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By lovingpeacefulmama
Are your tires bald? Do you have a noisy bumpy ride? Are you doing the shimy-shimy shake when driving without the music? Were you declined your inspection sticker because there are cracks and bubbles where rubber should be? Well it sounds like it’s time to go tire shopping: Studded, studless, noise reduction, longevity, fuel economy, all season or winter/summer tires and highway driving… all must be considered when searching. Just recently, I went to get my annual car inspection. Like most years, I waited until the last minute, I pushed a lot on my plate and figured that I could wait until a couple days before. ..because I have a perfectly new working car?...NO! ..because my car always passes inspection?...NO! There’s always something that needs to be fixed. ..because it’s easy to pin point the exact car part (tires this time) that I want to buy in minutes once I am told that I need it?…NO I say!!! HA! Infact, my Honda Odyssey needs new tires atleast every other year. So I am boggled as to why I am so boggled about when I need new tires after a car inspection. In the past, I didn’t have a lot of time or options to shop much because my tires were so bad that it was dangerous for me and my family to drive on. Silly too for me to let my tires go since I’ve been working on cars since I was little. Picture this: 1972 family station wagon…open hood…just as much room under the hood as there is in the car for passengers…kids sitting under the hood looking into the engine with enough room for them to put their legs in, sometimes even standing with our feet on the ground….watching dad/relative/family friend work on whatever has broken this time. Can’t do that anymore for many reasons. Yes I’m a lot older and bigger! But I’m talking about cars and how they’re made. You need a professional garage yourself to work on most cars just to change the oil or light bulb. This year was different, I had 30 days to fix the problem…YEAH!!! The place I went to was wonderful, they gave me a list of tires that they recommended and a package deal that included rebates and a gift certificate. I had 30 days to look, and I did myself a favor and scheduled an apt with myself a week later to start looking for the perfect tire that wouldn’t wear or tear in just a year. This is what I found out: Studded: - only to be used in winter, - outlawed in some states because they can really tear up the road. - Is being phased out more and more because studdless are better in winter than ever before. Performance: Sometimes you have to compromise: noise for steering tightness, fuel economy for noise, so find out what is important to you. ALL SEASON, WINTER Difference: Which tire you choose depends on the weather you drive in and road conditions. All season tires are not designed to handle extreme winter conditions like trekking through snow or driving on ice. All season tires are designed to offer a combination of benefits from summer and winter. All season tires won’t give the same amount of extreme grip and sharp handling of a summer tire. If you are purchasing winter tires, make sure you remember to change them back in the spring, because winter tires work poorly otherwise. Longevity: Look up the UTQG number: the UTQG treadwear indicator numbers are the manufacturer ratings for treadwear and how long they believe the tire will last. The numbers range from 0 to 800, 800 being the best. Each brand has their own interpretation of the UTQG rating, so brand comparison might not work with UTQG….to be used as a recommendation. Fuel Efficiency: Reduced resistance (low rolling resistance) and sidewalls that reduce heat can lower your gas bills at the pump. I suggest
Sometimes you can get a package from the tire shop that may include rebates, mounting, balancing, tire removal, gift certificate, high mileage lifetime warrantees, hazard insurance. Warrantees: Hazard insurance: If you’re traveling, you can get a new tire anywhere they are located. Even if they don’t have a dealer, they will reimburse you. If you are located any where in the new England area and/ or north America with the harsh winters and infrastructure deteriorating, you really want to have this insurance (or something like it for example AAA roadside service) Road hazards are defined as pot holes, debris, nails, wood, and other hazards found in the road. Curbs, sidewalks, and stone walls are not road hazards. My recommendation is to get AAA because of the fine print on most hazard insurance packages. See link for more information: http://repairtrust.com/tire-insurance-myths-and-facts-about-road-hazard-policies/ Lifetime: Usually this warrantee is for abnormal wear and tear or non-repairable defect in workmanship/materials. To make sure that your warrantee is in good standing; rotate tires every 6k miles and check alignment once a year…and make sure you keep the proof of purchase for these services rendered or the warrantee is null and void. Make sure you read the fine print. Best time to get new tires would be fall, as the tire wears out, dry traction increases. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/buying-selling/cg-tire-buying-tips.htm#page=2 Check out your tire company: Try BBB.org , yelp, reviews online. If they have no information, try your neighbors recommendations. More links: Fuel Efficiency, how to choose truck tires: http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread-and-trend/tire-talk/fuel-efficient-tires http://auto.howstuffworks.com/buying-selling/cg-tire-buying-tips.htm#page=4 http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread-and-trend/drivers-ed/snow-tires-studded-tires-vs-studless-tires Tire prices and reviews: www.Townfairtire.com http://www.1010tires.com www.consumerreports.org UTQG: http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/motorsport-messages-from-marshall/utqg-treadwear-numbers-what-do-they-mean
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January 2016
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