200%. Again, make sure that these chains are of the right size and type for your particular tire as the wrong chains can cause the tires to fail.

Following the preceding tips on choosing tires for winter driving, will help you to safeguard yourself and your family in any winter season.

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Snow Socks – Winter Traction Aid

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November 30th, 2010 by cheapcar

What to Do When You get a Flat Tire

Recently, there was a tragic story on our local news that unfortunately, is all too familiar throughout the country.

Someone was driving in the fast lane on the interstate in town when they got a flat tire. Not wanting damage their fancy wheel rim, they just let the car sit right there on the road. You already have an idea of what happened next.

Sure enough, another car crashed right into the rear of it, causing a needless fatality. Someone lost their life because of a flat tire and a $250 wheel rim.

Is there any wheel or tire that is worth more than a life? Because someone thought their rim was too nice to pull off the highway, a family lost a parent.

As I said, this is no isolated incident. This happens all the time and is something I’m sure you see if you do much of any driving at all. So, what to do when you get a flat tire?

When you first notice you are getting a flat tire you should let off the gas and pull off the roadway. Do this as soon as you can, but do it safely. Turn on your emergency flashers to alert others.

Never park your car in a lane of traffic. Your only goal here is for you and everyone else to be safe. Your tires and wheels can be replaced, but a life can not be.

The excuse of finances and not wanting to have to buy a new tire is idiotic and dangerous. You don’t want to have to live knowing that your unsafe behavior took the life of someone else.

So, if you get a flat tire, think safety first and pull off the road. It’s the smart thing to do and everyone will be much safer because of it.

Author:
By Terry Edwards

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Tire Repair Store

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November 27th, 2010 by cheapcar

Lawn Tractor Tires

The essential difference in replacing a car tire and flat tire of a ride on lawn mower is,

* You do not carry a spare tire with you all the time when you move along with your lawn tractor

* Your equipment for replacing the tire like jack, spanners etc. are not with you, they are in your basement or workshop

* Your house is nearby so you can summon help from your family members

* You may not be in a hurry to change the tire and you are not putting anyone at risk by leaving a vehicle with a flat tire on your premises, as you would if you leave your vehicle on a public road.

* You can change the tire at a more convenient time

* Depending upon the size of tire, you may require some external help

- Changing the tire

A lawn mower works on an undulating surface. Therefore if your tire has gone flat where not all the lawn mower tires are on a level surface, do not try to change a flat tire at that place.

Depending upon where the tire has gone flat, you can change the following procedure slightly, but ensure that the spirit of safety precautions is not violated.

If you have a portable air compressor with you, (even a foot operated one will do), try to inflate the tires and then shift your lawn tractor to a flat and level surface, it will be best for the tractor.

If you do not have an air compressor and the flat area is nearby, take your tractor in to the flat surface. The riding mower tires are a rugged lot. The tire will take this punishment without a murmur.

The procedure for changing the tire is as follows.

* You have already brought the tractor on a flat and level surface. Park it there. Shut off the engine. Pull the hand brake and remove the tractor keys in order to prevent accidental re-starting.

* Clean the tire to be replaced and the area around the tire with water. This will take away any dirt from the nuts holding the tires and reduce the work load on you while taking off the tire

* Loosen the nuts holding the tire slightly. Make it a point to ensure that all the nuts are loosened slightly. Any one remaining to be loosened might give you a problem later on.

Do not back off completely. Just loosen them and that is all. If you are not in a position to back off even a single nut, do not proceed further. Re-tighten the loosened nuts and ask for professional help.

* Fix up other wheels with a wheel lock or slip a wooden plank or a stone so that the wheels won’t move. Do this to two wheels at least.

* Next slip a hydraulic jack or a crew jack at a convenient place on the chassis, (This place is usually indicated in the maintenance manual) and raise the wheel to be replaced)

* Back off all the nuts holding the wheel and take off the wheel. You may require some help in this as the lawn wheels are slightly larger than car wheels.

* After taking off the wheel, clean the brake drum (if you have one) and wash off all the dirt that has collected, remove anything lodged in there.

* Put a new wheel and get the other one repaired.

- Safety Precautions

1. Wear gloves all the time. This will prevent injuries to your hands.
2. When loosening the nuts, give particular attention to slippage of spanners. They can cause serious injuries to hand or head, as you will not be able to control your movement when spanner slips.
3. NEVER EVER change a tire on an undulating surface. There are many cases when the jacks have slipped from their position and deaths have resulted from persons being crushed beneath lawn mower.

