Are You Tire Smart, Ladies?

I want to hear you all answer yes!  That’s why I’m here!  Recently, the RMA (Rubber Manufacturer’s Association) did a little survey to find out how many US drivers are “tire smart.”  “Define smart,” you say? 

According to the RMA, “tire smart” drivers are “those who know to check tire pressure monthly; know to check tires when they are cold (before driving); and know where to find the correct inflation pressure for their vehicle’s tires (a tire information label on the driver’s door or door jamb or in the owner’s manual).”  Now, girls, if you’ve been reading my blog at all, you’re darn near geniuses because we’ve been over these things a million times!  Apparently, more girls (and guys and young people) need to start reading this blog, though. 

The study found that only 20 percent of men and 14 percent of women are tire smart.  I can’t just pick on the ladies on this one—seems that the majority of US drivers have a few things to learn when it comes to their tires, and the younger generation needs to add a tire course to their driver’s education curriculum.   Among the older set (age 60 and older), 27 percent are tire smart.  That’s getting better, right?  Sure, but when you think about this next number, you may want to stay off the roads: only 8 percent of drivers age 18 to 39 know how to check their tire pressure the right way  (If you have questions about how to check your tire pressure, see my blog, "The Top Ten Things Every Girl Should Know to Save Her Own Butt (Tire Version))."

 

Know what happens when you drive around on tires that need air?  You waste fuel, you wear your tires out sooner than you should, and you’re courting fate.  Check out these two factoids from the RMA:

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle crashes involving tires contribute to 195 fatalities annually.
• The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that properly inflated tires can save about 11 cents a gallon at today’s gas prices.

I think those are pretty impressive statistics!  As Americans, I think it’s safe to say that we could stand to learn a few things about tires and about tire maintenance and safety.  National Tire Safety Week was way back at the beginning of June, but it’s never too late to learn what you need to know about tire safety.  Read this blog, do some research or just come into your nearest RNR store and ask questions!  Keeping your tires properly maintained is about safety, but it’s also about getting the most out of your investment.  Here’s a little something from the RMA to help you remember the basics:  

Be Tire Smart – Play Your PART

Pressure: Check tire pressure monthly with a tire gauge and inflate to vehicle manufacturer's recommended pressure.

Alignment: Misalignment of wheels can cause uneven and rapid tread-wear.

Rotation: Rotate tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles to help you achieve more uniform wear.

Tread: Advanced and unusual wear can reduce the ability of tread to grip the road in adverse conditions.

Stay safe and see you soon!

 

Bree

P.S.  If you want to maintain proper tire pressure and make your tires last longer, look into filling your tires with nitrogen.  My blog, “Nitrogenfor Tires? What Happened to Plain, Old Air?” will give you all the info you need on nitrogen fill for tires!

RNR Custom Wheels and Tire Express Donates New Tires and Wheels for Father’s Day

RNR Custom Wheels and Tire Express joined with Bubba the Love Sponge and Cox Radio to make one dad’s Father’s Day unforgettable.  They designed a contest and interested parties were asked to go online, fill out a form, and tell the station why they thought their dad should get a $1000 gift card from RNR.  The responses were many, but at the end of the day, RNR Founder and President, Larry Sutton, couldn’t get one of them off of his mind.  Jake, Noah and Harrison Holsinger wrote a letter on their dad’s behalf describing their dad, Rich Holsinger of St. Petersburg, FL, as a great husband, an amazing father, a fixer, a builder, a community volunteer and coach, a guy who gives to people with no thought of reward.  Said the boys, “He really shows us what a man is with everything he does.” Their father, they said, has held their family together through the death of another brother and the diagnosis of two of the sons with Type 1 diabetes. The three boys collaborated on the letter and described, finally, how much their dad loves his truck, a gold 2005 Chevy Silverado.  According to the boys, “Every weekend, he has a new project to make his truck better.”  They said it would mean a lot to their dad to get new rims for his truck.

The boys somehow managed to get their letter written and into the station without their dad suspecting a thing.  “I didn’t know they sent the letter.  One day they just said, ‘Dad, you need to cool your truck up.’  I told them what I needed was new tires, and I guess they took the hint and ran with it,” said Rich Holsinger.  “Now, I’m the cool guy in town.” 

“When I read this letter, I said there is no way in the world I’m going to have this guy spend any money to get rims,” said Larry Sutton.  “I want to meet this guy,” continued Sutton. “I want to be this guy!”  So, Larry sweetened the deal to make this Father’s Day truly special for Mr. Holsinger.  RNR, in conjunction with Tuff Wheels and Falken Tires, is outfitting Mr. Holsinger’s truck with a complete set of Tuff Offroad Wheels and Falken Wildpeak Tires (an estimated retail value of $2500).  “Being a father and an example to your kids is the best thing you can do, and I respect that…so we’re going to hook this guy up,”  stated Sutton.

Before Mr. Sutton’s radio announcement of the winner was over, another unexpected gift came through as well.  The owner of a local diabetic supply company called the station and donated a year’s worth of free diabetic supplies to the family. 

Rich is thrilled with the new wheels and tires and the much-needed supplies, but what he’s really happy about are his kids.  “I’m a lucky guy to have such thoughtful and sweet, but still strong and independent, sons.”  According to Larry Sutton, RNR was thrilled to participate in this contest to celebrate dads, and they hope to do it again next year.

 

Nitrogen for Tires? What Happened to Plain, Old Air?

