Tires are the integral part of your car and it is very important to maintain them properly for your safety, increased tire life and for saving on gas expenses.

Here are few tips, suggestions and reminders to help you, which we have compiled from various tire manufacturers website, manuals etc.

Air pressure:

Proper inflation is essential for the performance and longevity of the tire and reducing your gas consumption. It’s also essential for the ride quality and safety of your vehicle. Tires cannot do their job properly when under-inflated or over-inflated. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that gas mileage can be lowered by 0.4% for every 1 PSI (pound per square inch) drop in the pressure of all four tires. To put in perspective, if you drive an average of 50 miles/day, get 20 miles to a gallon and gas price is $3.00/Gallon, then you will spent $50/year and $114/year if your tires are under-inflated by 5 or 10 psi respectively! The Rubber Manufacturers Association states that 85 percent of drivers surveyed do not check their tire pressure properly, and many don’t even know where to find the recommended proper tire inflation for their vehicle.

Keep in mind that it’s possible for a passenger tire initially inflated to 35 psi (pounds per square inch) to lose 1 psi each month.

Be sure to properly check all four tires cold once a month and before a long trip. Whether you have a full-size or mini spare, make sure that it is properly inflated as well.

If you don’t know the proper inflation air pressure for your tires, check at one of the following places on your vehicle:

• In the vehicle owners manual.
• On the vehicle’s door jamb. (Often, a vehicle information placard is located on the door jamb along with the recommended tire inflation pressure.)
• Inside the fuel hatch filler flap. (In some vehicles.)
• The glove compartment door. (In some vehicles.)

But NOT on the tire. The inflation pressure shown on the tire sidewall is only the maximum tire inflation pressure.

Tire Rotation:

Regular rotation helps extend the life of your tires, saving time and money in the long run. For rotation, each tire and wheel is removed from your vehicle and moved to a different position. This ensures that all of the tires wear evenly and last longer. If no period is specified in your vehicle owner’s manual, tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. If you have a full-size spare, it should be included in the rotation process.

Vehicle Alignment

Your vehicle is properly aligned when all of its suspension and steering components are working smoothly and when its tire and wheel assemblies are running straight and true. If you notice uneven tread wear, it could be due to a misalignment and your vehicle should be serviced by a professional.

Alignment generally refers to the adjustment of a vehicle’s front and rear suspension parts. Proper alignment helps ensure that your vehicle handles correctly and will help increase the life and performance of your tires.

When to Check Alignment

Daily impacts such as potholes and railroad crossings, as well as more severe circumstances, e.g. accidents, can knock your vehicle out of alignment. You should have the alignment checked if:

• You’ve hit something
• You see a wear pattern developing on the shoulders of the tires
• You notice a difference in your vehicle’s handling

How Wheels Are Aligned

Alignment involves adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they have the proper toe in and camber. The three main adjustments made in alignment are camber, caster, and toe.

Tire Balancing

If your tires are unbalanced, you’ll notice vibration. This can lead to driver fatigue, premature or irregular tire wear and unnecessary wear to your vehicle’s suspension. Your tires should be balanced when they are mounted on wheels for the first time or when they are remounted after repair. Check your tire balance at the first sign of vibration or shimmy.

Balancing compensates for the weight of the tire and wheel assembly after the tire is mounted. A wheel is out of balance when one area is heavier or lighter than the rest. This can cause eccentric treadwear and vibration, plus increase the stress on the front-end parts, causing them to wear prematurely.

Why Balancing Is Important

Balancing means compensating for both the weight of the tire and wheel after the tire is mounted. A wheel is out of balance when one area is heavier or lighter than the rest. This:

• Can cause off-center treadwear
• Can cause vibration
• Can increase stress on front-end parts
• May cause front-end parts to wear prematurely

When to Balance

Have your wheels balanced when:

• A tire is replaced
• A balance weight is moved or removed
• You purchase new tires

How a Wheel Is Balanced

To balance the wheel, your mechanic will use a balancing machine to determine where the heavy spots are. Weights are then attached to the exterior or interior of the wheel to counteract centrifugal forces acting on the heavy areas when the wheel is turning. This will eliminate vertical bouncing (static balance) and side-to-side wobble (dynamic balance).

