Routine No More: ‘Tire Buster’ Days are Long Gone; Today’s Tires Need TLC
‘Tire Buster’ Days are Long Gone; Today’s Tires Need TLC Tire mounting can be a funny thing sometimes. There are those among us who apply so much tire lube that a wet suit would be suitable. They slosh the stuff in the general direction of the bead. Who cares if the sticky stuff runs off
A New Ballgame: With Alignments Today, ‘To Spec’ Doesn’t Cut It Anymore
A proper alignment job is not necessarily an easy task, but if you have the right equipment and well-trained technicians who know the operational guidelines, it can be a walk in the park. The plan is to give your customers the longest tire life possible. But when it comes to delivering a customer-oriented alignment, are
State of Readiness: Lead Weights Clearly on the Outs, But Timetable is Hazy
Despite rumblings from various industry bodies, the wheel-weight world will eventually become lead free. It will happen, but when? Europe has banned all lead wheel weights, and so has Japan. In fact, every automobile being imported to the U.S. from those ports are totally lead free. To that list add General Motors, which has jumped
Speeding Away?: Technology, Practicality Moving Us Closer to Fewer Ratings
For too many years, we’ve been explaining to our customers why they need speed-rated tires. It’s the right choice, for example, if the vehicle came OE with a V-rated UHP radial. To make that rating, the tire must be able to run at sustained speeds of up to 149 mph. “But I don’t drive 149
Process of Elimination: To Get the Most Out of Your Bays, Make Every Step Matter
Here’s some of the freshest thinking available about getting the most out of your service bays. Maybe you have a limited amount of space. Maybe you’re adding a couple of new bays. Either way, wasted steps are out, effective use of space is in. With each new generation of equipment and people who count every
Off the Charts: Will Pressure Guidelines Ever Catch Up to Extreme Fitments?
Not many years ago, the concept of plus sizing was largely the province of autocrossers and road racers. That was before it spread to a new breed of vehicle owners who are collectively challenging tiremakers, wheel makers and even frame makers to fit ever-larger tires and wheels under automobiles and pickup trucks. Today, it is
Newest Spin: Modern Balancing Technology More Precise Than Ever
Since the 1970s, static balance has been at the head of the list among proving-grounds engineers. But, those machines had to take a back seat for decades as the complexities of vehicle suspension multiplied. Dynamic balance – the wave of the future – probably corrected more vehicle flaws than tire/wheel issues. Today, vehicle component technology
Risk and Readiness: Lessen Your Liability By Knowing the Limits of Big Tires and Wheels
Just when we thought tire sizes had reached their low-profile limit, just when we thought tire widths were shrinking engine-bay requirements, we started learning how little we actually know. SUVs and light trucks became the “spotlight” ride of the 1990s and 21st Century. In 1996, Ford introduced the Expedition, and later, the Lincoln Navigator, and
Tread Talk: Worn Tires Have a Lot to Say – If You Know How to Listen
What happens when you turn on your TV set? Within 30 minutes, some health nut is telling you to listen to your body. “Your body will tell you what to do,” says an artificially tanned head on a rippling, hard body. Trouble is, our bodies are crying out for pizza, desserts and other cholesterol-choked foods.
Information Overload?: New Data Collection Tools Can Help Dealers – But at a Price
When a telephone installer in Canton, Ohio, leaves his service truck, his boss back at headquarters knows. If the installer moves more than 100 yards from his truck, the boss knows that, too. If that installer checks out his son’s baseball game, the boss can ‘see’ the company’s service truck parked at the ball field,
Gun Control: Compressed Air Can Be a Deadly Weapon in the Wrong Hands
Did you ever grab the air hose to clean off your workbench? Did you feel a little embarrassed when you were engulfed in a cloud of choking dust? Lots of us have, including me – when I was a kid. That’s when the older guys started telling me stories about the dangers of compressed air.
Quick Fix: With Inflation-in-a-Can, ‘Temporary’ is the Operative Word
Even for the most skeptical motorists, inflation-in-a-can is a valid answer to experiencing a flat tire at the wrong time in the wrong place. But there are many caveats that must be followed explicitly when connecting a can of sealant and quite a few psi to the valve stem. Most important is that it’s only