6 Tips To Keep You And Your Loved One's Safe On The Road This Halloween

 Halloween is coming up in just a few days, and the driving safety and new tires experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. put together a list of safety tips for when you are driving this holiday.   Not only do these tips apply to drivers, but also to keeping your children safe this holiday.   

1. Make sure that you drive slowly when passing stopped vehicles.  The driver may be letting out children to go trick-or-treating.
2. Always be alert when driving.  This means eliminate anything in your vehicle that may distract you from the road including your mobile phone.
   
3. Be alert to children running across the streets to get to the next house.  A large majority of Halloween accidents are cause by not being alert.
4. Make sure to use your proper vehicle signals when dropping your children off or turning.  People around you need to know where your vehicle is going, and where you are at.   
5. Teach your children to look both ways before crossing the street.  If your child is too young to understand, then use it as an opportunity to get dressed up in a spooky costume and stretch your legs out trick-or-treating.
6. Make your children shine.  Give them flashlights or colorful spooky lights or glow sticks to help them be more visible at night.

Most importantly the new tires experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. would like to wish you a happy and more importantly safe Halloween this year!  Be sure to make your local Bob Sumerel Tire store your one stop shop for all things tires and service.

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4 Components Of Tire Technology Explained By Ohio's New Tire Experts

At a glance, a tire is simply an inflated piece of rubber stretched over a rim.  However, there is so much more to new tires than meets the eye.  The make of your tires can determine how well your vehicle can handle in different weather conditions, cornering, ride comfort, ride noise level, and many more factors.  Each of these factors is determined by the highly tested engineering that goes into each new tire.  The new tires experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. have laid out a list of explanations of some of the key engineering components that go into a tire. 

The Rubber
The rubber of a tire is actually made up of two key ingredients, the rubber and the filler.  These two are carefully balanced and varied across different tire brands to account for the performance of the tire in different weather conditions.  There are also different types of rubber used in different tires to achieve certain performance objectives for that type of tire.

Tire Cords
Fabric and steel cords are used in tires to help reinforce the rubber against the heavy loads that the tires are carrying.  Both types of cords are produced in highly controlled environments to ensure peak quality.  Tire cords can play a large factor in ride comfort and load capacity.

Bead Compnent
This aspect of the tire helps to anchor the body plies (made of fabric and steel cords) and lock the tire onto the actual wheel.  Bead components in all tires must be precise to ensure ride safety.

Tread and Sidewall
These components of the tire are made from a machine called an extruder.  The extruder simply shapes the rubber into the correct profile of either the tread or the sidewall.

So remember, the next time you are looking at new tires to buy feel free to ask your local Bob Sumerel Tire salesmen about these components.  They are committed to getting you the right tires at the right price no matter what.  Make Bob Sumerel Tire Co., home of the lowest drive away tire price guarantee, your one stop shop for all things tire and service.

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3 Of The Most Common Power Steering Problems Explained

 Power steering is an extremely important component of your vehicle in that it dramatically reduces the steering strain of your wheels on the road.  Typically when power steering problems occur, you will find the steering wheel extremely difficult to turn when navigating corners and curves.  The power steering and new tires experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. are here to explain and diagnose 3 of the most commonly occurring power steering problems that can happen to your vehicle.

1. Power Steering Leak: This is typically the most common of the 3 power steering problems that can occur.  Symptoms of a leak include fluid on the ground on the driver's side of the vehicle and a grinding noise when you turn the steering wheel.  If you have a power steering leak, make sure to schedule an appointment with your local Bob Sumerel Tire store ASAP.  If you run out of power steering fluid, then your pump could be at risk of burning out completely.
2. Drive Belt Problem: Another common problem that is easy to diagnose is when the belt inside of
   
   your power steering pump starts to slip.  An easy diagnosis to this problem is when you hear a squealing sound when you turn your steering wheel in a sharp turn.  Make sure to schedule a service appointment with your local Bob Sumerel Tire store for a quick and easy fix to this problem.  If left unfixed, the belt can eventually fail.
3. Cracked/Worn Hoses: Typically hoses that are several years old can start to run the risk of cracking.  Worn hoses can also occur due to how close they are to other parts in the engine compartment.  Contact with other parts of the engine can gradually wear away at the hoses and damage the structural integrity of them putting them at risk of bursting.  If a hose bursts, then you will notice a sudden loss of power steering and turning your wheel can be extremely difficult.    It is important to get your power steering hoses inspected by your local Bob Sumerel Tire Co. professionals to help avoid getting a leak or worse.

If you find that you are having any of these problems or a problem that was not addressed above with your power steering, then make sure to call your local power steering experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. ASAP.  Unaddressed power steering problems can put you and your vehicle in dangerous situations.  Bob Sumerel Tire Co. is committed to keeping you safe on the roads as the colder weather approaches.

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How Many Miles You Can Safely Drive Over Your Oil Change Sticker

If you have ever taken your vehicle to get an oil change, then the odds are you will also have a fresh new sticker on the top left inside part of your front windshield.  This sticker will typically recommend that you schedule your next oil change in 3,000 miles.  While it doesn't hurt to change your vehicle's oil every 3,000 miles, it doesn't necessarily help either.  The oil change experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. have put together a list of 3 things to check to tell when your vehicle really needs its next oil change.

1. Check Your Owner's Manual: Your vehicle's owner's manual will typically recommend how many miles to put in between each oil change.  This can range from 5,000 miles up to 10,000 miles.  Be sure to take into account the kind of driving you do as well, typically you can go a little over what your owner's manual recommends if you do primarily highway driving.  REMEMBER to schedule your oil change soon when you reach the recommended distance in your owner's manual.
2. Change Oil Soon Light: Many newer vehicles will typically come with this sensor installed.
   
     Typically the light will come on around when your owner's manual recommends you get an oil change.  Also, keep in mind that the type of driving you do can greatly affect the lifespan of your vehicle's oil, meaning that the light may come on a little before or after the recommended mileage.  Regardless, when your oil change light comes on, be sure to schedule an oil change with your local Bob Sumerel Tire store ASAP.
3. Check The Oil Quality: If your vehicle does not have a "Change Oil Soon" light installed in it do not
   
   worry!  Simply find the dip stick under your hood.  The first time you pull out the dip stick wipe it clean and then dip it into the oil a second time.  Wipe the oil off the dip stick again.  If the oil is a golden/amber color, then you don't have to worry about getting an oil change soon.  If the oil you wipe off after the second dip is black however, that means you may want to schedule an oil change soon.  Your engine oil will typically turn black from the debris it picks up in the engine.  A good practice is to check your oil at home every 3,000 to 4,000 miles to see if you need an oil change.

Also, be sure to check with your manufacturer to see if synthetic oil would be good in your vehicle's engine.  Synthetic oil can sometimes last between 50,000 and 75,000 miles.  That means BIG savings on your oil change spending.  The next time you find yourself needing an oil change, make sure to call your local Bob Sumerel Tire store and get a free preventative maintenance inspection as an added bonus. 

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