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May 1st, 2009 by admin

How To Dispose Of Your Old ATV Tires
When it comes time to replace your old and worn ATV tires, many riders are eager to purchase new tires, but many are unaware what to do with the old ones. Regardless where you live, throwing old tires in a body or water or natural environment is improper?and in many cases illegal?since the tires can corrupt nature. When disposing of your old ATV tires, be sure to do so in a proper and legal manner that will not negatively impact the environment for future generations.

More and more often, tires are being recycled and formed into all sorts of new products. From park benches to carpets, recycled rubber is a durable and economical product. When you are faced with the decision what to do with your old ATV tires, look to your local recycling company to see if rubber is accepted. Although you may not be able to place your tires to the curb if you community is involved with curbside recycling, the recycling plant may be able to take the tires off your hands. Look to the phonebook or internet to find a recycling facility near you and make a quick visit or telephone call to see if your tires are able to be recycled.

Most tire stores that provide you with new tires for your ATV will be able to take your old ones. Before you make the change, be sure to ask the tire center what they do with old tires if you are concerned about the environmental impact unused rubber causes. Also, there may be a slight fee involved with properly disposing of your old tires, so know this amount upfront in order to prevent any surprises at the cash register. The state in which you live may have certain regulations or fees involving tire disposal, and this is often incorporated into your bill and is listed separately from the cost of the new tires or the labor to install the tires on your ATV.

If your old tires still have life in them, consider giving them to a friend or family member with an ATV. Keep in mind that old tires should only be used if they still have ample tread and are able to ensure the vehicle can be driven safely. Also, consider selling your old ATV tires so that you can use the profits to buy a new set. Look to your local newspaper and list a classified advertisement or turn to the internet with sites like Ebay or Craigslist to sell your tires. These are great resources and you may even find a new set of ATV tires listed at a more economical price than offered at your local tire store.

Bill Carmel works with <a href="http://www.u-atv-tires.com">ATVs</a>

A Woman's Guide to Basic Tire Care
Women certainly are not helpless. But sometimes we are a little overwhelmed working a 40-hour week, taking care of the children, cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. The car is just another added burden when there isn’t a man around to tinker with it.

For the woman who finds herself in this situation, this is a short primer on routine tire care that will extend the life of your tires and hopefully make your life a little bit easier.

Check Tire Pressure Regularly:

Tire pressure should be checked whenever you suspect a problem or at a minimum, seasonally.
Symptoms of improper tire pressure include excess wear and squeeling when going around a corner (for under-inflated tires) and reduced traction (for over-inflated tires).

Even the temperature can affect your tire pressure. Check your owner’s manual to find where they’ve posted the proper tire pressure (usually on one of the doors) and be sure to keep it at that level. An improperly inflated tire not only wears quicker, it can also be dangerous when stopping and can cause tread separation.

You can purchase a tire-pressure gauge at your local auto parts store, use a gauge at the gas station or ask your tire dealer to check it for you.


Have Your Tires Rotated:

Tires should be rotated every 5000 - 6000 miles. For various reasons, all four tires on a car do not wear the same. The purpose of the tire rotation is to allow for even wear and an extended life for your tires.

Some manufacturers recommend “cross-rotation” (moving the right-front tire to the left-rear, etc.). Check your owner’s manual for it’s recommendations. Have your tire dealer rotate your tires regularly.


Check Your Wheel Alignment:

If you’ve hit a pothole or scraped your tire on a curb, your wheels may have been thrown out of alignment. Symptoms of wheels that are out of alignment are excessive wear (one tire may wear more than the others) and steering problems. You may notice that your car veers to the side when you’re on a straight road or the car doesn’t steer properly in a turn.

Unless you notice any of these symptons, you should have your alignment checked annually.


Have Your Wheels Balanced at the Same Time They’re Rotated:

An improperly balanced wheel will cause a vibration at higher speeds (50-70 MPH) which is noticable in the steering wheel (if a front tire is out of balance) or in the seat (if a rear tire is out of balance). It will also increase wear of shock absorbers, struts and suspensions.

