Until recently, i’d only dreamed of being able to travel to a test facility for hands on training purposes.  Well, I was chosen to represent my dealership in accordance with various GM dealers around the country to travel to Uvalde, Tx…the proving grounds of Continental & General Tire.  In fact, they run an annual event where we get the opportunity to experience a variety of Conti tires as well as those from their General tires subsidiary.

The 5000-acre proving grounds located near Uvalde, TX has been in existence since 1959. It provides ten asphalt areas for wet and dry testing, as well as ten off-road areas for SUV and truck tire development.

During our visit, we were able to experience the dry handling road course, wet handling pad and dry braking area, as well as a Baja-type course in the Texas dirt. With cars like the BMW 328i, Mustang and Chevrolet Silverado available to us, all we had to remember was “don’t piss in the grass, there are snakes out there!”

Stop!
Probably the most enlightening exercise we undertook was the wet brake test. Accelerating to 50mph, we were asked to jump on the brakes at a designated point, and a series of cones plus a digital readout indicated how long it took to stop.

The first thing we learned was that if you have to stop in an emergency, you should do it in a BMW rather than a Ford Edge or Mustang!

While we often discuss the fun that can be had on a good set of tires, we shouldn’t forget that they can save lives too. To ram home this point, we were invited to compare new tires with full tread depth against shaved tires - these had more than the minimum legal tread depth, but the difference in stopping distances was horrifying. The new tires on the BMW would pull up in about 100ft, but the shaved ones sailed on for another 30ft or more. And on a freeway at 70mph, that represents the difference between a near miss and a ride in an ambulance.

So don’t allow your tires to wear down to the canvas before replacing them. Saving a few dollars could cost you a whole lot more.  And contrary to popular belief, please don’t put the new tires on the front of your vehicle, put them on the back to prevent any spin-outs if you have to deal with slippery weather.

Splash!
A second test took place on the wet handling pad, where a course had been laid out with cones. Again, we had BMWs and Mustangs to choose from as well as different tires. After driving everything, we were again grateful we don’t drive Mustangs in the rain. We also saw the benefits of the ultra-performance Continental DW & DWS to soon be released in May 2009. Also we did a hefty bit of testing on the flagship tire for the company, the ContiSport Contact 3’s and we know they work well in the dry but were astonished to feel the tread biting through the deep water that’s piped onto the surface to provide a uniform depth.

We were invited to take part in a timed challenge on the wet handling pad using a BMW equipped with the ContiSportContact3 and inevitably we took first place. Experience driving BMWs helped, but it was the confidence gained from the tires that made the difference. We couldn’t believe how hard the car could attack a slalom course in the wet. Even in fast, sweeping turns and sudden lane changes, the tread bit deep into the asphalt and ensured the car did everything you asked of it. We genuinely felt you couldn’t go much faster in the dry.

The purpose of this exercise was to demonstrate the grip Continental’s technology provides in the wet and dry. This in turn indicates the safety margins you’ll have in the most extreme conditions, such as avoiding debris on the freeway where you need to swerve violently to miss it.

Finally, I’ll miss those 48 hours of learning and adventure, and look forward to experiencing it again next year and the years to follow.  I’m now a firm believer in Continental and General tires as the brand(s) that I will use on my vehicles and my customers vehicles from here on out.

Tire Class - “P”
The first character(s) in a tire size designate the tire’s class. In this example, “P” indicates that the tire is a passenger car tire. An “LT” before the tire size designates a light truck tire, and no letter before the size indicates that it is a European metric tire.

Section Width - “215″
A metric tire’s section width is measured in millimeters. This measurement is taken from sidewall to sidewall. In this example, the section width of the tire is 215mm.

Aspect Ratio - “65″
This number refers to the height of the sidewall. It is a percentage of the section width. In this example, 65 percent of the section width of 215mm equals 133.25.

Tire Construction - “R”
The “R” in this example indicates radial tire construction.

Wheel Diameter - “15″
This indicates the wheel diameter in inches.

89H

Load Index & speed ratio = This particular tire has an industry-standard maximum service speed of 130 mph. Some tires use an older European system that features the speed rating in the size description of the tire.

