Your car’s tires are a huge part of your driving experience and a crucial component of the safe performance of your vehicle. Tires are the car's connection to the road. They help you to accelerate, brake, and keep your car under control. A good set of tires can make the difference between a safe, smooth ride and a dangerous vehicle on the road. On the other hand, bad tires can wear out the car and reduce gas mileage by requiring more effort to do its job. Faulty tires can also cause other problems with your car. Wheel alignment, suspension, tire balancing, and brakes can all be affected by the condition of your tires. Tire failure can be catastrophic. According to recent studies, an estimated 11,000 car crashes per year are caused by tire failure. These accidents were as a result of worn-out tire tread, under-inflated tires, and blowouts. Taking time to properly care for your vehicle with routine tire inspections and car maintenance is important. You should perform a tire inspection at ... read more
The tires on your vehicle and vehicles across the world, was a result of multiple inventors across several decades. Robert William Thomson invented the first vulcanized rubber pneumatic tire in 1845, but it was too costly and ahead of its time and attracted little interest. In the 1880’s John Boyd Dunlop was the inventor of the first practical inflatable tire for bicycles. Several years later, André Michelin and his brother Edouard were the first to use pneumatic tires on an automobile, but they were not successful in making them durable. It wasn't until Philip Strauss invented the combination tire and air-filled inner tube in 1911 that pneumatic tires could be used on automobiles with success. Tires are made of strong, flexible rubber attached to the rim of a wheel to provide a gripping surface for traction and serve as a cushion for the wheels of a moving vehicle. Tires offer your first and only contact with the road and allow effective steering, braking, accelerating, and turning ... read more
We live busy lives and often don’t have time for tasks like cleaning our car. Cleaning your car is an important aspect of car maintenance that many don’t realize the benefits of keeping up with. A clean car is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it can also increase the resale value of your car. While some clean their cars themselves, others pay a professional car wash to do the work for them. Ideally, you should get your car cleaned on a weekly basis. However, many car owners clean their cars only when it is dirty. How frequently you drive your car also matters. As a general principle, the more miles that you drive, the more frequently you will need to clean the car. The climate and air temperature are also important considerations. Snow, salt and grit from the roads can quickly erode and damage your paint work, and high temperatures can cause erosion to be accelerated, as chemicals in contaminants become more active in hot temperatures. Why You Should Clean Your Car More Often ... read more
Many new cars are now missing a spare tire and are coming from the factory equipped with tires or inflator kits that claim to make a spare tire unnecessary. We usually don’t think about the need for a spare tire until we need it. You should always have a spare tire in your vehicle because you never know when you’ll get a flat or puncture and be on the side of the road stranded. A spare tire and wheel provide you with a direct replacement, allowing you to become mobile again until you get a tire repair service. Many spare tires for modern cars are smaller than normal tires to save on trunk space, gas mileage, weight, and cost, and they should not be driven on for long before replacement with a full-size tire. Don't wait until you're on the side of the road to invest in a spare tire. If your vehicle doesn’t come equipped with a spare, purchase a spare tire so you can safely replace a damaged tire, and travel to your nearest auto repair shop for proper service. Types of Spare Tires A Ful ... read more
Your vehicle is a good way to maintain social distance compared to taking the bus, train or a taxi. If you are traveling in a vehicle with other people, you can still ensure that social distancing is being practiced by sitting at the far opposite side of the car (2m or 6 feet separation). You also need to consider how many people are in the cab, perhaps using a larger vehicle to provide more distance between occupants and always ensure good ventilation by keeping windows open where possible. Social distancing simply means keeping a safe distance away from other people and includes measures such as not shaking hands and staying about 6 feet away from other people. In your vehicle, staying 6 feet apart is difficult, but there are other preventative measures you can take. There should also be routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched objects and surfaces such as door handles, steering wheels, and controls. Of course wearing a mask may also be a good idea. Social Distancing ... read more