Tires are round usually black and are supposed to hold air. This is the extent of many drivers knowledge about tires. I have to admit my knowledge of tires is not extensive. In all the years I owned shops we never actively pursued tire sales, it never seemed like we could make a profit, they were dirty heavy work, and there was more profit in other areas such as drivability and electrical problems which other shops didn’t want to tackle. Tires come in directional, position numerous wear, traction and speed ratings. It can be confusing and tires are not a frequent purchase so there is not a lot of experience on the buyer’s part. If the shop you frequent sells tires this is the place to go as you already have a history with them, if not ask them co-workers and friends where they go. Understanding the sidewall of a tire is not hard if you break it downSize is simple just copy it down off your old tire there are several tire conversions charts on the net but be careful they can lead you to a wrong tire for your vehicle quite easily. This can also cause speedometer problems, so I recommend you stick with the tire size that was original on your vehicle. Load index and speed ratings should also be close to original unless you have a large truck or a fast sports car. Load index’s go from 71-761 Lbs to 110-1060Lbs. Speed from L-75 MPH to V-140MPH most common is S&T 112-118 MPH. There is also a W&V rating for exotic sport cars. Tire pressure listed on the tire is not the recommended pressure but the maximum pressure allowed. The recommended is either on the drivers or glove box door. This is usually slightly on the low side to improve ride. I usually go a few pounds over but you have to be careful as tire pressure will increase 1# for every 10% of temperature or up to 4# on a hot highway. Tire pressure can change up to 5# as the seasons change and 5# can cause problems with handling, traction and tire life. A tire in the hot sun can reach 135%. Tire size is measured in MM. The width of the tire is the first number measured from sidewall to sidewall, the second the ratio of height to width or a P205/50R17 the ratio would be 50% OF 205 and this would be the tire height. If you have some spare time inflate your tire to this height and that would equate to the proper air pressure. Have tried it with some success but out temperatures here vary too much so I try to hit a happy medium. When you buy new tires check the pressure they are usually set low to provide a better ride. Two other markings on the tire are wear and traction. These are on a sliding scale the better traction the softer the tire and reduced tire life the less traction and improved tread life. Tires should be replaced or checked by a reputable tire dealer every 5 years; storage conditions can change this figure drastically. Sun is a tires worst enemy with heat coming in a close second. One last hint do not use tire dressing as this will increase tire checking and cracking. I do use it but the car I use it on is always stored inside also I do not rotate I know I should but it never seems to get on my priority list and I feel by the time I pay to rotate for the life of the tire I can almost buy new tires.
All posts by John
Let Them Wreck
Just how far is NASCAR going to go with their policy of letting them race. The Edwards Keslowski run in was as blatant as I have ever seen. A little rubbing or nudging is OK but when you intentionally wreck someone in obvious retaliation it is time to draw the line. I know TV ratings are down but let’s not get someone killed or seriously injured for ratings. NASCAR is lucky that the newer cars are safe or this would have already happened. I think that a sponsor is going to step up and draw the line or the owners have to get together and put a stop to this. It is expensive to rebuild a race car and money is getting tight. Drivers are not alone they need a team to win and this must be discouraging for fab shops to rebuild cars wrecked on purpose. At some point in time they are going to say why should we put forth our best effort to just have them wrecked. I think if a driver wrecks a car he should help rebuild it. O f course with the demands on their time this is not going to happen. Some time ago during a radio conversation between Jr and his crew chief the crew chief said “oh you are actually going to come to the shop”. I think this is happening with all the NASCAR drivers. Bottom line if NASCAR is to exist at has to get back to its roots. I know this is going to bring me a lot of flack, but putting the # 3 Wrangler car in the Hall Of Fame is a mistake. I am a Dale Sr fan and he did win 7 Championships but there are a lot of other drivers who also contributed to the sport and they also deserve recognition.Since becoming a Father Jeff Gordon has been in a slump will the other drivers who either have just become fathers or soon will follow the same course. You only have to hesitate for a split second and it will make the difference between winning and not. Jimmy Johnson is first in mind and he is just out of a slump.
