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Winter tires versus all-season tires…which is the right choice for you?   The two designs are quite different and deliver different levels of performance and winter weather traction, so let’s discuss.    • All-season tires are designed as an all-around compromise. They feature a tread pattern that evacuates water from the tire’s contact patch to prevent hydroplaning, with plenty of small, textured slits (sipes) to add extra biting edges for traction in wet or slushy conditions.  • All-s...

  It’s late fall and you know that winter’s on its way. Winter tires can give you a real advantage in traction so that you can get where you need to go! At Van’s Tires & Service, we have a few tips for winter tires. There’s no such thing as a universal tire that performs equally well in any weather condition. There’s always a compromise involved with tires. At temperatures below 30 degrees, the long-wearing all-season tires that are on most cars tend to stiffen up and give you all the trac...

If you’ve been in northern Ohio for long, you know what winters can be like here. At Van’s Tires & Service, we’d like to answer some questions and hopefully dispel some misconceptions about winter tires: Q: Can’t I get by with all-season tires? A: There’s a compromise involved with any tire. An all-season tire that’s designed for 80,000 mile warranty life uses tread designs and compounds that wear for a long, long time. Unfortunately, many of those tires harden up and stiffen at temperatu...

Your tires are a pretty big investment. Even with the cheapest set of tires, you’re going to be spending upwards of $400 on the tires, mounting, balancing, disposal fees and taxes. Since you laid down that kind of money, doesn’t it just make sense to make sure you get the most miles possible out of them?  Here’s some advice on long tire life:   • Regularly check your tire pressure. This one is really, really important. Underinflated tires will wear  unevenly and reduce your fuel economy du...

We sure do get attached to our machines and inanimate objects, and cars in particular tend to take a special place in our imaginations. In the case of something like a car or truck, we depend on them so much that they start to take on a personality and an identity, at least in our own minds. Why not show your car or truck how much you “love” it and care about it with a set of tires for Valentine’s Day? How long has it been since you got a set of tires? With the right driving habits, a good s...

In a perfect world, all four tires would wear out at the same time. In the same perfect world, everyone would be able to afford a whole set of tires all at once. Unfortunately, things often just do not work out that way.  Sometimes you may just have to replace tires as you can afford them, one or two at a time, but there are some important things to bear in mind if you have to do that.  If you can only afford to replace one or two tires, it’s essential that you go with tires that are identica...

Nobody ever looks forward to a flat tire, and nobody ever says "well, that was a really good time" after having one. You can at least minimize the damage to your tire and danger to yourself, though. Flats vs Blowouts If you get a blowout, you'll know about it right away. Sometimes the tire can fail dramatically, with a bang as loud as a shotgun going off. Other times, it might just be a loss of air and a sudden change in your car's handling, followed by vibration, noise and a pull to one side. ...

Every year, about 290 million tires are discarded; of those, about 233 million are recycled in one way or another. Shredded tires can be used for playground surfaces, welcome mats, hot-melt asphalt, bark mulch and even made into building material for “green” construction. But what can you do with your old tires? Here are some ideas: --Fill a tractor tire with sand to make a great sandbox for kids --Hang a tire from a rope as a tire swing --Stack a couple of tires on top of each other, bolt th...

Winters in Ohio can be pretty rough, as we all know…with a foot or two of snow on the ground and cold temperatures that keep that snow in place for weeks at a time. Winter tires can give you a real advantage in difficult winter conditions. But what makes winter tires so great, anyway? All-season tires are really a jack of all trades and master of none. They provide a supple and forgiving ride, they’re quiet and they offer good handling, steering response, and road manners. All-season tires ha...

Ever wonder what the designations stamped on your tire sidewall actually mean? We’d like to break it down for you. Let’s take for instance, “P195/60R15 87S”. This is a full service description of a tire. In this case, “87S” denotes a tire’s load capacity and speed rating. The higher the number, the greater the load capacity – an 87 load capacity means that tire can support 1,201 pounds. Speed ratings range from L (75 mph) through V (149 mph), and an S speed rating means the tire is good...