Reader Question: Hi

I have a broken stud on one of my rear wheel hubs. The nut is still on the stud and just spins when I try to undo it. I have tried to find a way to cut it off or pull the nut so the stud grips and undoes but nothings working. I figure I might need to drill out the stud and nut… Any other ideas?

Cheers

Chris

Hi there Chris

Go see a mechanic that has a air chisel. I have found that using a chisel to cut off the nut works best with least amount of damage to the wheel.  A “cut off wheel” might also work good too if you have room for it and you don’t think it will come in contact with an expensive aluminum wheel.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question: I have a 2001 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD.  The vehicle seems to have a wheel balance problem.  For the three months that I have owned it I feel a vibration or wheel hop throughout the vehicle typically at the same speeds.  Starting around 60mph and can continue up to 70mph where it tapers off or becomes tolerable.

The tires are Yokohoma Geolander HTS tires on the factory 16” rims.  I have had them high-speed balanced twice and road force balanced once all at separate establishments with no change in the issue.  Each person saying the last didn’t balance them properly.  The tires have plenty of tread and I can’t see ditching them.  Two of the tires were reindexed during the road force balance attempt.

This problem is preventing the vehicle from being a joy to drive due to the fact that the speeds it occurs at are where I drive 98% of the time.  I just want to be certain that I am not chasing the wrong problem and don’t want to get new tires if the problem is not the tires.  Just looking for an opinion from another source.  Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

Hey there Brian

This was a common complaint in my shop with 4wd and large SUV vehicles, tire shimmy.  99% of the time it was a problem in the tire itself and replacement of the tire was the solution.  A more aggressive off road tread might last long but the tire becomes out of round fairly easily and causes a shimmy that can never really be balanced out.  if you are not really an off road guy and the truck spends more time on pavement than dirt I would highly recommend replacing the current tires with an all season more highway friendly tread.

Keep me posted.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

P.S. Do you have a comment or suggestion for Brian?  Leave your comments below!

While I was walking in a parking lot the other day I noticed this tire (when you own an auto repair shop you are CONSTANTLY looking for repairs that need to be done on ALL the cars you come in contact with).

This tire at first appears to be in good shape and have plenty of tread life left, but that is wear (hehe – wear – not where) you would be wrong.

When inspecting your tires for potential wear problems you should always look at the lowest part of the tread, that will be the area that will “show steel” first.

The steel is from the steel belts under the rubber that give the tire strength. When the rubber wears down the steel cord or “belts” will begin to show and then it is just a matter of time before the tire blows or goes flat do to the air loss.

In this particular case this tire is worn almost to the steel cord on the outside of the tire tread (wear – hahaha – I crack myself up – my finger is pointing) The rest of the tire tread looks really good, but unfortunately this car needs a new tire, and needs one now.

This tire will become dangerous very soon as the steel cord will begin to show. Do you see it, the worn out smooth edge that my finger is pointing to? That used to be tread, now it is worn off and is smooth…and just below that thin layer or rubber is the steel belts.

This tire probably got in this position due to a lack of front end alignments, something could be out of whack causing the tire to wear like this or it could be from taking corners too fast.

Believe it or not, my 81 year old grandmother would wear down a set of tires just like this one in now time…she was a hot rod, or just did not know how to use the brake. Hahah!

Sooooo, go out and check your tires today, look at the inside and the outside of the tread as well as the center part of the tire.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question: Hi,

Please advise as to what tires to purchase for a 2005 Toyota Tacoma Pickup. Ah? One thing to consider is that the vehicle is use in the tropical.

Thanks,

Blanca

Hey there Blanca,

That is not an easy question to answer. Why? It depends on where you live and what brands and models are available to you and at what cost.

It also depends on your driving habits and your main purpose for driving, i.e. does the vehicle spend most of its time on pavement? Is it 4-wheel drive? How many miles do you travel a year and are they mostly high speed freeway miles or short distance miles.

What is the terrain like where you live? Hilly? Muddy? Is it flooding with lots of rainwater on the road surface?

These are all questions you need to ask yourself and then talk to a tire store in your area once you have your answers to help them better determine what is best for you.

Personally, I only purchase tires from name brand manufacturers like Goodyear, Firestone, Michelin, Dunlop, Kumho, etc., etc. and avoid the real cheap discount tires.

What really matters most is tread pattern (for the kind of driving you will be doing most), speed rating, and the number of “plys” or thickness and density of the tread. The thicker the tread layer or more plys the tire has the longer the life you should expect out of the tire. Although too many plys, or too thick of tread layer can have an adverse affect on fuel mileage.

Also the more “aggressive” tread pattern you select can also work against you as the more aggressive the tread pattern is the greater likelihood of tire vibration on smooth pavement, and the rough pavement will wear down an aggressive tire faster than if it was on soft mud or if you had a general “highway tread pattern”.

