Understanding Sway Bar Technology
Sway, stabilizer or anti-roll bars never get the credit they deserve. If sway bars were never invented, the ride and handling of vehicles would be a lot harsher than it is today. These bars act as a third spring, controlling rolls and stiffness of a vehicle. A sway bar has no effect if both sides
Run-Flat Tires
While run-flat tires are designed to allow a driver to safely continue driving after a puncture, they cannot be driven on indefinitely – the idea is to give the driver enough time get to a repair facility. Most manufacturers allow continued operation after a loss of some or all inflation pressure for up to 50
Monroe ‘Shockmobiles’ Summer Tour Hits the Road
Beginning with last weekend’s Indianapolis 500 race, the Monroe “Shockmobiles” will continue to visit races, community events, Monroe customer locations and more across North America during the nearly 10,000-mile 2016 summer tour. The Shockmobiles will help celebrate the Monroe brand’s 100th anniversary this year while emphasizing its “Everything Gets Old. Even Your Shocks” inspection message
Test Drive Techniques
Test drives on the surface can seem like one of the most unprofitable tasks a technician can perform. But, it can be one of the most profitable processes a shop can do to help sell more service. You just have to have procedures and training in place so a test drive is more than just
Speed Ratings
Across the pond in Germany, portions of the famed Autobahn do not have speed limits, so high-speed driving is very much the norm. In spite of its tolerance of high speeds, the German government is also very safety conscious. In order to allow drivers to match the speed capability of the tires installed on their
Wheel Bearing Lessons
Wheel bearings are either of the ball or tapered roller variety. Front-wheel bearing applications are an angular-type ball bearing, which will accept greater thrust loads than a Conrad-type bearing, and will accept a 100% load in the radial or thrust position and any combination of a 100% load. A tapered roller bearing will accept both
Performing a Toyota Synergy Drive Hybrid Brake Job
Making its debut in 1997, Toyota’s Synergy Drive has been used in the Prius and Camry and was offered on almost all Lexus models since 2006. In Hybrid Synergy Drive vehicles, even braking contributes to the overall energy efficiency of the car. Each time the driver presses down on the brake pedal or the vehicle
Federal-Mogul Splitting Into Two Public Companies
Automotive parts producer Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp. will now apparently be full split into two publicly traded companies.
RFID: Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday
In the early days of World War II, both sides were using radar to warn of approaching planes. At first, there was no way for either side to tell enemy planes from “friendlies.” This deficiency led to some major mistakes; like when an Army radar in Hawaii spotted the Japanese planes on their way to
Building Oil Change Profits One Job At A Time
For many years, we’ve considered the under-valued lubrication, oil and filter change (LOF) as a loss-leader service designed to “up-sell” other services. To make matters even worse, some shop owners have further undermined the value of the LOF by using a time clock to measure lube bay efficiency. In so many of these cases, such
