Posted on 10/4/2020
If you've ever had a flat tire, then you know welcome it is to have a spare tire that is properly inflated, in good shape and easy to get to. Problem is many of us don't even give our spare tire (if we even have one) a second thought. If you have an SUV or truck with a spare, it may be mounted outside the vehicle, such as on the tailgate or underneath the vehicle. All of them, especially those underneath, take the brunt of debris, moisture, salt and dirt from the road surface, a potpourri of corrosion potential. The hardware that holds these on can rust into a solid mess, making it hard for you or even a roadside assistance service to get off. If you have one of those, have it checked and maintained at your vehicle repair facility on a regular basis. They should be lubricated and cleaned periodically, and some recommend doing this service every time you have your tires rotated. If the spare is the same size as the tires on the vehicle, it may be a go ... read more
Posted on 9/27/2020
Can you think of anyone who enjoys aging? Wrinkles where you don't want them, gray hair, eyes that won't focus any more, no stamina. Believe it or not, your tires age, too, and they don't get better the older they get. And here's the important thing to know, even if they can still pass a tread depth test, they may simply be too old to be safe Here's the best way to understand this. Have you ever found an old deck of playing cards with a rubber band wrapped around them? Try stretching the rubber band. SNAP! It's all cracked and brittle. And you haven't stressed that rubber one bit since the time you put them in that drawer. Now you know what's happening to your tires. Rubber ages. Just like us, the day we come into the world, we start to go downhill (no pun intended). Oh, engineers are able to make a tire last longer than ever before. But that gas that keeps us alive—oxygen—seems to love to chemically mi ... read more