I drive 90% of the time on concrete so my vehicles all have a well rounded highway radial tire tread pattern that works well to channel away standing water in the road, has a high speed rating to safely absorb heat from long distance driving.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question: Dear Austin,

I am from outside USA and therefore we do not have auto insurances. However, I do have a question.

I own a 1995 Toyota Crown Super Saloon (a Japanese domestic model) with 2.4 EFI Turbo diesel. Vibration appears at 70-75 mph but disappears beyond that. The vibration is in the car itself and not just the steering wheel. My car has new tires. I balanced them, and rechecked the balance so many times.

There is no play in either the joints of the front suspension or the steering wheel. The alignment is OK, though it drifts a little to the left if I let go of the steering wheel. An owner of a similar car that I talked to also had an exactly similar problem, and he mentioned that it is an inherent problem with these cars. However, I do not believe that to be true for a car of such repute.

Could you please help me find a solution?

Regards
Ahsan

Hey Ahsan,

I am not familiar with this vehicle, as it does not sell here in the US. Normally if you can drive out of the vibration, the problem is usually with the wheel balance, tire problem, or bent wheel type of problem.

I would try rotating the tires around, front to rear first just to rule out the possibility of a bent wheel or balance issue. If there is no change, I would have your mechanic raise the vehicle up on a lift while you drive the vehicle 70 MPH and look at the driveshaft and wheels for any vibration.

Try swapping the two front tires around left to right to see if your drift problem goes away. If the alignment is correct, you probably have a tire that is causing the pull. I would also double check your tire air pressure. I will inflate them to the proper PSI.

You might want to experiment with adding slightly more air pressure than there is now to see if that has any impact on this vibration issue.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

These days the car tyre is fundamental to the overall performance of any new vehicle. Tyres are your only point of contact with the road surface. You cannot neglect the condition of your car tyres. If you do you could endanger not only yourself and your passengers, but also other road users.

Burning rubber on the internet

Customers order car tyres on the internet and get them fitted the following day at the nearest affiliated garage, eliminating the need to queue at a fitting depot and ensuring that the type of tyre needed is never out of stock. The stock is sent to the garages from the company’s stores. The savings to customer can be as much as 60 per cent of normal tyre price.

“The old way of doing it is a huge waste of time and effort ”

The automobile has been our friend ever since the Frenchman, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, built the first car in the year 1769. It was a steam powered, three wheeled vehicle with a top speed of six kilometers per hour that was built in the French Arsenal for the purpose of moving cannons.

Cars have come a long way since then and a lot has changed about them but one thing remains the same; They save us a lot of tread on our shoes. Unfortunately, they do use some tread on their tires, and to safely drive your car, you need to add fresh tires on occasion. When the time for new tires arrives, it is time to get the bet price by shopping for a car tires quote at various dealers.

What Should Your Quote Include?

The first thing to look for in any car tires quote is the number of tires included in the quote. Does the quote include a whole set of tires and, if so, does it include the fifth tire for a fresh spare or is the quote merely on a per tire basis. Paying attention to what may seem a trivial detail in your car tires quote here can save you a lot of money and trouble down the road.

The next thing to consider is the tread type to be used on the vehicle you are getting a car tires quote for. Do you travel mainly on paved streets or muddy back roads? Do you live in an area that rarely sees rain or do you look out your second story window and stare a Sherpa in the eye?

The conditions you travel in effect your choice of tires and treads and will thus change your car tires quote accordingly. A set of street radials may have a very sweet looking price tag but paying the towing service to pull you out of a snow drift every few days would probably show you that the mud and snow tires might have been a better value.

Another very important thing to look for in a car tires quote is the cost of labor and warranties. Does the price include removing your old tires, mounting and balancing the new tires and installing them on your vehicle?

Is there a fee to leave your old tires with the shop for disposal or a surcharge to take them with you for your own disposal? Is there a road hazard policy covering such things as punctures and flat repair or warranties against blow outs or defects?

In conclusion, shopping for car tires quotes does require a bit of research and asking questions of your prospective dealer but you will find that the investment of time you make while researching car tires quotes will pay off with a great deal on your new tires and the added safety it will provide for you and your loved ones.

It goes without saying that damage caused by injury or in the worst instance, loss of life, is the most detrimental result of any accident.

And yet with all of these facts and opportunities for change emerging through road safety and public awareness campaigns we still maintain an extremely high level of apathy about what constitutes basic road safety in terms of the four points of contact between a motorist, his or her passengers and the road below.”

So take heed of the road ahead today and have a look at those tyres. The option to avoid trouble ahead depends now on what you decide to do next.

