Melloy Dodge: April 2017

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Tire Blowouts: Why They Happen and How You Can Avoid Them

With the outside temperature rising and drivers traveling farther distances, with heavily loaded vehicles, blowouts are bound to happen. How can you prevent it from happening to you? Typically, a blowout occurs as the result of wear, a factory defect, overloading, or most often, underinflation. The service department at Melloy Dodge is experienced in handling any type of vehicle repair, including replacing tires that have failed. Here’s our advice on how to avoid a blowout:

Don’t drive with underinflated tires. Without proper air pressure, your tires are working harder than necessary. Underinflated tires put more strain on the side-wall, generating heat, and ultimately malfunction. Read your vehicle’s owner’s manual, or check the inside of your driver’s side doorjamb for the proper air pressure your tires require. Check your tire pressure regularly and do not over or underinflate – stick with your automaker’s recommended psi.

Don’t overload your vehicle. Summer vacation season is approaching and more drivers will be traveling with their families. You may have suitcases, camping gear, and other items to take with you as you drive to your destination, but be careful to over-pack. Consult your owner’s manual to see what your vehicle’s Gross Vehicular Weight Rating is and be sure not to exceed it.

Drive carefully. Slamming into a pothole, curb or debris in the road is never a good idea, but it’s especially harmful to your tires. Sometimes hitting a pothole or other road hazard will cut through the rubber and cause a blowout immediately, other times, the damage won’t show up until later. Either way, it’s important to drive safely at all times.

Taking good care of your tires and driving carefully go a long way in preventing tire failure. This summer, drive safely and avoid tire failure. If your tires do fail, see our guide on how to replace a flat, and visit the Melloy Dodge service center for any needed repairs and maintenance.

Friday, April 21, 2017

How to Change a Flat Tire

You’re driving along and your steering suddenly feels strange, or your car slows down for no reason, or you a hear a weird noise. Perhaps you ran over a nail. Perhaps your tire was blown out after running over a pothole or debris in the road. Whatever the case, after you’ve pulled over, your first instinct may be to reach for your cell phone and call roadside assistance. Roadside assistance is great, but there’s always the chance that a flat tire will strike when you’re out of range, or don’t have access to a cell phone! Knowing how to change a tire is a valuable skill for all drivers to have! If you don’t

already know how, the service

team at Melloy Dodge is here to offer some tips and instructions!

First of all, before you ever have to change your tire, make sure you have the right tools in your vehicle. Your vehicle should be equipped for any emergency flat, be sure to have a properly inflated spare tire, a jack, a lug wrench, and your vehicle’s owner’s manual. It’s also helpful to have a pair of gloves, a rain poncho and a flashlight in case a flat occurs at night or in adverse weather. You’ll also need wheel wedges and small cut of wood to secure the tire jack.

When your tire is flat, you first want to turn on your hazard lights to signal to other drivers that you have an emergency, doing so will help avoid an accident. Find a level, straight stretch of road with a wide shoulder to pull over. Use your parking brake to ensure that your vehicle doesn’t roll. Now you’re ready to change your tire:

Apply the wheel wedges against the tires opposite of the flat.
Remove the hubcap or wheel cover. Use the flat end of the lug wrench to pry the cover off. If your lug nuts are exposed, you can skip this step.
Loosen the lug nuts with the lug wrench. Do not remove them while still on the ground!
Place the jack under the vehicle. Follow the instructions in your owner’s manual for safe placement of the jack, and then raise your vehicle with the jack until the flat tire is about six inches off the ground.
NOW you can remove the lug nuts. Since they’ve already been loosened, this step should be easy. This step, as well as the next two steps should be performed quickly, if the car slips off the jack, you can be seriously hurt.
Remove the flat tire. Grip it gently by the treads and pull it toward you. Set it on its side so it doesn’t roll away.
Align the spare with the exposed lug bolts and push it into place. This should be done quickly, but be careful not to rock the car.
Replace the lug nuts and slightly tighten with the wrench. Be sure the tapered ends of the lug nuts are closest to your vehicle.
Lower the jack carefully. Once the spare touches the ground, remove the jack.
Now you can tighten the lug nuts with the wrench. Alternate, don’t tighten lug nuts that are right next to each other right after each other. Make sure they’re really tight!
Replace the hubcap or wheel cover.
Check the pressure on your spare, make sure it’s safe!

Now you’re a tire-changing expert! The whole process shouldn’t take longer than half an hour. You might find it helpful to practice changing a tire at home in the safety of your garage, just to be sure you’re prepared. Melloy Dodge wants to remind you that when you have to change your tires, safety should always be a priority. Keep road and traffic conditions, weather conditions, and passenger safety in mind at all times! And if you ever need maintenance or service, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with the Melloy Dodge Service Center!

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Here's What You Need to Know About Tire Pressure

Getting the most out of your Dodge or RAM requires that you maintain the correct tire pressure. Tire inflation can impact fuel economy and overall performance of your vehicle, but how do you know if your tires are inflated properly? Is underinflation really that bad? And what happens when your tires are overinflated? Here’s what you need to know about tire pressure.

Seasonal weather pattern changes lead to changes in tire pressure. When temperatures drop, air compresses, leading to underinflated tires. Even a small pressure loss can affect your vehicle’s handling and performance. Vehicles with underinflated tires experience a loss of steering precision and cornering stability, as well as decreased fuel economy. For every one psi drop in pressure, your gas mileage is lowered by 0.4%! Low tire pressure can also increase the likelihood of tire tread separation. If tread separation occurs while driving, you can completely lose control of your vehicle!

So, if underinflated tires lead to more difficult handling, some reason that overinflating their tires will provide more responsive handling and better fuel efficiency, but this is not the case. Overinflated tires are more susceptible to damage caused by driving over potholes or debris in the road. When tires are overinflated, the center of the tire wears out at a faster pace than the outer edges, they might only last half as long as they would if inflated properly. Check your tire pressure often, as over-inflation is common during warmer months when air expands.

To get the most out of your vehicle, it’s important to maintain the proper tire pressure. Most automakers specify their recommended tire pressure, you can find this on a sticker in the doorjamb or in your owner’s manual. The manufacturer suggested tire pressure is based on extensive tests and analyses for each specific model. Never judge tire pressure by just eyeballing the tire, check your tires with a quality air gauge, at least once a month. It’s more difficult to control a vehicle with underinflated tires, and tires that are overinflated wear out quickly, so be sure to stick with your vehicle’s manufacturer recommended psi, no higher, no lower. Get the most out of your Dodge or RAM, and if you ever need maintenance or service, be sure to contact the Melloy Dodge service department for fast and professional repairs or maintenance.