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should have your tire dealer take a look. He will need to locate the heavier part of the tire and attach a lead weight opposite it to counter-balance it.

Unless you notice any of these symptoms, you should have your wheels balanced every time you have them rotated (every 5000 - 6000 miles).


Debbie Pettitt
Everything Tires
http://everythingtires.com

Debbie Pettitt is webmaster for Everything Tires. For additional articles and information regarding tires, visit http://everythingtires.com.

Demystifying The Tire Sidewall Code
So, you need new tires for your car or truck, but how do you know what to buy? What do all those alphanumeric codes printed on the tire sidewalls mean, anyway?

If you’re in the market for new tires, you may simply want to replace your worn tires with exactly the same tire it came with. But you MAY want to consider an upgrade. If you know how to read the tire sidewalls, chock full of valuable information, you’ve got an advantage over most people and are prepared to make an informed decision. So let’s get underway!

Tire Size Markings (example: P215/65R15 89H)

Broken down:
P = Passenger
Other designations are
LT = Light Truck
T = Temporary (spare tire)

215 is the width (in millimeters) of the tire from sidewall to sidewall. A wider tire has more grip but the bad news is that you lose fuel economy, hear more noise and the tires don’t work as well in the rain.

65 is the aspect ratio
The aspect ratio is the ratio of sidewall height to tire width. With regards to aspect ratio, the larger the number, the taller the tire sidewall. Tall (60-75) is great for a quiet ride but causes howling in turns. Short (35-55) is better for handling–more for sports cars.

R indicates Radial. This means it is constructed with a series of support belts sideways under the tread.
Other designations include
B for Belted Bias
and
D for Diagonal Bias
The standard, and what you’ll see most often, is R.

15 is the wheel (or rim) diameter, in inches.

89 is the load index
H is the speed rating
Speed ratings indicate the top speed under ideal conditions. Higher-rated tires are usually made of softer rubber and will have shorter UTQG tread life. Here are a few of the more common speed ratings: R= 106, S=112, T=118, U=124, H=130, V=149, W=168, Y=186. Along with this speed rating, you have a load index which indicates the approximate weight the tire can carry. Some of the more common load weights are as follows: 85 = 1,135 pounds, 86 = 1,168 pounds, 87 = 1,201 pounds, 88 = 1,235 pounds.


UTQG Ratings

Passenger car tires are accompanied by a UTQG Rating (Uniform Tire Quality Grading, mandated by the Federal Government) which rates the tread life of tires by looking at tread wear, traction and temperature resistance. The UTQG Rating is usually found opposite the tire size markings and will be in three separate ratings: treadwear, traction and temperature.

The treadware grade standard is 100. A grade of 200 means the tread would wear twice as well as a tire graded 100.

Traction grades run from AA to C, with AA being the highest grade and C meaning the tire brakes poorly on both wet concrete and wet asphalt.

Temperature grades rate the tire’s resistance to and ability to dispel heat. Those grades are A (resists heat well), B (not as good as A) and C (passes minimum safety standards.) Keep in mind that heavy loads, under-inflation of the tires, and high speeds can all affect the tire temperature.

You should note that these tire grades rate tires measured under controlled conditions. Factors such as driving habits, road conditions, climate, etc., are not considerations and may affect the actual performance of your tire.

DOT

DOT (Department of Transportation) indicates the tire is in compliance with applicable DOT safety standards. Next to DOT is an identification or serial number–codes that designate where and when the tire was produced.

You’ll also find other information on the sidewall such as the type and composition of the tire, the maximum cold inflation (PSI) and maximum load in pounds.

So as you can see, tires carry a huge amount of information. But it’s really not all that complicated once you learn to read the code.

Debbie Pettitt is webmaster for Everything Tires, your tire resource. For more information on tires, visit http://everythingtires.com