Cars are wonderful things, but strangely, despite the immense number of people that own cars, very few people know much about them. People will sometimes tend to get into the rhythm of always taking their car to a dealer or mechanic anytime anything out of the ordinary occurs. The same thing happens with tires and tire dealers. While it is not likely that you can make your own tires and avoid the tire dealer altogether, you can learn some basics such as changing and rotating the tires on your car.
Rotating the tires on your car is really quite simple. You will need a jack and a four way wrench or other wrench capable of fitting the lug nuts on the wheel, and perhaps something to pry off the hub caps if needed. To get the hub caps off if you indeed have them installed in the first place, you simply need to give a good strong tug outwards. If this doesn't do the trick, then take a crowbar or something similar to it to pry it off. That's the first step; pretty easy, and no need for any tire dealers there.
Next, you will be able to see approximately 5 nuts that keep the wheel in place. With your four-way wrench, choose any of the nuts and turn them off. Remember to turn to the left (left and loose, right and tight). Be sure to place the nuts in a safe place so you do not lose them. After all of the nuts are removed, you will be able to pull the tire and wheel straight off the car. Beware however, it will be heavy and greasy. If you are not a real grease-monkey, you may want to wear gloves. Again, this was not that hard, was it? Still no need for a tire dealer that I can see.
You can now remove the other tire on the side of the car you are working on. Unless you have access to a lift, you can only do one side at a time. With the tires off the vehicle, you can now mount them back on. To do that, simply grab the less worn one (likely the one that was on the rear previously, hence the term rotating) and place it back on the front. This may require some wriggling as you try to line up the holes with the threads, but once you get it, it will slide on nicely. Now you can screw the nuts back on, with the tapered end facing out. Make sure they are nice and tight, since you clearly do not want a tire coming off while you are driving. That was not too difficult, eh? You should not need any tire dealers for that?
The most important thing is to ensure that your lug nuts stay tight. If possible, remove the hubcaps a day or two later and check the nuts to ensure they are still tight.
If you can rotate your tires on your own, it will save that extra, and potentially expensive, trip to the tire dealer.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
How Tire Dealers Name Tires
You may already know that a tire's name is made up of a mess of letters and numbers; you probably are aware that all the letters and numbers do in fact mean something, but you are just not sure what. In this post, I will explain the method to the madness and hopefully teach you how to read the name of a tire.
The First Letter
If the first letter is P (meaning p-metric), you know that the tire is designed to be used on passenger vehicles, which includes car, minivans, station wagons, sport utility vehicles, crossovers, and 1/4 tonne to 1/2 tonne trucks.
If there is no letter at the start of the name, the tire is Euro-metric. This is generally found on European vehicles, as well as SUV's and minivans. They only difference you should take into account is the load capacity, which may differ slightly from p-metric tires.
If the first letter is T, then the tire is temporary, or in other words, a spare, and should only be driven on until you can have a suitable tire fitted.
If the first letters are LT, you know that the tires are light truck metric, and made for vehicles that can handle heavy loads from 3/4 to 1 tonne.
If the first letters are ST, you have yourself a special trailer tire. These tires are designed for trailers only, and should not, under any circumstances, be used on passenger vehicles.
The Last Letter
If a tire ends with LT, the tire is designed for heavy loads and large vehicles. Unless you use heavy equipment regularly, you should not have to worry about this labeling.
If a tire ends with C, it is a commercial tire designed for large box trucks, and once again, if you are not in the business, you should not have to worry about this.
The Three Number Chunk
The three numbers represent the width of the tire in millimeters from one side of the tire to the other (measured from the furthest points along the side, not on the tread).
The Two Number Chunk
This number represents the relation between the sidewall height and the tread width expressed as a percentage. For example, a tire with a width of 250 mm and a percentage of 50 leaves us with a sidewall height of 125 mm. The sidewall is the side of the tire from the outer edge (that touches the ground), to the inner edge (where the rim is).
The Next Letter
This letter represents the construction of the tire. R is the most common, meaning radial. To put it simply, the tire is designed so that the tread radiates out from the center as the tire rotates. The only other letter you are likely to see is D, meaning diagonal. These are common on small trucks and spare tires.
More Numbers
This represents the size of the wheel in inches that your tire should be fitted on. A tire with the number 16 here is designed to go on a 16 inch rim.
If you can have a general idea of how the naming of a tire works, doing business with tire dealers will be that much easier.
The First Letter
If the first letter is P (meaning p-metric), you know that the tire is designed to be used on passenger vehicles, which includes car, minivans, station wagons, sport utility vehicles, crossovers, and 1/4 tonne to 1/2 tonne trucks.
If there is no letter at the start of the name, the tire is Euro-metric. This is generally found on European vehicles, as well as SUV's and minivans. They only difference you should take into account is the load capacity, which may differ slightly from p-metric tires.
If the first letter is T, then the tire is temporary, or in other words, a spare, and should only be driven on until you can have a suitable tire fitted.
If the first letters are LT, you know that the tires are light truck metric, and made for vehicles that can handle heavy loads from 3/4 to 1 tonne.
If the first letters are ST, you have yourself a special trailer tire. These tires are designed for trailers only, and should not, under any circumstances, be used on passenger vehicles.
The Last Letter
If a tire ends with LT, the tire is designed for heavy loads and large vehicles. Unless you use heavy equipment regularly, you should not have to worry about this labeling.
If a tire ends with C, it is a commercial tire designed for large box trucks, and once again, if you are not in the business, you should not have to worry about this.