Dear Bree,

I bought a set of new tires from RNR last week, and the nice guy who helped me asked if I wanted to fill them with nitrogen for free.  I asked him what the heck he was talking about—since when don’t you just fill them up with regular, old air?  He told me that nitrogen has lots of benefits like better fuel economy and longer tire life, so I told him to go ahead.  Can you give me a little more detail on this whole nitrogen thing?

A Little Lost in Orlando

 

Dear Lost,

I think you made a wise choice, even if you weren’t quite sure what you were agreeing to.  A word of advice:  Don’t be afraid to ask one of our guys (or gals) for more information if you don’t understand something.  We’re well-trained here at RNR, and we know what we’re talking about.  We’d love for you to know what you’re talking about too—so just ask!

Let me tell you a little more about nitrogen and why we recommend it.  The air you breathe is 78 percent nitrogen, a little less than 21 percent oxygen, and the rest is water vapor, CO2 and some other gases, so when you put “regular, old air” in your tire, you’re getting plenty of nitrogen—but you’re also getting oxygen and water vapor.  Oxygen is more likely than nitrogen to migrate through the rubber of your tire, so if you have just nitrogen in your tire, then your tire pressure should stay more stable than if you filled your tires the traditional way.  Stable tire pressure means longer tire life and better performance.  Ambient temperature changes cause a change in tire pressure (for every 10F degree change, there is 1.9% change in pressure) with traditionally-filled tires and nitrogen-filled tires, but the difference hinges on that water vapor.  Water (whether present in a vapor or liquid form) causes even more of a pressure change with temperature fluctuations (and can also cause the corrosion of steel or aluminum rims).

If your tires are nitrogen-filled, water vapor won’t be a problem.  If you’re getting pure nitrogen, then you’re getting dry nitrogen.  Most tires will need to go through a process of filling and purging several times in succession to rid the tire of oxygen, and thus water vapor.  We can take care of all of that here at RNR, and we do it for free when you buy or rent a new set of tires with us. 

We think you’ll see a difference in the performance and the life of your tires with nitrogen fill; some studies have shown a 25% increase in tire life using nitrogen (in addition to better gas mileage!).  Nitrogen is actually used in some pretty important tires:  NASCAR uses it to cut down on tire replacements during races, and airlines use it to extend the life of tires on their airplanes!  We’d really like to know what you think as time goes by.  Think you could keep us updated?  In the meantime, go forth and spread the nitrogen word!  You are officially informed!

 

Bree

This Week, Everyone Should be Safety Girls (and Boys!)—National Tire Safety Week and RNR

Hey, guess what, girls!  It’s National Tire Safety Week!!  Know what that means?  It means it’s time to get off your tushes and put all of this knowledge you’ve been gaining from reading my Roll-N-Blog to use!  Are your tires safe?  How do you know?  Are you getting the most out of your tires?  The RMA (Rubber Manufacturer’s Association) sponsors this annual event to raise awareness about tire safety, and RNR loves to be a part of it.  Tires and wheels are what we do, so teaching people how to make sure they’re riding on safe tires is right up our alley!

Here’s how to get started on National Tire Safety Week: Check your tires out!  Wondering what a tire inspection looks like?  Here are my top 5 things you should be checking:

 

1. Check Tire Inflation:  We’ve talked on this blog before about having the proper tire pressure and how important that is (and how important it is to check it !), but let’s go over it again, briefly.  It’s important to have the right tire pressure because if it’s too high, you’ll have a bumpy ride and reduced traction and stopping distances; too low and your tires will wear out faster than you want them to.  You want your tires to last and keep you and your family as safe as possible, right?  Check your tire pressure.
2. Out of alignment?  Feeling unbalanced?  When your alignment is spot on, your car will ride better and your tires will last longer and perform better.  Take a look at your tires to see if they’re wearing evenly.  Is the tread on the inside of the tire equal to the tread on the outside?  If things are looking like they lean one way or the other, you might want to have that alignment checked out.  Feel like you and your car are doing a little dance on the highway?  If your car feels like it’s got a shimmy to it, then one (or more) of your tires may be unbalanced. 
3. Check the tire tread depth (on all four tires).  If you read my blog about this, then you already know the Abe Lincoln trick, but if not, here’s the deal:  Take a penny and put old Abe head first between the treads.  If you can still see him looking at you, then you need to replace your tires.  If your tires are down to 1/16^th of an inch, replace your tires now (1/16^th is the minimum!)!  Remember to check the tread depth on the inside and the outside edges of your tires to make sure that they are wearing evenly.  If they are not, refer to number 2 on this list and get the problem checked out.
4. Check the sidewalls of your tires for nicks, bulges, cracks and cuts.  Most of the time, these problems cannot be repaired and you’ll need to replace the tire, but better safe than sorry, right?
5. Check your spare?  What’s worse than having a flat tire? Having a flat tire and a flat spare.  Check your spare the same way you would your other tires.  When you need it, you’ll be glad you took the time to keep it properly maintained.

Are you ready for National Tire Safety Week?  Think you can check things out all by yourself?  If you’re new to this (or you’d rather have someone else do it), just print out our coupon and bring it in to us at RNR and we’ll inspect your tires for FREE. 

 

Until next time, keep it on the road (safely!)!

 

Bree

 

P.S.  Ever thought about a nitrogen fill for your tires? Ask any RNR representative about the benefits of nitrogen in your tires!