Last Minute Winter Preparation Tips For Your Vehicle From Your Northeaster Automotive Experts

Winters in the Midwest are summarized by one word; uncertain. It is vital that we are always one step ahead of mother nature.  Because of the uncertainty and harsh weather conditions in the winter, it is important to know the steps to take in preparing your vehicle for these months.  That is why the winter vehicle preparation and car care experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. have put together a short list of tips to help prepare your vehicle at home for the winter.

• Switch your wiper fluid over to a "de-icer" fluid. It has the same functionality as your standard
  wiper fluid, but has the ability to melt snow up to -40 °F.
• Have your battery and starter tested. The battery and starter experts at your local Bob Sumerel Tire store are more than happy to assist you in making sure you are worry free when starting your vehicle this winter.  Schedule a starting and charging system check here. 
• Change your oil to a "winter grade oil" during your next service. A thicker, heavier oil does a
  
  better job of protecting internal engine parts during a cold start. For more information on the correct oil viscosity for your vehicle, visit your local Bob Sumerel Tire oil change experts. 
• Frequently check your tire pressure. Extremely cold mornings tend to decrease the air pressure of a tire.  Make sure to inflate your tires to manufacturer's suggested pressure. 
• Create a "winter survival kit" with things like: flares, jumper cables, door lock de-icer, melting salt, and various other items for those unexpected car breakdowns. 
• Consider snow tires instead of wearing down your all season tires.  Consider getting a set of winter tires for the best possible traction under severe road conditions at your local Bob Sumerel Tire store. 

While these are just a handful of tips, see CarCare.org's additional tips for winter car care prepping. If you have additional questions about service intervals and maintenance, your local Bob Sumerel Tire is always just a quick phone call away. Since 1968, Bob Sumerel Tire Co. has been committed to keeping your vehicle running safely and efficiently on the winter roads.  Bob Sumerel really cares!

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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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Winterizing Your Vehicle To Keep You And Your Family Safe On The Roads

With the coming of fall also comes the changing of leaves and colder weather.  While there is still a month or two before the weather starts to get really cold however, there are some important precautions to take when maintaining and preparing your vehicle for the colder, snowy months of the year.  The preventative maintenance experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. have compiled a pre-winter preventative maintenance check list for you to consider as the colder months approach. 

• Check Your Coolant Level: Otherwise known as antifreeze, coolant performs several important functions in your vehicle's engine.  During the colder months it is especially important to maintain this fluid as low coolant levels can put your engine at risk to overheating or worse.  The coolant should be a 50/50 mixture of water and the coolant ideally.  This helps to keep your engine cool while preventing the water from freezing in your lines.
• Inspect Your Tires: There are 3 main things you need to look for when inspecting your tires to make sure they are prepared for the winter months.  

• The first and most important detail to inspect is the tread depth on each of your tires.  Typically you should consider replacing any tire with a tread depth below 1/8 of an inch.  An easy way to figure this out is by inserting a penny upside down in the tread of your tire.  If you are able to see most or all of Abraham Lincoln's head while the penny is in the tread, then you should consider replacing your tires soon.  
• The second detail to inspect on your tires is tire pressure.  Typically tires will lose a little bit of air pressure in colder weather, so it is important to keep them well inflated (typically around 35 psi) to your vehicle's specifications.  
• The third and final detail you need to check on your tires is for any signs of dry-rot or sidewall cracks.  Typically this means your tire could be at risk for a blowout or tread separation.
• Inspect Your Wipers And Wiper Fluid: The last thing you want to happen on a busy snowy interstate is to be stuck behind a semi-truck that is flinging up the nasty road salt onto your windshield and not be able to clean it off.  This can lead to impaired visibility on the road and can put you and other drivers in danger.  Having plenty of wiper fluid and a new set of wiper blades should do the trick, and is a key part of your winter road safety for a small price.
  
• Check Your Battery Posts: A common cause of starter problems in the winter for vehicles can be linked to corroded, gunky battery posts.  A quick DIY fix to clean your battery before the cold weather hits is to pour Coca-Cola over top of the corrosion.  Watch as the battery gunk melts away!  
• Inspect Your Brakes: Simply look at the pad pressed against the metal rotor on each of your wheels.  If you notice that there is 1/4 of an inch or less left on the pad, then consider getting new breaks.  Having weak breaks or no breaks in the winter can put you and other drivers on the road in serious danger.
•  Maintain Your Engine's Oil: The oil change experts at Bob Sumerel Tire Co. can't recommend this enough that you keep your engine's oil up-to-date every 3,000-5,000 miles or so.  Old gunky oil can lose much of it's original oil properties and impair parts of your engine especially in the colder months of the year.

Since 1968 Bob Sumerel Tire Co. has been committed to keeping you and your loved ones safe on the road throughout the year.  If you are not sure what maintenance your vehicle may need before winter, please feel free to visit your local Bob Sumere Tire store for a FREE preventative maintenance check.  Bob Sumerel really does care.

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