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Thom's Four Wheel Drive

Category Archives: Tires and Wheels

Buying the Right Tires and Wheels in CHICAGO, Illinois

Everyone in CHICAGO, Illinois eventually replaces their tires, whether it's because they're worn out or they're just looking for something different. There are so many great tire choices in CHICAGO, it can be difficult to sort them out. Let's group the broad spectrum into several categories that will help in the selection process.One category is often referred to as "summer tires". Summer tires are designed to be driven on the road when temperatures are generally above 45 degrees F (7 degrees C). Their tread design is optimized for traction on dry roads around Illinois and they're also able to effectively displace water on rainy roads.So if you live where its summer all year round, these tires will work well for you. If you like maximum performance in warm weather, but still live where it gets cold and snowy, you'll want to change your summer tires for winter tires as the weather starts to change.There's a range of tires within the winter tire category. If you live where there's a lot ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

Helping CHICAGO Drivers Get the Right Tires

Every CHICAGO vehicle owner has to purchase tires at some time or another, so it's a good idea to understand what the choices are. The best seasonal performance is achieved by purchasing tires to match the season you are driving in. Summer tires are designed for hot temperatures. The tread is engineered for good traction on dry or rainy Illinois roads. But the rubber compound in summer tires gets stiff when temperatures drop below 45°F (7°C), and snow and mud can pack into the tread, reducing the traction of the tire.Winter tires are designed for good traction on snowy surfaces. The tread actually throws snow off of the tire as the wheel turns. The rubber compound in a winter tire is soft so that it will remain flexible at temperatures below 45°F (7°C). At higher temperatures, however, the softer rubber wears down rapidly.All-season tires sacrifice some of the extreme performance of summer or winter tires, but they maintain adequate traction in either type of CHICAGO w ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

Treat Your Vehicle to Good Tires at Thom's Four Wheel Drive

When we shop for shoes, most of us know that we can get two pairs of cheap shoes or one good pair for about the same price. And since the two cheap pairs wear out in about the same time as the good pair, there really is no difference in cost. If you like having a closet full of shoes to match your moods and outfits, then cheap shoes can be what you want. But if you spend a lot of time on your feet, you probably know that cheap shoes can come with an added cost of sore feet and other foot ailments. When you add in the benefits of comfort and protection, the more expensive shoes are actually the better value.Buying tires at Thom's Four Wheel Drive in CHICAGO is a lot like buying shoes, except that CHICAGO vehicles don't have changeable apparel and don't need a closet full of tires to match. Vehicles spend a lot of time on their tires—all the time, in fact—so they need tires that can stand up to the job. Tires are work sho ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

The Fallacy of Cheap Tires

Do you ever shop for shoes in one of our American Fork area shoe stores?When buying a running shoe, is quality important?Does durability matter as long as the shoes look fabulous?Would you rather have one pair of long lasting shoes or two pair of lower quality shoes at the same price?Is the warranty important when buying tires?When you choose new tires in CHICAGO, what's the most important factor for you? Give us a call at Thom's Four Wheel Drive at 7735775701 for tire recommendations. You know, buying tires in CHICAGO is a big deal. It's a big ticket item so you know you'll be spending a lot. You're not only concerned about the price, but you want to know that it'll be a long time before you need to buy new tires again.And of course there's the safety aspect as well. The tires do a lot of work – they carry the weight of the vehicle and you and your passengers. They need to be up to the task. You want to ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

Shake It up in CHICAGO!: Why Wheel Balancing

Our vehicles are not massage chairs. While we may enjoy a good vibration in an overstuffed recliner, we generally want as smooth a ride as possible in our vehicles. One way to achieve this is to keep a vehicle's wheels in balance. When a tire is mounted onto a wheel, it is usually out of balance. This means that as the wheel spins, there is a slight wobble to the path of the tire. For best handling performance and safety on the road, CHICAGO drivers want to minimize this wobble as much as possible. So we balance our tires. To balance a tire, your technician at Thom's Four Wheel Drive spins it on a machine or drum to determine where it is off-balance. He then attaches weights that counter-balance the uneven weight. Most people in CHICAGO are surprised at how much balancing improves the smoothness of their ride. High-quality tires generally hold their balance well. But over time, wear and tear take their toll and tires can become unbalanced. CHICAGO drivers can tel ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