John Winam is an expert author and has contributed various articles related to automotive industry.

If you want to find out more about car quotes please visit http://www.carquotecritic.com

Cars have come a long way since then and a lot has changed about them but one thing remains the same; They save us a lot of tread on our shoes. Unfortunately, they do use some tread on their tires, and to safely drive your car, you need to add fresh tires on occasion. When the time for new tires arrives, it is time to get the bet price by shopping for a car tires quote at various dealers.

Reader Comment: It’s all about getting the best deals possible, you must always get more than one quote.
What Should Your Quote Include?

The first thing to look for in any car tires quote is the number of tires included in the quote. Does the quote include a whole set of tires and, if so, does it include the fifth tire for a fresh spare or is the quote merely on a per tire basis. Paying attention to what may seem a trivial detail in your car tires quote here can save you a lot of money and trouble down the road.

Reader Comment: Always make sure the number of tires are in the quote, this is very important.

The next thing to consider is the tread type to be used on the vehicle you are getting a car tires quote for. Do you travel mainly on paved streets or muddy back roads?

Do you live in an area that rarely sees rain or do you look out your second story window and stare a Sherpa in the eye? The conditions you travel in effect your choice of tires and treads and will thus change your car tires quote accordingly.

A set of street radials may have a very sweet looking price tag but paying the towing service to pull you out of a snow drift every few days would probably show you that the mud and snow tires might have been a better value.

My comment on this is that in choosing the tread of the tire you must know the area you live in , if you live in a dry area, don’t need a tought tread.

Another very important thing to look for in a car tires quote is the cost of labor and warranties. Does the price include removing your old tires, mounting and balancing the new tires and installing them on your vehicle?

Is there a fee to leave your old tires with the shop for disposal or a surcharge to take them with you for your own disposal? Is there a road hazard policy covering such things as punctures and flat repair or warranties against blow outs or defects?

The cost of labour and warranties are the costs that can come back and be very costly.
In conclusion, shopping for car tires quotes does require a bit of research and asking questions of your prospective dealer but you will find that the investment of time you make while researching car tires quotes will pay off with a great deal on your new tires and the added safety it will provide for you and your loved ones.

So in choosing tires, make sure you do all your research about the the tire types, the area you live in and all the other costs that are hidden, this is very important in getting the right tire that doesn’t you.

Reader Question: I have a 1997 Subaru Outback, which is all wheel drive. I ran over a screw and punctured my tire.

I went to a national chain tire place and they said that the wall of my tire was busted out as well from driving on it with too little air pressure and that I would have to buy all 4 tires because Subaru’s shouldn’t be driven on with unequal tire treads.

Is this true or are they just trying to squeeze me for more money?

Thanks for your time,

Sincerely

Jasmin

Hey Jasmin,

Find another tire store! You should try to match the existing tire patterns on the other tires as best as you can just to prevent an unwanted tire “pull” to one side. If you cannot match the patterns CLOSLY (just get close, they do not have to be perfect) you can put the new oddball tire on the rear of the vehicle.

You want to have the best tires on the front, because the front two tires do the majority of the stopping power. I would also question their opinion about the sidewall damage after they told you about the other story! You might just need a tire repair. But there is not much profit in that is there.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question: My 1995 Ford Contour front end shakes whenever weight is relieved of the front end. I notice this only when coming over a hill or small bridge that causes the tires to have the least weight on them. It does it on little valleys in the road as well.

However, it is not constant, and some days its worse than others. It feels like it comes from the passenger’s side front tire. It did this for several weeks now, and I just had new tires installed 3 weeks ago and rebalanced. Did not fix the problem.

Sincerely,

Michael

Hey Michael,

I was just about to tell you I suspect a bad tire or an out of round tire, and then I read your last line where you mentioned you just replaced the tires with no change.

I would have your mechanic raise the car up on a lift, while the vehicle is driven 35-MPH or whatever speed you notice the problem most.

There will be no weight on the vehicle so you should be able to see the problem pretty quickly. I would suspect a problem with the CV drive shaft on the side with the problem…just my guess.

I would rotate the tires front to rear just to rule out the possibility of a tire or balance problem.

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Question My company car is a 2005 Taurus, just got 4 new tires about 20,000 miles ago. Now both rear tires are completely bald, front are still like new, is it possible the car has been wrecked and has frame problems? What would cause the rear tires to wear out so fast?

Thanks,

Danny

Danny,

If the rear tires have always been on the rear and they are worn-out…yes, you probably have an alignment type of issue. A 4-wheel alignment will be able to tell you what is wrong. The rear tire don’t move but in one direction so tire wear is really not that much of an issue unless something is bent or out of adjustment.

Blessings,
Austin Davis