A few things to consider

• Valve stems are responsible for keeping your tires inflated, and allow you to add or subtract air pressure.
• The diameter of passenger car and light truck valve stems is a standard size that fits virtually every wheel.
• Valve stems come in both rubber and metal varieties. They can easily be replaced on your wheel by one of our recommended installers.
• A common myth is that the valve stems never need replacing. The rubber in your valve stems dries and cracks in the same way that your tires do. Valve stems should be replaced at least as often as your tires.

If a tire’s internal components are misaligned as it cures, it is possible that unequal internal forces may cause the vehicle to pull to the side, even when it is steered straight ahead. When this occurs with a brand new tire it is typically due to conicity, a manufacturing glitch where a tire’s tread has cured slightly cone shaped rather than in the desirable uniform cylinder shape.

A tire that has conicity due to a manufacturing error will be apparent right after installation or immediately following the first time the tires are rotated. Because of this, tire manufacturers warranties only cover this condition early in the tire’s life.

If tire pull first becomes noticeable after many miles of driving on a tire, it is typically due to driving conditions or vehicle misalignment that has caused the tire’s tread to wear on an angle (with one side wearing faster than the other), or allowed the tire on the left side of the axle to wear faster than the tire on the right side of the same axle.

If a vehicle has a pulling problem, the alignment should be checked (including cross camber, cross caster and thrust angle settings.)  If the alignment is at the manufacturer’s preferred settings or appropriately within the range, the following procedure can be used to confirm which tire is causing the pull.

The following steps must be used to isolate a pulling tire. 

A tire diagnosed as a pulling tire is a manufacturer’s defect. The tire is covered under warranty only during the first 25% of tread wear. The defect is caused by the belts being incorrectly aligned during manufacture.

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The speed at which a tire hydroplanes is a function of water depth, vehicle speed, vehicle weight, tire width, tread depth and tread design. It depends on how much water has to be removed, how much weight is pressing down on the tires and how efficient the tread design is at evacuating water. While deeper water, higher speeds, lighter vehicles, wider tires, less tread depth and less efficient tread designs will cause tires to hydroplane at lower speeds; all tires will be forced to hydroplane at some speed.

As a rule, tread design affects hydroplaning resistance at high speeds and in deep water. Tread compound affects wet traction at lower speeds or in shallow water.

Directional tread designs (sometimes called Unidirectional tread designs) are frequently used on tires intended to better resist hydroplaning. Their multiple tread grooves are aligned in a repeating “V” shape to increase the tire’s ability to channel water from between the tire’s footprint and the road. Somewhat like the vanes of a water pump continually pushing water in one direction through the engine, the grooves of a directional tire are designed to push water in one direction through the tire (forward on an angle to the sides). Directional tread designs are especially helpful in increasing hydroplaning resistance when relatively wide Plus Two, Plus Three or Plus Four tire and wheel applications result in fitting a much wider tire to a vehicle than its Original Equipment size.

Why is it that the price of fuel seems relatively inexpensive while the cost of its tires may give the impression of being high? If we tracked our total costs we’ll find that typical fuel costs for just 10, 000 miles of driving for a car that delivers 20 mpg (see chart below) actually exceed our tire costs. And believe us, we’ve found that the quality and performance of tires has a lot more to do with driving satisfaction than fuel does.

We think that much of the misperception has to do with the fact that we buy fuel one tank-full at a time, and don’t really look at its total cost for thousands of miles. Our tires are paid for “up front” and then last for tens of thousands of miles.

If you are selecting new tires to improve your car’s performance and come across two tires that have caught your eye, comparing their cost over the long run can help you decide. If one tire looks perfect, although more expensive than another tire that appears to be a close second, consider evaluating your options by comparing “how much per mile” each tire will cost.

Consider the following:

If you drive your sports car another 20,000 miles and are considering the “perfect” set of performance tires at $150 each, or another set that costs $130 each, you may be surprised to find out that the cost of the “perfect” set of four tires costs just 3 cents per mile…while the “second place” set of four costs 2.6 cents per mile. Will not spending the extra $80 today make up for not having selected the “perfect” tire that you will be driving on the next couple of years?

If you drive your vehicle another 60,000 miles and are considering “premium” long-wearing tires at $100 each, or economy tires costing $60 each, you may be surprised to find out that the cost of the “premium” set costs just 0.6 cents per mile…while the economy set costs 0.5 cents per mile. Will not spending the extra $100 today make up for not having selected the “premium” tire that you will be driving on the next four years? Will the economy tire last 60,000 miles?