Michigan Based So Korean Battery Plant
Troy Michigan based Compact Power Inc, owned by Roncelli Co. a So Korean company, and has received 151 million in federal dollars to open a battery manufacturing company in Troy. They will create 300 jobs by 2013, and will build the battery for GM’s Volt. Total cost of the plant is 303 million. The funds do not have to be paid back. Michigan also awarded a 15 year tax credit to the company. How can this company not make money our government gives them half the cost of their plant and Michigan awards tax free status for 15 years. This is to a So Korean Company where all the profits will be sent out of the country. Sure they are creating jobs but why didn’t a US company step up to the plate and do this. It sounds like a no brainer to me. We worry about China and possibly Japan taking over our country but I think So Korea is slipping in the back door unnoticed. Update they are also going to produce the battery for the Ford Focus. They will start producing batteries in Korea and assemble them in Michigan until the plant is finished
Differential Problems
The differential is really simple but yet a feat of engineering. A pinion gear supplies power to a ring gear that goes through a set of spider gears and turn the wheels. The spider gears are the key to its performance as they allow the outside wheel to turn faster and the inside to turn slower on corners. A Differential has to be properly set up as there is nothing more annoying than a ring gear whine on the highway or a clunk when put in gear. There are several tricks that can help these problems without a complete overhaul. If the differential is noisy IE a high pitched whine there are 2 solutions one is to add GM posi traction additive to the gear lube and the other is to add a high pressure lubricant JB makes an excellent one. These will help lubricant adhere to the ring gear so it is not dry when it comes down the back side. A clunk is another matter if you have a crew cab pickup or a large maxi van you may never completely cure the clunk as the drive shaft is too long. One cure is to put a small dent in the shaft this removes some of the harmonics that the longer shaft creates. Be careful you can cause a vibration by doing this. The other is to drill holes front and rear and fill with insulating foam this method seems to have the best result. I worked in a dealership when the Dodge maxi van first came out and they had terrible drive train problems. Drive shaft angle was a critical adjustment in many of these. Switched complete rear end assemblies to cure a vibration once and in the end neither van had a vibration. When new differentials use the material in the lube to self polish the gears so if you are going to switch to synthetic run the original for several thousand miles before switching. The newer the vehicle the less important this is a machining has improved over the yearsDo you have posi and what is your ratio? Jack up both rear wheels and turn one if the other side turns the same way you have posi if they turn in opposite direction then you don’t. To find gear ratio check what different options your vehicle has then mark the drive shaft and a rear wheel with a chalk line. Turn the drive shaft one full turn and the number of turns that your wheel makes is the ratio. This is not accurate but if you know what ratios your vehicle came with you can come close enough to find the correct ratio.
Tesla Motors IPO
Elon Musk who was the co-founder of Pay-Pal is offering an IPO for his car company Tesla Motors Inc. The stock rose 40% + during the first day. This is for a company that has never made money and does not plan to until at least 2012. The company is selling 11.9 million shares and Mr. Musk is selling 1.4 million. I don’t know what I am missing here maybe the electric car is the future. The model S is expected to sell for 50K after a federal tax credit. Which sounds high for an electric car but it does 0-60 in 5.6 seconds and will go from 160 to 300 miles depending on what version. They are being quiet about the different versions. They are buying a old GM factory, the smallest of the ones GM has for sale, and if there IPO keeps going as it has I can see a future for this company I just cannot see the American public paying that kind of cash for this car. Its first roadster sold for 109K in 2008, which is a lot of money for a car that runs on an extension cord. They sold 1100 of these worldwide. Is this the same number of friends Elon had?. They are probably not taking his calls at the present as it is rumored he has been trying to borrow money to keep afloat both personally and corporate. A lot of the success of electric cars hinge on battery progress. The charging time and the driving time need to be shorter and longer. Also the dependability and safety of lithium-ion battery needs to improve. There was also a survey of homes of there electrical capacity that showed that many homes are close to being maxed out and would possibly need an expensive upgrade to charge a car. A separate connection would need to be added and no one seems to know a cost of this. I don’t think I will be buying stock in a extension cord company just yet.I will continue to complain every time I gas up but I just don’t think I am ready to plug in yet. I complained before high gas prices as I used to own service stations and could write off part of my fuel and I will probably complain when and if the price goes down.
Only At Times
When a auto tech hears the statement “it only happens now and then” it makes their blood run cold. How do you repair a problem when it is not there all the time? It is doubtful that the problem will ever occur when test equipment is hooked up but one you remove the equipment it will act up. These are the facts of life in the auto repair world. Many shops have a policy that they will not work on vehicles that are not exhibiting the problem when brought in. I think this is a disservice to the customer. At the very least some visual checks and a quick couple of tests should be offered. Of course it should be explained to the owner that this is a quick check and may not identify the problem and that there will be a charge and what that cost would be. In today’s high tech world of auto repair many techs forget that a visual inspection and a quick sniff of electrical equipment can reveal numerous problems that can be verified with further tests. Even a slight tap with a hammer can start a motor engage a clutch or break a relay connection loose. Too many shops relay on test equipment to be there magic cure and forget to check the basics first. Many times after testing at length did I clean the battery cables or clean a frame or body ground and repair the problem. When several systems exhibit problems it is usually a ground problem. Many of these grounds along with most connections, in the crowded engine compartment, are difficult to check but remember it is usually the one that is buried that is the problem. The battery in my wife’s car is under the back seat and I have not checked it, always plan to but never get to it. So remember KISS and check the basics before panicking and when in doubt take a break it often helps.
