Thursday, December 17, 2009

Practical Advice on Snow Tires

Practical Advice on Snow Tires
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ron_Haugen]Ron Haugen

For those of you out there trying to decide whether or not to buy a snow tire for the winter season, there are some things to keep in mind. Before deciding to keep on your all weather tires, there are certain safety issues to keep in mind. There is a good reason why snow tires have become so popular over the years. When your safety is at risk, you can never be too careful.

It is recommended you use snow tires rather than all weather tires when it snows. This is because of the material snow tires are made out of. The rubber on the tires are softer and the pattern is designed to grab the snow better. This will keep you from slipping and keep you on the road. All weather tires do not do as good of a job of this. They are more designed to stand up to heavy rain by whisking it away from the center of the tire. Snow is not going anywhere and needs to be latched on to by something which is not as hard as your all weather tires.

Some people will try to save money by only replacing two of the four tires with show tires. This is a mistake as you will actually be putting yourself at even more risk. Putting snow tires on the wheels which power the car will help you to gain momentum, but without tires that grip on your steering wheels, you will just be plowing straight forward. If you hit a turn, or any kind of slope in the road, your chances of landing in a ditch escalate dramatically. This is why it is recommended you put snow tires on all four wheels. You will be able to stop, start, turn, and do all the wonderful things you have come to expect from a car these days.

For those of you who hate having to remount new tires at the end of the snow, consider an alternative. By having two sets of wheels, you can have two sets of tires mounted. This will allow you to be able to simply replace the wheels when the seasons change rather than having to go through the process of having a new tire mounted on the wheel. Those who buy special rims for their car might consider keeping the old wheels and using those for the winter tires. After all, the snow does not do any favors for fancy wheels. This will help make a distinction between your summer and winter gear.

Procrastinators need to pay attention. Because of the soft rubber the snow tires are made out of, if you do not switch back to regular tires, you will regret it. Two things will happen, you will get annoyed by the loud noise, and you will wear down the tires quickly. Good snow tires can last more than one season if properly cared for. The soft rubber will grind down against the asphalt as you will hear every day when you drive. The louder noise from the tires should act as your reminder that it is time to change back to your summer tires.

If you are looking for honest advice, prioritized repairs, options on repairs, maximized fuel economy, and a good feeling with who you are doing business with go to [http://www.westsideautopros.com]http://www.westsideautopros.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Haugen http://EzineArticles.com/?Practical-Advice-on-Snow-Tires&id=3355627


What You Need to Know About Transmission Fluid Changes

What You Need to Know About Transmission Fluid Changes
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ron_Haugen]Ron Haugen

The transmission fluid is a very important part of your engine. Without the proper levels of transmission fluid in your car, you will experience all kinds of problems. Additionally, if the transmission fluid is not changed periodically, you will experience problems. Some people have come to believe that transmission fluid is something that never needs to be replaced. While it does not need to be changed as often as oil does, it is still very important to check and maintain clean fluids in your car.

The schedule by which to change your transmission fluid will differ between manual and automatic transmissions. Every 30,000 miles is a very good suggestion for all drivers regardless of whether they own an automatic, or manual. Those who are heavy manual transmission drivers are suggested to get a change every 15,000 miles. Intervals for automatic cars goes up as high as 100,000 miles between changes. There are reasons why you would want to change the transmission fluid more often than that. Because of the long length of this kind of fluid in automatic cars, some believe it never needs to be changed. This is incorrect and can lead to costly repairs.

The problem that you will run into with it is the build-up of metal particles. These particles will float through your engine and build up in different components causing you other kinds of problems. The money you saved on not changing the transmission fluid will seem like a drop in the bucket compared with the price of replacing the entire transmission later on. This can be avoided by simply changing the fluid regularly. Keep in mind, automatic transmissions run hotter than a manual does. For this reason, transmission fluid can actually be broken down over time. This will cause the fluid to not lubricate as well which will lead to mechanical problems.

Those thinking about changing their own transmission fluid may want to reconsider as it is not as simple as an oil change. With regular oil, you can utilize gravity to easily drain the car of any oil it contains. It is much more viscous and requires a transmission flusher to get everything out. It is recommended to bring in your car to get this kind of fluid change in order to make sure all metal shavings in the old fluid will be washed away. Not removing all of the fluid can cause you just as many problems as if you did nothing.

Those looking to check the levels between maintenance visits simply need to know what they are looking for. Keep in mind, most manual engines will not come with a dipstick to help you check the fluid level. Those with an automatic transmission will want to either have their mechanic point out the right dipstick, or check the owner's manual. Many will confuse the crankcase dipstick with that of the transmission. Keep in mind, generally the only reason why the fluid level will be low is if there is a leak. If you check your level and it is low, you need to get your mechanic to check out the transmission right away.

If you are looking for honest advice, prioritized repairs, options on repairs, maximized fuel economy, and a good feeling with who you are doing business with go to [http://www.westsideautopros.com]http://www.westsideautopros.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Haugen http://EzineArticles.com/?What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Transmission-Fluid-Changes&id=3355604