The Three Number Chunk
The three numbers represent the width of the tire in millimeters from one side of the tire to the other (measured from the furthest points along the side, not on the tread).
The Two Number Chunk
This number represents the relation between the sidewall height and the tread width expressed as a percentage. For example, a tire with a width of 250 mm and a percentage of 50 leaves us with a sidewall height of 125 mm. The sidewall is the side of the tire from the outer edge (that touches the ground), to the inner edge (where the rim is).
The Next Letter
This letter represents the construction of the tire. R is the most common, meaning radial. To put it simply, the tire is designed so that the tread radiates out from the center as the tire rotates. The only other letter you are likely to see is D, meaning diagonal. These are common on small trucks and spare tires.
More Numbers
This represents the size of the wheel in inches that your tire should be fitted on. A tire with the number 16 here is designed to go on a 16 inch rim.
If you can have a general idea of how the naming of a tire works, doing business with tire dealers will be that much easier.
Knowing What You Need Before Going to the Tire Dealer
It is best to go to a tire dealer with all the knowledge of what you need; this makes it more difficult for the dealer to talk you into buying unnecessary items or expensive items. First off, you should know what you will be using your tires for. Do you live in Florida where snow is not a problem? Are you going to be towing heavy trailers? Are the tires for a heavy trailer? Will you be driving only mostly paved roads, or on all types of surfaces? How much are you willing to spend? You should know the answers to all theses questions and more before going to the tire dealer.
If you are still wondering, I will go into a bit more detail. If you live in the southern United States, snow might not be a huge problem. You could probably get away with all season tires. If you really enjoy touring in the summer, you could invest in summer tires, and run all season tires the rest of the year. If your tires are for a trailer, you should make sure they can handle for extra load. Tires on a typical car or light truck are inflated anywhere between 28 and 35 PSI (pounds per square inch) depending on a number of factors such as weight, performance, and model. Some trailer tires are inflated at over 50 PSI, with some up in the 100 PSI range. A normal tire is at risk of blowing it if this much air is in the tire, and a blown tire at the wrong moment can put a car of the road or take out a person's eye if you are close by.
If you can know what type of vehicle the tire will be used for, or even better, the exact make and model of the vehicle, the way you plan on using the tire, and how much you are willing to spend, you are at a great advantage. The latter deserves an extra blurb though. It is best that while you know how much you want to spend, you keep it quiet; an experienced tire dealer can take what information you give him and find ways to squeeze those extra few dollars out of you.
If you are still wondering, I will go into a bit more detail. If you live in the southern United States, snow might not be a huge problem. You could probably get away with all season tires. If you really enjoy touring in the summer, you could invest in summer tires, and run all season tires the rest of the year. If your tires are for a trailer, you should make sure they can handle for extra load. Tires on a typical car or light truck are inflated anywhere between 28 and 35 PSI (pounds per square inch) depending on a number of factors such as weight, performance, and model. Some trailer tires are inflated at over 50 PSI, with some up in the 100 PSI range. A normal tire is at risk of blowing it if this much air is in the tire, and a blown tire at the wrong moment can put a car of the road or take out a person's eye if you are close by.
If you can know what type of vehicle the tire will be used for, or even better, the exact make and model of the vehicle, the way you plan on using the tire, and how much you are willing to spend, you are at a great advantage. The latter deserves an extra blurb though. It is best that while you know how much you want to spend, you keep it quiet; an experienced tire dealer can take what information you give him and find ways to squeeze those extra few dollars out of you.
Tire Dealers: What to Look For
When it comes to purchasing any component for your car, word of mouth is always the best way to go. Tires are no different; to find a good tire dealer, you should ask around to find the best place to go. You should always beware of who your information is coming from, however; some places have been known to pay people to say good things about them. This is why you should only seek information from people that you trust.
A good tire dealer should have a neat and organized work area. One sign of a good dealer is that the lot contains different types of vehicles. If you see a tire dealer with a bunch of old rusted out vehicles sitting around, it is a great sign that you probably should not take your Jaguar to that place for service. On the other end of the spectrum, if you happen to own an old rusted out beater, you will likely be wasting your money to take it to a high end location that specializes in sports cars. If a tire dealer does not have any suitable tires in stock for your vehicle, it is a sign that they may not serve many cars similar to yours.
Although you may have a lot of questions for your tire dealer, he should also have questions for you. Unless you provide him with the information, he should want to know if you drive in all seasons (will you need tires that can handle snowy roads?), what type of use will the tires be getting (will you be towing anything heavy or driving hard?) and other such questions. If a dealer does not express this, it is a sign that he just wants you to make a purchase and be gone; not a good sign.
A good tire dealer should have a neat and organized work area. One sign of a good dealer is that the lot contains different types of vehicles. If you see a tire dealer with a bunch of old rusted out vehicles sitting around, it is a great sign that you probably should not take your Jaguar to that place for service. On the other end of the spectrum, if you happen to own an old rusted out beater, you will likely be wasting your money to take it to a high end location that specializes in sports cars. If a tire dealer does not have any suitable tires in stock for your vehicle, it is a sign that they may not serve many cars similar to yours.
Although you may have a lot of questions for your tire dealer, he should also have questions for you. Unless you provide him with the information, he should want to know if you drive in all seasons (will you need tires that can handle snowy roads?), what type of use will the tires be getting (will you be towing anything heavy or driving hard?) and other such questions. If a dealer does not express this, it is a sign that he just wants you to make a purchase and be gone; not a good sign.
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