Though tires have come a long way, the thought of a blowout caused by a faulty or worn tire is still frightening. Also scary is the thought of skidding over wet roads due to hydroplaning. Luckily, most modern tires have been built to last and, at the very least, they will show appropriate signs of age before they pose a risk. Keeping a close eye on your tires can also give benefits beyond safety alone – gas mileage, comfortable riding and handling are all affected by your tires. Learning to read your tires is an important part of vehicle ownership and here is how to do it.
The brakes on modern vehicles are truly great engineering accomplishments. They are designed to operate under a wide range of tolerances, they are often the most neglected maintenance item, and they are designed to just-plain last longer than all other vehicle systems. Long after the transmission is toast, the engine is blown and the wheels fall off, it is likely that the calipers and shoes of the braking system will still be holding their respective rotors and wheel cylinders in place. So just how do brakes work?
No, you cannot really trust your car repair shop. Trust implies that you can drive away from the shop knowing that the services you received were actually necessary and performed correctly. Like all other businesses car shops are in business to make money – sometimes unscrupulous employees will take advantage of trust. But there are a few ways to keep the relationship with your car shop strong while maintaining a sense of oversight that will keep you from being had.
While a car or truck engine may seem like a dirty place, dirt is actually one of the worst enemies of engine longevity. For this reason, engineers have designed engines with air and oil filters to keep grime to a minimum. This article will describe the important role of air and oil filters in modern passenger automobiles as well as general guidelines for replacing them.
Every spring a literal obstacle course emerges in city streets and country roads. It is a course that rewards a successful run with a smooth ride, and a poor run with wincing thumps. This is the domain of the Pothole — the enemy of every car‘s tires.
Potholes are the result of how time, water, temperature and intermittent pressures effect a road surface. While ruts appear in well-traveled dirt roads due to displacement of the dirt, paved roads exhibit missing chunks of pavement due to similar processes.