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November 24th, 2010 by cheapcar

Radial-ply Tires

A radial is a pneumatic tire that has a radial-ply casing, and the ply cords extend to beads that are laid at approximate right angles to the centerline of the tread.

The radial-ply tire is a particular type of automobile tire that was originally developed by Michelin, and because of it’s advantages over any other types, the design has become the standard for almost all automotive tires.

The tires end up being made up of more than just rubber, as those tires would be far too flexible and weak, but instead are reinforced by a series of plies of steel and nylon cords within the rubber tread.

This casing is made up of various layers divided between the tread and the sidewall at the surface of the tire, and the liner and various plies and belts underneath those layers.

The fabric of the tire used to be built up on a flat steel drum, with the cords crisscrossing each other at an angle from the direction of travel, and this they called cross ply or bias ply tires.

With the plies turned up around steel wire beads, and then the combined tread and sidewall would be applied, creating the new tire to be put into a curing device and shaped into the mold.

This shaping process would cause the cords in the tire to assume a distinctive shape from bead to bead, the angle under the tread went down about 36 degrees from the top, and this was called the Crown Angle.

In the sidewall region, the angle was 45 degrees with bead remaining at a standard of 60 degrees, and the low crown angle gave this design rigidity to support the tread with the high sidewall angle giving comfort.

Being a little bit more aware of radial tire construction may just help to make you a bit better at deciding on what brand of radial tires might best suit your needs, with this radial tire information, and comparing prices at various local outlet retailers and auto parts stores.

Legend:
1. longitudinal steel belt
2. radial structure
3. circle wire
4. rim
5. tread band
6. lateral wall
7. heel joint

Legend:

Cross-section diagram of a tire (tyre) showing the plies. Numbers 14 and 16 are bias-plies and number 12 is a radial ply.

|Source=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?patentnumber=3672423

|Date= April 7, 1970 |Author=Dudu)

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Radial-ply Tire Store

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November 21st, 2010 by cheapcar

Using a Car Jack

When you need to jack your car up to change a tire, it may not always be under ideal conditions, it also pays to know how to use a car jack.

Regardless of whether you’re on the side of a highway or in the relative comfort of your own garage, the process of lifting a vehicle weighing thousands of pounds entails some risk. By following a few simple procedures, you can minimize any hazards to yourself and your vehicle, when jacking up a car.

Know Your Jack

Most vehicles come equipped with a small scissor jack. This jack will be functional enough for an emergency tire-change on the roadside. Before you’re in an emergency situation, familiarize yourself with your specific jack and how it works.

Secure the Area

When possible, ensure that vehicle is parked on a level surface. Make sure that the car is secure. The emergency brake should be firmly set. Vehicles with automatic transmissions should be in “park”, while ones with manual transmissions should be left in gear. Wedge bricks or blocks to the front and back of the tire on a diagonal from the tire to be lifted.

Pick Your Battleground

Determine an appropriate place to set the jack. A common novice mistake when using a car jack, is to set the jack under a bumper or body panel. These areas aren’t designed to hold the weight of the entire car; they can break under the strain and allow the car to fall.

The jack must go under the vehicle’s frame, otherwise known as the chassis. Most cars are designed with a specific location for jack placement. When in doubt, check your owner’s manual.

Keep it Steady

Make sure that the jack is placed on a stable, even surface. If the ground is rough or covered with gravel, place a broad, sturdy board underneath the jack. This is especially important with small, factory-provided tire jacks, which may very have narrow bases.

Proceed with Caution

Crank the jack up slowly. Although you may be in a hurry, take your time. Be careful to not have any part of your body underneath the car, so as not to be injured if the vehicle should fall. Once the car is lifted enough for the tire to clear the ground, push on it a bit to verify its stability on the jack.

Lower the Vehicle

Now that the tire has been changed, bring the car back down just as you jacked it up: slowly and with care. Once again, no part of your body (or anyone else’s) should be underneath the vehicle.

If there are other people present or assisting, have them step back away from the car and out of the way. Finally, remove the blocks from the chocked wheel.

By working at an even pace and using common sense, you should be able to raise a vehicle, change its tire, and lower it again safely. Keep in mind that these instructions only apply to jacking up a car to change a tire, not to any kind of repair work that requires you to get underneath the car; for that, further precautions will be necessary.

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Car Jacks and Accessories Store

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