Avoid These Cautionary Tire Mounting Tales
I claim expertise in many areas, including high-performance driving, tire safety, vehicle dynamics, diaper changing, and calling in wild turkeys. "Mounting tires on wheels" is not on that list.
Can PSI Adjustments Fix Handling and Ride Problems?
Adjusting air pressure will, without question, change how a vehicle rides and handles. However, journalistic ethics (yes, there is – or was – such a thing) and my own moral compass prevent me from recommending tire pressure ever be set below the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications. At least for motoring on public roads. Here’s my check-your-air-pressure
Even AWD Vehicles Require Regular Tire Rotations
Intuitively, one would think an AWD vehicle would not require regular tire rotations because power is constantly directed to all tires; therefore, all of the tires would wear at the same rate. But when it comes down to it, tire rotation is the second most important maintenance item that can be done to maximize tire life, and this pertains to AWD vehicles, as well.
The Science Behind, Inside the Versatile ATV Tire
The ATV was born out of necessity when Japanese farmers needed a better way of getting to town from farms that were located in isolated, mountainous areas. Rainy seasons made the mountainous roads impassable with conventional vehicles and thus the three-wheeled ATV was developed to provide transportation to and from these areas. Honda brought the
How Tire Engineers Select New Ingredients for Rubber ‘Recipes’
With passenger tire sales in the U.S. reaching $21.8 billion last year, tire manufacturers constantly seek a competitive edge by delivering the latest high-tech products to technology-hungry consumers. In an age when cars can parallel park themselves and drivers can sync their smartphones to automatically broadcast music over car stereos, it makes sense. Just like
Debunking Tire Inflation Myths Keeps Drivers Safe, Fuel-Efficient
When it comes to tire inflation pressure maintenance, there are three categories of consumers. The first group includes the ones you see driving down the road with underinflated tires. They don’t regularly check their tires or even think about what’s keeping their cars rolling down the road. Unfortun-ately, they account for a large portion of
Make the Most of Your Space With Proper Tire Storage Solutions
To stack, or not to stack, that is the question. Unfortunately, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, while contemplating his future existence, didn’t give tire dealers insight into storage systems to help them free up floor space or streamline inventory appraisals. Hamlet’s soliloquy completely ignored the fact that dealers could sleep and, perchance, dream, but still needed to get
As TPMS Evolves, Technology Expands Into Commercial Segment
No federal mandate exists for TPMS in the trucking industry, but that hasn’t stopped TPMS manufacturers and marketers from keeping busy developing technology for over-the-road rigs and much larger equipment, such as earthmovers.Operational costs will be a driving factor for TPMS to blaze a trail into the above-10,000-pound vehicle markets. After all, it’s no secret
Balance Compounds Help Make Tires a Sound Investment
No-brainers are sometimes hard to recognize, but manufacturers of truck tire internal balancing materials believe they make a solid case for tire dealers and fleet owners to use their products. It’s no secret that a balanced tire is a happy tire. Additionally, commercial fleet operators seem pleased with performance reports for rigs outfitted with properly
Lower Profiles, More Information Crowd Tire Sidewalls
"TMI!" Together, the initials once conjured up images of the 1979 nuclear reactor core meltdown on Three Mile Island near Harrisburg, Pa. Today, the letters are commonly used in casual and online conversations to exclaim "too much information!" when someone shares personal and sometimes unpleasant facts.The tire industry may want to adopt TMI as a
Tread Compounds and Elements Battle a Tire’s Enemy: Heat
Vital to a tire’s creation, it transforms polymers and additives into a resilient product able to withstand torturous miles of highway driving. Destructive to a tire’s lifecycle, it breaks down rubber compounds and affects vehicle handling. Heat. A tire can’t live without it, but can be destroyed by it.The typical vulcanization method for tire production
Tread Depth, Tire Safety and the Difference of 24 Cents
A head-to-head challenge in the tire industry currently involves two of the nation’s greatest presidents. The debate is over a mere 2/32nds of an inch, but safety is held as most important on both sides of the coin. Like the fate of the nation they led, it all rests on their heads. For decades, a