Advance Auto Zone

Car enthusiasts often replace the factory supplied standard wheel and tire set of their car to look different or sportier from the standard factory model.

If you want to give your car a new look and you are considering changing your tires, you need to decide first what kind of look you want for your car as well as their suitability. In addition, you will also need to decide the wheel size that you want to put on your car.

Do you want a different wheel size or the same wheel size? Do you want a wider or a taller wheel size, noting that wider wheel rims cater to wider tires for your car. Bigger tire means having better acceleration and cornering ability on dry pavement. Taller rim fits with a lower profile tire enabling you to retain the same overall tire diameter.

The next thing that you need to consider is the style that you want for your car’s wheels. In this aspect, your decision is purely subjective. You can choose from many styles of wheels. Choose the best wheel that not only looks good but also fits well on your car. You can choose from polished aluminum, chrome, wire wheels, or spoke wheels. You can also choose the wheels that match the color of your car.

The next step that you need to think about after considering the looks and type of wheel that you want is how you use and drive your car. You need to answer certain questions, for example: Do you haul or put heavy loads on your car often? Is your car a rear wheel or a front wheel drive?

After considering all these factors, the next thing you need to do is to look for car shops that mainly focus on selling automotive parts and accessories. If you are on a tight budget, you may want to check or ask around for automotive stores that sell wheels at cheaper prices.

If you find a online tire shop, you may want to visit the shop and check out the styles and the brands available in their store if you want to be sure of what you are getting and that the shop has a decent looking workshop. Go for stores that offer you wide selections of tires, the wider is the selection available, the better it is for you. This increase the chances of you getting what you want. As a rule of thumb, followings are the 3 major criteria that you want to look at: Widest selection, best prices, and excellent customer service.

Visiting the shop will also assure you that they really have the wheels that they offer and advertise. After choosing the wheel that you wanted, you need to ask the store if they also install the wheel if you will buy it from them. If they do installation, check their installation area, if it is clean, organized, and neat. If you are not comfortable to let them install your wheels, you can go to the shop you are comfortable with to do your wheel installation. Doing so possibly mean higher cost and can be a hassle in transporting the tires and is therefore not recommended.

Your Tire Size, Type, And Tread

Apart from choosing the best set of wheels for you, here are a couple of information you need to know regarding tires, especially the tread pattern of the tire which can also make a big difference
Do you know that tires have also traction rating? Without getting too much into the technical terms, The UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grading) traction rating basically indicates the tire’s ability to stop a vehicle moving straight forward on wet pavement or putting it differently, the tire’s grip on the road during straight line breaking in wet conditions. Its primary purpose is to help the consumers to compare the wet-road braking performance of a tire. Traction rating consists of A, B or C. Essentially, the better the traction rating, the better a tire grips the road. A traction rating being the highest available and it represents the tire’s superior ability to stop on wet pavement.

A couple of pointers to take note here:
1. Traction rating is based on the design of the tire and not the actual traction.
2. Traction rating does not relate to the cornering ability of the tire.

There are different types of tires. They come in bias ply, radial, and bias belted type. Most of the tires sold today are radial tires - reason being that they tend to roll more easily and have better traction than other types of tires. From another perspective, there are tires that are designed for general conditions such as the all-season-tires, and there are tires designed and built specifically for snowy conditions such as the winter tires. The best approach when you want to be sure of what kind of tires are best for your car, is to check with your tire dealer, letting him know about the driving conditions, your driving habits and preferences.

Remember, a good set of tires not only can make your car look better but can also mean safer journey and smoother rides. Drive safe.

Wil Yeo is a mechanical engineer by training and own the business and the
site avanigroup.com Avani Revolve Chrome Valve
Stem Cap which features a unique patented anti theft tire
pressure valve stem cap product. You can also read about more tire related articles
at avanigroup.com/auto-articles-tires.html
Tires Related Articles. There site also gives away a handy guide
entitled:
avanigroup.com/Thanks.html Tire Maintenance Guide. He
can be contacted at wil[at]avanigroup.com.

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If you are thinking about purchasing a new or used pickup truck with a diesel power plant then there are some things you need to be aware of. The advantages of the diesel engine are numerous. It burns considerably less fuel than a gasoline engine doing the same work. It has no ignition system to attend to. It can deliver much more of its rated horsepower on a continuous basis than can a gasoline engine. It’s fuel economy is greater than gas powered trucks of the same size and make. In fact some Dodge truck owners with the Cummins diesel are reporting 22 - plus mpg highway. The same trucks with gasoline engines are turning in around 14 - 16 mpg highway. With the cost of gasoline and diesel almost the same you cannot underestimate this advantage.

