What to Look for in Repairing vs. Replacing Air Suspensions
Air springs and electronic ride controls provide a cushy, boulevard ride, but the ride doesn’t last forever. All air suspensions share a common vulnerability: air leaks. And when a system can no longer hold air, it goes flat. When an air ride suspension system goes flat, it can be very expensive to fix. OE parts
Brake Fluid Testing, Bleeding And Flushing
uits. Always refer to a service manual for the exact procedure, otherwise you may end up with air in a line and a soft brake pedal. If you’re using a pressure bleeder, the recommended approach is to start at the master cylinder and work your way out to the farthest brake. If the master cylinder
Consider The Customer When Purchasing an Alignment Lift
If you do wheel alignment work, you need an alignment lift for raising vehicles off the ground. A lift is essential because you have to get under the vehicle to inspect the steering and suspension before you check the alignment. You can’t align worn parts, so it’s important to always make sure the tie rod
Up to Snuff: Brake Service Tools & Equipment
s even more affordable if you don’t do much engine work. For more advanced ABS diagnostics, a digital oscilloscope (DSO) or graphing multimeter is a useful tool to own for observing wheel speed sensor outputs as a waveform. Learning how to use a scope properly takes some time, but once you understand it, it can
All Torqued Up: Several Torque Wrench Styles to Choose From
Torque is what holds the automotive world together and keeps things from falling apart. Anytime you tighten a nut, bolt or screw, you’re applying torque through a wrench, ratchet handle, nutdriver or screwdriver. The harder you push, pull or twist the tool, the greater the torque you apply. If you use too much muscle, you
Planning the Perfect Bay
eir job is to use the opportunity to make you money. OK, Now What? Once you’ve assembled a list of recommendations, the next thing to figure out is which changes will give you the most bang for your buck. Spending $50,000 on a new state-of-the-art alignment system may not be a wise investment if your
From the Track to the Rack
From the Track to the Rack Racing tires, like passenger car tires, are specialized for different applications and purposes. Every form of racing has its own speed, traction and handling needs that require specially designed tires. A Formula 1 car obviously needs a different type of tire than a NASCAR racer or a NHRA Top
Advancing Technology
Advancing Technology High tech manufacturing has made inroads in many industries, and tiremaking is no exception. Though robotics has not displaced traditional tire building techniques on a large scale, it’s use is certainly growing. Making a tire is a labor-intensive process for a variety of reasons. A tire consists of many individual components that all
Bigger, Lower, Wider, Higher
a tire that rides and handles well on the highway. The typical AT tire buyer, by comparison, does about 60% of their driving on the highway and about 40% off-road. Most of the off-road driving is recreational, like camping or driving through the backwoods. A MT tire buyer, on the other hand, is much more
Why Do Tires Fail?
Why Do Tires Fail? Tires are undoubtedly the most critical safety component on a vehicle. Where the rubber meets the road affects traction, handling, steering, stability and braking. Because of this, a sudden tire failure can have serious consequences, especially if it occurs at highway speeds in a vehicle with a high center of gravity.
Treadwear Tales
Tires always tell a story. The danger is misreading the story and coming to the wrong conclusion about what might be causing the tread to wear prematurely or unevenly. All tires wear as miles accumulate, and all treads eventually wear down to the point where replacement becomes necessary to maintain safe driving, traction and handling.
Performing Performance Repairs
Performing Performance Repairs Road hazards are a daily danger for all types of tires regardless of their speed rating, design or what kind of vehicle they’re mounted on. Nails, screws, rivets, pieces of wire, broken glass, shards of metal, sharp stones and anything else that ends up as debris on a road surface may, under