If you live in the snowbelt and drive your vehicle another 60,000 miles and are considering 2 sets of tires (a set for summer and winter) at $100 each, or all-season tires costing $75 each, you may be surprised to find out that the cost of both “premium” sets costs just 1.3 cents per mile total…while the economy set costs 0.5 cents per mile. Will not spending the extra $500 today make up for not having selected the premium summer and winter tires that will make it easier to navigate snow and ice for the upcoming years?

Please drag and highlight the chart below for added visual clarity.

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Many tire mileage warranties require tire rotation to keep the warranty valid. When should tires be rotated? We recommend that tires be rotated every 3,000 to 5,000 miles even if they don’t show signs of wear. Tire rotation can often be done with an oil change while the vehicle is off the ground. This is also a good time to have your tires rebalanced if you’ve been having any vibration issues than you suspect may relate to the tire balance. It’s also a good time to inspect the tires for any damage, remove stones or debris from the tire treads, check for uneven wear by checking the tire tread depth and of course, checking your tire pressure.

Tire rotation helps even out tire wear by allowing each tire to serve in as many of the vehicle’s wheel positions as possible, hopefully promoting even wear across the tire tread pattern. Remember, tire rotation can’t correct wear problems due to worn mechanical parts or incorrect inflation pressures.

While every vehicle is equipped with four tires, usually the tires on the front axle need to accomplish very different tasks than the tires on the rear axle. The tasks encountered on a front-wheel drive vehicle are considerably different than those of a rear-wheel drive vehicle. Tire wear experienced on a performance vehicle will usually be more severe than that of a family sedan. Each wheel position can cause different wear rates and different types of tire wear.

It is an advantage when all four tires wear together because as wear reduces a tire’s tread depth, it allows all four tires to respond to the driver’s input more quickly, maintains the handling and helps increase the tire’s cornering traction.

When your tires wear out together, you can get a new set of tires without being forced to buy pairs. If you replace tires in sets of four, you will maintain the original handling balance. In addition, our suppliers constantly introduce new tires, each of which improves upon their past product’s performance. If you replace your tires in sets of four, it allows you to experience today’s technology, instead of being forced to match yesterday’s.

Four (4) Tire Rotation

What tire rotation pattern should be followed? The Tire & Rim Association has identified three traditional rotation patterns covering most vehicles (equipped with non-directional tires and wheels which are the same size and offset).

• On front-wheel drive cars, rotate the tires in a forward cross pattern or the alternative X pattern
• On rear-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicles, rotate the tires in a rearward cross pattern or the alternative X pattern

• The “Front-to-Rear”  pattern may be used for vehicles equipped with the same size directional wheels and/or directional tires.
• A “Side-to-Side”  pattern may be used for vehicles equipped with different sized non-directional tires and wheels on the front axle compared to the rear axle.

Vehicles that use different sized directional wheels and tires, and/or wheels with different front and rear offsets with directional tires will require dismounting, mounting, and rebalancing to rotate tires.

Five (5) Tire Rotation

While many vehicles are equipped with temporary spares that cannot be included in a tire rotation program, if the vehicle’s four wheels and tires on the ground match the spare wheel and tire (if non-directional and not branded “for temporary use”), they should be included in the tire rotation pattern. Follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended tire rotation procedures, or if not available, insert the spare in the right rear position at every rotation. Place the tire that would have gone to the right rear in the trunk as the spare until the next tire rotation.

• On front-wheel drive cars with full-size matching spare, rotate the tires in a forward cross pattern
• On rear-wheel or four-wheel drive cars with full-size matching spare, rotate the tires in a rearward cross pattern

It’s not only product and performance that bring value to the consumer. It’s the products themselves — products that must first meet our highest standards.

Continental Tire is Europe’s number one selling tire and one of America’s leading tire companies.  Continental Tire focuses on providing only quality products at more than generous pricing.

Our relationship with Continental and General Tire, will always provide the customer with exceptional priced, in-stock options. We’ll be able to offer you products that are right for your vehicle, your driving style and the conditions in which you drive. 

Stop by  and ask for Brian Winfield today!!

~To all a blessed day

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What I’ve come to find out is, individuals behave not in accordance with reality, but in accordance to what they perceive as reality. Unfortunately, the perception of failure often becomes reality, believe it or not.

~To all a blessed day.