Ashley The 500 & Memorial Day
Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske swapped places on Sunday each winning a major race, one the Indy 500 and the other the Coke 600. The only difference was Chip Ganassi was a second in the 600 giving him bragging rights for the time being. Kurt Busch was strong and followed an All Star win with the 600 victory. The COT with the wing has a very fine line between loosing and winning. Once a team hits it they are almost unbeatable. The line is so fine cars within a team cannot hit the same setup and be successful and luck still pays a major role in winning. Jimmy Johnson seems to have little luck this year as he keeps crashing. Dale JR is still backsliding and as we get later into the year his hope of a decent year seem slim. His step mom Theresa Earnhardt is partner with Ganassi. Marco Andretti claimed he was cheated out of a spot and for a change a driver crying foul was right he moved from 6th to 3rd, which makes for a bigger payday, Danica Patrick dropped from 5th to 6th and was the only female running at the end. Alex Lloyd and Scott Dixon each lost a spot. The builder and engineers that build both the NASCAR and the open wheel cars are to be commended for the safety of these cars. That was horrendous cash at the end of the 500 and we have seen several in NASCAR this year with no serious injuries.On a personal note Ashley Judd is a gorgeous lady but enough of her running down pit road, don’t they have golf carts or was this a publicity stunt. Also leave the Scottish flag at home during our Memorial Day race maybe a little showing but to drag it around the track was uncalled for. One last note, way to go Arizona we as Americans need to take back our country the veterans fought for. Acknowledge our Veterans Today, they are the reason we can do what we do.
Warrantys
You receive an offer in the mail that your warranty is running out and they are offering a opportunity for you to extend your warranty coverage. Many different options are offered, bumper to bumper, power train some with and without deductible. Run don’t walk to the trash can and throw it away this is the biggest rip off you will ever receive. To begin with they are a not the insurer but a second party seller once you send them a check you will never deal with them again but you will deal with the company who is supposed to pay your claim but who’s main mission is to pay as few as possible. The fine print is designed to get them out of paying. Good luck finding a repair shop, that will do the work as they probably have been ripped off already by their cost cutting and they decide what they will pay and won’t pay many even set their own flat rate. Also the cost is more than you would spend in repairs unless you really hit a terrible run of luck. Properly service your vehicle and I assure you will come out in the long run dollars ahead.
Hoses & Clamps
Hose clamps come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and each of them have a specific task. The general use clamp uses the slots in the body of the clamp as threads, this works well for coolant hoses.The solid clamp has a nut plate installed on the end of the clamp and is a solid body. These are used for high pressure applications, power steering, transmission, and fuel. The stainless steel one is the best choice for fuel lines. This clamp also comes in a special AC clamp that has a connector to hold two clamps together. There is a new clamp that is a shrink fit for cooling systems gives a very clean look and will work on damaged connectors.There are two types of crimpable clamps that are used for CV boots both work quite well but need a special tool to install. Over the years manufactures have used various clamps to ease installation during build. The worst was the snap ring style that Chrysler used; it was a SOB to remove now there is a special tool for it. Hoses also come in a variety of sizes shapes and materials. Hoses designed for cooling system use should only be used on the cooling system they are not designed to meet any other application. Power steering and transmission for the most part are can be interchanged but fuel is a different hose it must withstand more pressure and chemicals more so in areas where oxygenated fuel is used. Some of the older hoses rated for fuel cannot withstand these fuels.Vacuum hoses including the brake booster hose are also basically the same hose construction except brake hoses must withstand slightly higher in. /Hg and possible brake fluid contamination. . PCV hose must be able to withstand fuel and oil contamination. Of course AC hoses are for AC application only.
NASCAR & E15
NASCAR is going to try to introduce ethanol in 2011. This is a surprise to me as I thought they would change to fuel injection first or at the same time but there is no mention of fuel injection as of yet. Roush Yates Engines is already doing some testing but I don’t see many problems as they are using E15 or a 15% ethanol mixture. Indy cars are already using a 100% fuel grade ethanol, they switched in 2007. Fuel mileage will be a concern as it will drop by 4-6 miles on a fuel run. I don’t think this will cause a problem as they are not that accurate with all the yellow flags. The one drawback I see is on a warm day it may cause a problem. NASCAR still runs a mechanical pump so the fuel pressure is low and we may see some vapor locks, the engines will be harder to restart when they are hot. As they are going to fuel injection at some time maybe they will switch to an electronic fuel pump. Still the fuel pressure would be low for the carbureted engines.NASCAR always drags out any announcement so more changes in the near future would be no surprise.