Planning to haul a trailer or a boat? This is here a diesel engine really comes into its own. The typical Ford F250 / Chevy 2500 three-quarter ton trucks with diesel power plants can pull four tons with ease, yet fuel economy barely suffers. The same trucks with gasoline engines experience fuel economy dropping by half or worse. Also if you plan to do alot of hauling keep in mind a diesel holds up better than a gas motor. In fact a gasoline engine’s life span decreases exponentially while pulling heavy loads for extended periods of time while a diesel is hardly affected.

Todays diesel also enjoy much improved performance in the area of driveability. No more do you step on the accelerator an wait for the engine to wind up. Todays PowerStrokes, Duramax and Cummins diesels have plenty of get up and go right off the line. Merging with traffic is no longer the white knuckle experience it used to be.

Some disadvantages to diesel engines are that they’re very heavy for the horsepower they produce, and their initial cost is much higher than a comparable gasoline engine. Repairs cost more, but diesel generally require fewer repairs than gasoline engines. Where you purchase the truck has some bearing too. Diesel powered pickup trucks bought in Florida and other parts of the south for example generally hold up better than those purchased in the harsher northern climates.

As always we recommend that whatever type of engine you choose to operate, always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and procedures, as those folks know their product better than anyone else does.

C. Lunsford is a successful web developer and owns

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A friend recently made the comment: “You never really look at a pickup truck and say, ‘Wow! That’s a good-looking vehicle.’ “

I’d never thought about it his terms, but his words rang true. His comments also made me laugh because we were discussing the Honda Ridgeline, the new compact pickup truck.

When I first noticed the truck, I immediately thought, “Well, that’s the first Honda I don’t like.”

Introduced last year at car shows and first made available nationwide earlier this year as a 2006 model, the Ridgeline could be categorized as the anti-pickup truck. But I didn’t know that until my weekly test drive.

The Ridgeline just doesn’t look like a Honda, and it looks more futuristic than functional. But just like the Element, which didn’t fit the sports utility mold when it was introduced, Honda’s new pickup up distinguishes itself quickly and on many levels.

My weekly test vehicle was RTL version, the top-of the-line of five options. Like the lower-priced RT and RTS models, the RTL features a 3.5-liter, 255-horsepower V6 with a 5-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive. It’s the only powertrain available.

The four-door Ridgeline also features a five-foot-long cargo bed. It includes independent rear suspension and a unibody construction. The cargo box is made from dent-free plastic with a steel-enforced floor and locking trunk bin.

Standard throughout the line are 17-inch wheels, bucket seats, a 60/40 split rear bench seat, anti-lock, four-wheel disc brakes and a rear window with a power-sliding center section. The RTL edition also includes a navigation system, leather upholstery, heated front seats, heated power mirrors and universal garage door opener.

The standard features inventory is long and varied, and includes: AM/FM/6-CD changer, MP3 player, satellite radio, automatic air-conditioning, alloy wheels, map and cargo box lights and steering wheel radio controls, among numerous other equipment gadgets and technology.

Driving the Ridgeline, however, is even more impressive. In short, it drives like a car. And while Consumer Guide describes the ride as “exemplary for a pickup,” the qualification isn’t necessary.

With its upright, firm seats, fine steering and handling, expansive leg and head room, smooth and sturdy steering and handling and quiet ride, the Ridgeline simply shines.

A few unique offerings, including deep, plentiful and perfectly located storage compartments and trays, and a cavernous, sliding console between the front seats further add to the Ridgeline’s fine use of space.

The front backs seat rubber floormats are secured with easy-to-use toggles. When not needed, the mats remove easily, revealing stylish carpet.

Honda uses the marketing motto: “We put everything we know into the Ridgeline. What will you put into it?”

That seems like the perfect question. It also quickly defuses any disparaging initial comments made about the vehicle — whether from the public or from an unknowing car review who’s now been enlightened.

The Weekly Driver: 2006 Honda Ridgeline

Safety features – Dual front airbags (standard); front and side curtain airbags.

Fuel Mileage (estimates) — 16 mpg (city), 21 mpg (highway).

Warranty – Bumper to bumper, 3 years/36,000 miles; Powertrain, 6 years/60,000 miles, Corrosion, 5 years/unlimited miles.

Base price range — $27,700-$34,640.

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