Review the above information and keep them in mind and include this as part of your routine car maintenance schedule and you can enjoy your tires for a long time!

You can save money by downloading free tire coupons from our website http://www.prundo.com

Have you wondered what you can do with your old car tires? No tire shop gives you any money for your old tires, so why not come up with few creative ideas to use them and also save the environment in the process.

I have listed few of my own ideas and other I have compiled from various sources on internet.

Feel free to add your own ideas.

1. Furniture and Chair leg pads: You can cut small pieces of tire in appropriate shapes and use them as anti-skid pads for your furniture or chairs. As tires comprises of mainly rubber, they will make very good furniture pads. Take necessary precautions in cutting the tires, as they are very hard and may also produce splinters. Therefore, protect your eyes and hands.
2. Paintball Defense: Stack of tires will make great castle for paintball games. Simply stack few of the old tires and support them appropriately. Now you can hide behind them and have a great paintball game.
3. Swing: This is an old use of the tires. If you have tree in your backyard and have strong branches, you can create a great swing for your kids. They will always thank you for taking care of them. Make sure to punch holes in the tire to prevent the collection of rain water.
4. Garage Wall Protector: How many times have you cursed when your kids leave a skid marks on the garage wall whenever they park their bicycles? Now you can prevent this by putting a strip of tire just over the base board. You can stick this strip with a good adhesive and all your worries will go away!
5. Fishing Uses And Recycling : The fishing fleets use them as bumpers for boats, tied off short and thrown over the port or starbord side they prevent boats from slamming into each other or the dock when tied to them.
6. Great ideas at http://www.tirecrafting.com, for tires.
7. 1. Retaining Walls: You can use whole tires, just like block walls staggering them. Start off with a level surface, dig down if you have to and start your first row, making sure it is level from one end to the other. Pack each tire with soil When you get the first row, done drive a 24 inch piece of 3/8 rebar at the back of each tire. Start your next row, staggering the tires so the lines do not match up and do the same thing all over.
   2. Tire Table : You take 2 or 3 old tires and place them one on top of another with a round of different shaped wooden board and either paint it or cover it with faux diamond plate. Use it as a nightstand or table top stand for a room or guys area.
   3. Sand Box: Get hold of a huge tractor tire, lay it flat on the ground and fill it up with play sand. You can put a tarp over it when not in use to keep it from being the local “kitty box”.
8. Paddling Pool – drape a shower curtain over the centre of a large truck tire and fill with water to make an instant pool for small children.
9. Planter – tomatoes, potatoes, egg plants and peppers can be grown inside tires which have been laid on the ground. The tires give wind protection and the dark rubber helps keep the surrounding soil warm.
10. Got a big dog? Put their dog dish inside a small tire and the dog won’t be able to drag it around the yard.
11. Cut in half and hung on a wall they make a great hose hanger.
12. Put a trash can in the center and you have a no tip container for baseball bats and other long sporting equipment.

I’m sure there are many more possibilities and refinements possible: have at it, folks!

We have listed eight car repairs which are crucial for your safety and your car’s performance.

1. Brakes

People tend to postpone the replacement of brake pads because their car still stops when brakes are applied. This is true. Even if your brakes are worn out, your car can/ may still stop. However, you are not only taking a huge risk with respect to your safety, you are also increasing the chances of spending much more in the future. Worn out brake pads destroys your brake rotors. The rotors needs to be turned or smoothened out, or worse they may have to be replaced, thus costing you several hundreds dollars.

Best option is to regularly get your car brakes checked by professional mechanic and get them replaced regularly. Most of the good shops offer lifetime warranty on the brake. So please do not procrastinate. If you wan to save more, download free brake coupons from our website. Read our blog on brakes to find out signs of brake pads wearing out.

2. Oil Change

Oil is like your engine’s blood. But unlike your blood, all sorts of impurities build up in unless your oil is changed regularly — not to mention that all engines lose some oil. Too much buildup and not enough oil lead to your engine seizing up. Sure, you can save $40 by putting off an oil change, but you could end up spending $4,000 on a new engine.

