Need A Wheel Alignment? Maybe Not
Several times a week folks come in for a wheel alignment. Their complaint is, the vehicle pulls to the left or right. Surprising, very often the wheel alignment is fine and the pull is actually being caused by the tires.
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Lowering and Raising Vehicle Suspensions
Many times vehicle suspensions are raised or lowered by well intentioned enthusiast. The change in vehicle height often provides an appearance they find more pleasing. Unfortunately, it can also provide quite a few problems. Tire wear, poor handling and suspension component failure often result.
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Valve Stem Caps and TPMS
The valve stem cap is extremely simple, yet misunderstood and can be the cause of a good many problems. Tires that do not hold air are often caused by missing valve stem caps. Vehicles often come in for wheel alignment only to find a low tire, caused by a missing valve stem cap. On newer vehicles a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning can be another expensive symptom.
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When are Ball Joints Bad
Automotive engineers have copied parts from the human body for years. The automotive ball joint is such a design. Hip joints are a form of ball joint. On our vehicles, the ball joint acts much as it does in our body. Other similarities are, like our hip, wear and breakage are devastating.
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Dangerous Valve Stems
Valve stems are such an insignificant part of a vehicle that most people never give them a thought. Flat tires and blowouts on the other hand, get attention very quickly. Unfortunately the two may go hand in hand.
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Out of Round Tires
It is quite common to find out of round tires. They shake and often damage suspension components. A question I am often asked is, what makes tires go out of round? The fact is, tires do not go out of round.
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Wheel Balance, Shimmy and Vibration
Wheel balance is a topic surrounded by misunderstanding. Much of what people hear comes from tire-dealers who do not understand the subject. To make things worse, they may slant the information to increase sales rather than solve problems.
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Perhaps The Worlds Finest Tire Pressure Gauge
Our testing is complete and we could not be happier with the new PCL Accura 1 tire pressure gauge.
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Ford Air Suspension Problems
The rear air suspension system on Lincoln and Ford vehicles is often maligned. Those who do not understand the system often speak of the cost of maintaining it. Others profit by selling conversion parts and creating undeserved fear. The facts do not bare out either position.
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Tire Rotation
Tire rotation is a simple matter, but like many things automotive it is also loaded with mis-information. The principle is to even out tire wear, between the front and rear of the vehicle. In theory this should provide longer tire service and there are four patterns in general use.
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Ruining New Tires
Many folks believe that a long-lasting, trouble free set of tires ends with selecting a quality brand. Actually selecting a quality tire is only the beginning. Shockingly, a new high quality tire can be quickly ruined by improper installation.
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An Accurate Tire Pressure Gauge
Many years ago, AGCO began an involved search for an accurate tire pressure gauge. Every commercially available gauge we could find was not accurate or worse did not repeat. A good deal of research revealed a sad truth. Commercially available gauges just were not adequate. It really did not seem to matter how much or how little they cost. Accuracy and repeatability problems were an issue.
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Wheel Alignment Myths
Wheel alignment is a topic that we often misunderstand. The misinformation from advertising floods the market and this causes much of the confusion. Listed here are a few of the myths concerning wheel alignment and the truth.
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What is the Best Tire Pressure
Many folks would like to know, how much air pressure is best for their tires. No answer will be correct for everyone as their situations will vary. These guidelines may help find the pressure that works best for you.
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Two New Tires, Front Or Rear
Could a very common mis-belief be endangering your family?
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