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In the current economy people do anything to save money- pack lunch, skip vacations, drive less and even let routine car maintenance fall by the wayside. When most people think of vehicle safety they think of seat belts, windshield wipers and brakes, however, tires are one of the most important safety components of your vehicle. Tires are the only part of your vehicle with direct contact to the road, thus they are the only part of your vehicle that can fully control or lose control of the dir...

It’s peak pothole season out there and no one is immune to their sneaky destruction. We’ve all hit them at some point, and every time it happens, you see it only a second before it gets you, often too late to miss it. These little road hazards lay in wait, with their dips, bumps, and sharp toothy edges, just waiting to ruin your day. They can cause a sudden jolt all the way up to a blown tire.  And, I hate to report, they aren’t disappearing any time soon. Potholes are every tire’s sworn ...

When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easiest to identify when the tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Number (often referred to as the tire’s serial number or DOT number). Unlike vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and the serial numbers used on many other consumer goods (which identify one specific item), Tire Identification Numbers are really batch codes that identify several components.   The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National High...

    Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step in winter safety and decided to invest in a set of winter tires. There are a few things you are going to want to remember about your winter tires, especially if this is your first time making the transition. A few things you may want to know:    Depending on the kind of tires you select, you may notice a change in the feel/sound of your commute. Because winter tires have more of a grip on the road, they might sound louder dependin...

Ever wonder what the designations stamped on your tire sidewall actually mean? We’d like to break it down for you. Let’s take for instance, “P195/60R15 87S”. This is a full service description of a tire. In this case, “87S” denotes a tire’s load capacity and speed rating. The higher the number, the greater the load capacity – an 87 load capacity means that tire can support 1,201 pounds. Speed ratings range from L (75 mph) through V (149 mph), and an S speed rating means the tire i...

Every year, about 290 million tires are discarded; of those, about 233 million are recycled in one way or another. Shredded tires can be used for playground surfaces, welcome mats, hot-melt asphalt, bark mulch and even made into building material for “green” construction. But what can you do with your old tires? Here are some ideas: --Fill a tractor tire with sand to make a great sandbox for kids --Hang a tire from a rope as a tire swing --Stack a couple of tires on top of each othe...

There are so many tire designs on the road -- all-season, high performance, touring, light truck -- and even within a specific tire design, there may be several choices of tread patterns. What differentiates them, and what are the pros and cons of each tread design?    -- Directional tread has a pattern of grooves and chevron shapes, all pointed in one direction. This design makes it easy to direct water away from the tire's contact patch and prevent hydroplaning in wet weather, and also ...

The tire is such a commonplace item -- it's on every car, every truck, every bicycle, every aircraft. It's easy to not give the tire a second thought, but like every other technology, the tire has an interesting history of advances and failures.    In the 19th century, carriages and wagons used steel strips for "tires" on their wheels, with the punishing sort of ride that you'd expect. In later years, they were shod with strips of natural rubber, which was an improvement but was still pro...

Nobody ever looks forward to a flat tire, and nobody ever says "well, that was a really good time" after having one. You can at least minimize the damage to your tire and danger to yourself, though. Flats vs Blowouts If you get a blowout, you'll know about it right away. Sometimes the tire can fail dramatically, with a bang as loud as a shotgun going off. Other times, it might just be a loss of air and a sudden change in your car's handling, followed by vibration, noise and a pull to one ...

Ever think about all the different vehicles that use rubber tires? Tractors, industrial equipment, everything else that rolls on rubber? Each specialized type of tire requires a specialized design for its specific purpose. Aircraft tires, for instance, have to be very robust and handle a great deal of weight and stress, but for only a short period of time. Aircraft tires are often filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen, for more stable inflation levels, and are designed with specializ...