Wheel Balancing at Thom's Four Wheel Drive

So you love your job, and your family life is great. Congratulations! You have achieved balance. But can you say the same for your wheels? CHICAGO drivers can tell if their tires are out of balance by vibrations at higher speeds on Illinois roads. If one of the front tires is out, you feel the vibration in the steering wheel. If it's a back tire, you'll feel the vibration in your seat.Tires and wheels are pretty heavy. When a tire is mounted on a wheel at Thom's Four Wheel Drive, it is usually not perfectly balanced. So the technician will spin the tire on a machine to determine where it's too heavy. He will then place weights on the wheels in strategic locations to balance it out. When a tire is out of balance, it actually bounces down the road instead of rolling smoothly. Since the average size tire rotates at about 850 revolutions per minute at 60 mph/97 kph, it is actually slamming into the pavement 14 times a second. That's where you get your vibration.Most people in CHICAGO are ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

Below 45 Degrees in CHICAGO: Consider Winter Tires

Remember snow tires? They were basically just regular tires with big, knobby lugs to get them through deep snow. They were loud and rode hard, and CHICAGO drivers couldn't wait to get them off the car. Then along came television advertisements for “all-season” radials. Illinois drivers ran out and bought some and we thought we were done with snow tires forever.Tires have come a long way since then. Modern winter tires sold in the CHICAGO area are much better designed for the wide range of conditions that come with Illinois winter weather. They are made with a rubber compound that helps them stay flexible in cold weather. Regular tires become hard and stiff at CHICAGO temperatures below 45°F (7° C) which reduces their traction. That's a concern in winter, especially with snowy or wet conditions. But it also means that CHICAGO drivers are better off with winter tires in cold weather even when it's dry.The tread design on winter tires has been improved to move snow, s ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

Tire Replacement: What CHICAGO Drivers Need to Know

Looking at getting some new tires? Maybe the real reason for wanting those off-highway tires is that they look cool. Well there's nothing wrong with that. If you make sure that you've got your functional needs covered with your selection, then you can have some fun with where you go from there.Let's suppose you zip around CHICAGO in a sporty car. You may like to run a high-performance summer tire when the weather's good. When Illinois weather turns cold, you can put on high-performance winter tires. For the kind of driving you like to do, you want full-on performance tires. All-season tires are naturally a compromise that works well for most CHICAGO drivers, but since you have a choice, go for dedicated summer and winter tires.When it's time for new tires, visit with a knowledgeable Thom's Four Wheel Drive tire professional. Describe your needs and wants. He'll come up with some selections for you to discuss. And once you settle on a type of tire, there are options for special needs ... read more

Categories:

Tires and Wheels

Getting the Right Tires and Wheels in CHICAGO

A lot of people get custom wheels in CHICAGO. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you're not careful. Sometimes, once they're mounted, they just don't fit right. The tires rub in turns or on bumps. You don't want that. Consulting your Thom's Four Wheel Drive tire professional can ensure you get the right fit. First he'll ask you a series of questions about your CHICAGO driving needs and what you want in your new wheels. Now, not every wheel can go on every car. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside so the tires rub.If you don't want to make any modifications to your vehicle, you would need to focus on the wheels that would fit. With trucks, some people in CHICAGO like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.Also, most CHICAGO drivers don't realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of yo ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

CHICAGO Safety Systems: Tire Pressure Monitoring System

CHICAGO Safety Systems: Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Flats, blow outs, skids and longer stopping distances can all be the result of driving around CHICAGO on underinflated tires. Admittedly, it's hard to tell when a radial tire is underinflated. If your vehicle manufacturer recommends 35 pounds of pressure, your vehicle tires are considered significantly underinflated at 26 pounds. The tire may not look low until it gets below 20 pounds.New laws require all vehicles to include a tire pressure monitor system, or TPMS. This technology has been used by race car drivers for years. They are able to head off problems from underinflation by closely monitoring tire pressure on the track. It's up to your vehicle's manufacturer to determine which of many TPMS systems available they'll use to comply with the law.Obviously, all of this doesn't come free for CHICAGO drivers. Government studies have estimated the net costs. Of course, the TPMS system itself will cost something. Maintaining the sys ... read more

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Tires and Wheels
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