HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-04-24, Page 11AMA
ATTENTION FARMERS
Spring is here!
NOW IS THE TIME to get your electric
motors, fans, pumps, etc. in smooth
running condition
Down time during seeding can be
costly.
DO IT NOW! - to prevent breakdown
when you're busy.
Call Anytime -
Phone:
(519) 345-2403
Fax:
(519) 345-2257
R.R. #1,
Bornholm, ON
(5 miles north
of Dublin)
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1996 PAGE 11.
Rubber, a car's grounding
Accelerating. Cornering.
Stopping. Get a grip!
Have you ever stopped to think
how much contact your car actually
has with the road? You stay on the
road courtesy of about four hand-
sized pieces of rubber compound.
Without that contact, your car is a
candidate for making soup cans. It's
well worth your while to keep your
tires properly inflated, rotate them
at least once a year, and replace
them when the tread gets worn.
But there's more to it than that.
Your tires can also be an early
warning system for other problems
such as alignment or a failing
suspension. Suppose you look at
your tires, and you notice that the
tread seems to be more worn on the
inside than the outside edge. You
probably need your wheels aligned.
Getting the alignment fixed will
improve your car's handling and
fuel economy, as well as giving
you a more comfortable ride.
Does your car start to shake
when you reach certain speeds? It
could be that you need your wheels
balanced. All wheels and tires have
very slight differences in the
weight distribution, and at the
speeds they're turning that
translates into a powerful vibration.
All it takes to fix it is the position-
ing of those little lead weights
around the edge of the wheel.
Feathering is caused by incorrect
toe-in or toe-out. The tire drags
across the road, instead of rolling
easily. You need an alignment.
Wear on one side only means
that the camber is out of
adjustment. This, too, means you
need an alignment.
Cupping occurs when the tire
bounces, rather than rolling freely.
Small areas of excessive wear
appear. This is generally caused by
worn shocks or loose suspension
components. You need to have
your suspension adjusted.
A series of cups suggest that the
tire is shimmying — you need your
wheel balanced.
Burning rubber
Now that Spring is in the air,
young hot dogs will be out
spinning their tires. Don't join
them.
Accelerating rapidly from a stop
burns up as much as 50 per cent
more fuel than if you pull away
gradually.
Catalytic converters can't handle
sudden surges. When they occur,
all sorts of excess pollutants are
blown out the tailpipe. This costs
you money and harms the
environment.