Holiday Driving Tips

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Right? Right?  Um…hello?  Ok, so maybe once the gifts are wrapped, the food is prepared and Santa has left an abundance of presents and cookie crumbs, then you can take a breather and enjoy the holiday cheer.  These next couple weeks will be hectic, we know.  It’s a great time of the year, but the stress that goes into it can be overwhelming.  There’s hope, however.  In today’s blog, we’re providing some quick tips for navigating your holiday season safely. 

1.)   If you’re going on a road trip, please make sure your car is serviced properly.  Come into our dealership anytime for oil, brake fluid and tire condition checks.

2.)   SLEEP WELL.  Get a good night’s sleep before you venture into the world.

3.)   Plan your route; this will help you in the long run.  Unsafe detours can be dangerous and expensive.

4.)   Bring a paper map.  GPS is the wave of the future, but a paper map can act as backup if you’re GPS malfunctions.

5.)   Buy snacks and drinks before you leave, because stocking up at gas stations can be costly.

6.)   Tell at least 1 family member where you’re headed.  So, if something happens, you have a reliable person to get the message out.

7.)   DO NOT announce on social media that you’re leaving for vacation.  Secure your home and leave at least one light on.  This will detract burglars from your home.

8.)   Leave early.  If the common rush hour time is 9:30, leave a couple hours early to compensate for time.

Do you have any tips to add?  Feel free!  Have a safe drive and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Learning to Read a Car Tire

In our blog entries, we like to provide insight on options that can simplify your life when it comes to your vehicle.  In today’s instance, we’re going to provide you with tips on how to read a tire.  Knowing how to read your tire can provide detailed information like the type of vehicle, if they’re seasonal, the speed rating, temperature resistance, as well as the width and diameter of the tire.

Read the manufacturer and the tire name.  These are easy! They are printed in large letters toward the outside of the tire.  With more than 100 tire manufacturer’s it might be hard to pinpoint the perfect one for your vehicle.  By contacting our service department, we can help you find a perfect fit.  The tire name might just be a combination of numbers and letters following the manufacturer name.

Width and aspect ratio.  This is a sequence of numbers near the center of the tire.  They would look something like www/aa/SCrr or www/aaCrr.  The first series of 3 numbers tells width in millimeters (from 155 to 315).  The 2 numbers after the slash show the aspect ratio of the tire.

The prefix in front of the width and aspect ratio drtermine type.

LT – Light truck

P – Passenger

BP – Cosmetically Blemished Passenger

ST – Steel Radial

The load index is the tire size's relative load carrying capabilities. The higher the load index number, the larger load carrying capacity.

The Z,W, and Y ratings are for tires that have extremely high top-speed capabilities.

The cold inflation numbers are near the inner edge of the tires.  This tells you the pressure the tire should be at to optimize performance.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at the dealership for more info!