On an average an oil change should cost you around $35 at most quick oil change stations. And that same station will probably tell you to come back in three months or 3,000 miles. But do you have to? It depends. Read our blog on this subject. To find out how long your car can go between changes, read your owner’s manual.

3. Air Filter

Air filers can be easily replaced. They are very cheap but have significant impact on your car’s performance. Not changing your car’s air filter, on the other hand, is expensive. According to the EPA, a dirty air filter can reduce fuel economy by up to 10 percent simply because your engine won’t breathe as efficiently. By not changing a dirty air filter, you’ll save about $15. But, if your car is supposed to get 25 miles per gallon, and gas is $2.50 a gallon, those savings have evaporated by the time you’ve driven about 150 miles.

Even worse, if the air filter isn’t clean and that means enough air isn’t getting to the engine, you could foul your spark plugs and might have to replace them. Depending on your engine, that can cost anywhere from $100 to $300. Now, spending $15 for a new air filter doesn’t sound so bad, does it?

4. Tire Rotation and Wheel Alignment:

On an average car tires cost $300 and can last anywhere from 30,000 to over 80,000 miles based on the tires warranty, its type and your driving habit. As most of the weight in the car is in the front, the front tires tend to wear out faster. Leading to different tread thickness between front and rear tires. In order to keep the tires in good condition and with uniform tread, always rotate them ever 5000 miles. When you do rotate tires, also get them aligned so that you have a smoother ride. Download free tire coupons from our website.

5. Transmission Fluid

One of the most common problems associated with your transmission is a fluid leak. You’ll likely first notice it when you see drops of red fluid on the pavement where you usually park your car. Ignore it for long enough, and you’ll definitely notice it when the leak leads to your transmission shifting roughly, or the gears slipping.

Transmission fluid is what cools and lubricates your transmission. If it’s leaking, you need to fix it, and fast. Resealing a transmission is a relatively easy job and should usually only cost a few hundred dollars. Ignoring the leak can lead to the transmission seizing up and a subsequent transmission replacement –which costs several thousand dollars. Download free transmission coupons from our website.

6. Fuel Filter

An important part of maintaining your car is keeping impurities out of the engine. While the air filter does part of the job by keeping airborne impurities out, the fuel filter keeps impurities from the fuel out of the engine. Like the air filter, if it gets clogged and you don’t fix it, you’re looking at some major problems.

On older cars, a fuel filter is relatively easy to replace because it’s easy for mechanics or car owners themselves to get to. On newer cars, it’s a more complex job. More complexity means more money, which makes this repair tempting to skip — despite the fact that it can lead to the car stalling or refusing to start altogether.

Don’t skip it. At its most expensive, replacing a fuel filter will be a few hundred bucks. Let it go too long, and not only are you looking at dealing with a car that will barely run, you could also have dirt in your fuel injectors — causing them to need replacing. Replacing just one fuel injector can cost over $500. But if they all need replacing, you’re looking at least $1,000 in repair bills.

7. Burned Out Lights

Here’s one car repair on our list that is really easy to ignore. After all, a burned-out tail light won’t eventually lead to engine failure or to your transmission falling out. While that’s all true, you should still fork over your hard-earned $5 for new tail light bulb if yours is burned out.

Believe it or not, failure to keep your rear lights working can be an expensive proposition. First, if a police officer sees you with broken tail or brake lights, you’re going to get a ticket. In some states, the fine for a broken tail light is $150, which makes paying for a new bulb seem like chump change. Second, broken lights increase your risk of being on the receiving end of a rear-end collision. And while the other driver’s insurance should cover any damage (assuming they have insurance), you still have to deal with the headache of getting your car fixed.

8. Wiper Blades

Wipers tend to worn out even when you are not using them by their exposure to sun, dust and rain. They cost only $10-$15 for each wiper blade and are not only necessary from safety perspective, the worn out wipers can damage your car windscreen, which can result in much higher expenses. Download free wiper coupons from our website.