Healthy tires from a reliable tire shop make for happy travels. The condition of your tires affects nearly every part of your driving experience, from cornering stability to fuel efficiency to overall safety. Above all, properly maintained tires are essential to keeping your vehicle safe and predictable on the road. That’s why if you value the longevity of your vehicle, it’s important to keep your tires in great condition. Whether you’re performing quick at-home inspections or scouting for replacements, you need to invest in your vehicle's tire health. more That’s why we decided to help drivers by putting together a short guide explaining the importance of tire health, and a few ways to help protect your vehicle and get the most out of your tires. This includes tire rotations, tire balancing and alignment, and when to replace your tires. These tips can help you get the most out of your vehicle and your tires. Why Maintaining Your Tires Is Important Maintaining your tires can significantly increase your vehicle's value and condition. It has a ripple effect on many other aspects of the vehicle, including the control arms, suspension, brakes, fuel economy, and even steering. Good tires can help reduce service costs over a period of time, whereas tires that are not well-maintained can end up costing you more over a longer period of time. Poorly maintained tires can contribute to uneven wear, alignment issues, and additional strain on suspension and steering components. Over time, this can make your vehicle feel unstable and harder to control. When a vehicle pulls or drifts, drivers often compensate by braking or correcting the steering more frequently, which can accelerate component wear and increase overall maintenance costs. Tires can also impact your fuel economy. If the vehicle is veering more in one direction than the other, you may not only find yourself braking more frequently, but also applying more gas to compensate for the increased braking, wearing down components, and expending more fuel. As a result, you may end up finding yourself racking up a large maintenance bill, all because of your tires. That’s why it’s important to maintain your vehicle’s tires. Even if all you do is short, quick errands around town, or you have a smaller vehicle, keeping your tires maintained is still beneficial for getting the most longevity out of your ride. This applies doubly so to larger vehicles, where worn tires can quickly cause other parts to degrade if left unattended, especially for SUVs, vans, or trucks used frequently for towing and hauling. The Benefits of Rotating Your Tires Rotating your tires is one of the best ways to preserve their longevity and get the most out of them. This is especially true if you’re doing a lot of commuting and travel during the warmer seasons, when tires are more likely to wear down more quickly due to higher temperatures and higher speeds. Regular tire rotation extends tread life and helps maintain consistent handling and stability. Tire rotation patterns vary depending on your vehicle’s drivetrain and tire type, but the goal is the same: to distribute wear evenly across all four tires. This gives you extra balance in terms of wear and how the vehicle handles, because if you’re frequently driving in areas where you make more left-hand or more right-hand turns, it can create uneven wear on one side of the vehicle over the other. This can cause the vehicle to veer toward the side where you turn more frequently. Rotating the tires can balance tire wear, so you can get more use from them. It’s generally advised to have your tires rotated at a tire shop every six months or so, depending on how much you drive and where you drive. If your vehicle is used for light driving here and there, you may not need to rotate the tires as often. However, if you do a lot of long commutes, daily city driving, and stop-and-go driving at highway speeds with frequent turns, you’ll want to rotate the tires more frequently. Why You Need to Keep Your Wheels Balanced Proper wheel balancing ensures a smooth ride, reducing vibration and preventing unnecessary strain on suspension components. This should always be done when mounting a tire to a wheel. It usually doesn’t need to be rebalanced again until another tire is installed, but rare situations can throw your wheels out of balance prematurely. Tires are made smooth and round, but may not be perfectly balanced from one side to the other. The valve stem that lets you inflate the tire also adds a small amount of weight. A tire balancing machine spins the wheel, determines where the imbalance is, and how much weight the imbalance is, typically a fraction of an ounce. The tire tech then installs small weights to the wheel to counteract this imbalance, then tests the wheel again. When the reading is zero, the tire is balanced and may be installed on the vehicle. Occasionally, one of these weights may pop off the wheel, perhaps over a big bump. This can cause wheel vibration and require it to be rebalanced. On wintry roads, snow and ice can sometimes stick to the wheel, also causing an imbalance. In this case, the solution may be as simple as warmer temperatures to melt it or scraping snow and ice out from inside the wheel. When to Replace Your Tires You’ll want to replace your tires once the tread has worn down to about 4/32 of an inch. You don’t need specialized equipment to monitor tread wear; simple visual inspections can often reveal when replacement is necessary. Modern vehicles come with tire wear bars, which give you a good indication of when your tires need to be replaced. If the tread is worn down to the bar indicator, which sits at 2/32 of an inch, it’s high time to replace the tires at a dedicated tire shop that carries the right kind for your vehicle. There are other ways to check for tire wear as well. A measuring tape works. There is also the penny trick, where you place a penny upside down into the tread of the tire and see if the tread is worn down below Lincoln’s head. If that is the case, then it’s time to replace the tire. Typically, the legal limit is 2/32 of an inch of tread left before it needs to be replaced. It’s generally advised to replace the tire when it is at 4/32 of an inch, as it gives you some room to replace it without risking riding on a bald tire, which can result in drifting, pulling, or hydroplaning if left unattended. Need Help Shopping for Your Next Set of Tires? If you’re searching for a tire shop with a wide selection of tires in the correct size and rating for your vehicle, LaFontaine Chevrolet Plymouth is ready to help. We offer dedicated tire service, repair, and alignment, ensuring you get the most life from your tires and maintain your vehicle's health. Use these tips to protect your investment, and when you’re ready for professional service, schedule an appointment with our service center to keep your vehicle performing at its best. You can also easily reach out to us, and we can answer any questions you might have regarding your tires, balancing, alignment, and more.
Why CarBravo and BudgetBravo Can Make Purchasing Used a Stress-Free Experience
If you're on the lookout for a used car dealer, you might have noticed some dealerships refer to the CarBravo and BudgetBravo programs. You'll certainly see it as you're browsing our dealership's website, as we're proud to partner with them. A dealership that features CarBravo and BravoBudget vehicles is offering you a tremendous opportunity to get a good deal on a good pre-owned car. more When you see these terms, you should know that the used vehicles you're looking at will be coming with extra care and thorough warranties. If you buy a CarBravo or BravoBudget ride, you'll have much more confidence in your purchase. You'll be sailing home in your used Camaro or Tahoe without concern. Let's explore why these programs instill such confidence in buyers, as well as our CarBravo and BravoBudget offerings. We know you will be thrilled with the many advantages they offer. What Exactly are CarBravo and BravoBudget? CarBravo and BravoBudget are GM's Certified Pre-Owned programs, designed to instill extra security for buyers hunting for a used vehicle who also want more confidence. You won't worry about a vehicle's history, nor will you be concerned that it hasn't had proper upkeep. GM's programs are designed to make you feel confident behind the wheel of your pre-owned purchase. Many who visit us love that we offer vehicles through these programs. In fact, we can report that customers who didn't initially plan to buy used sometimes end up doing so when they see what CarBravo and BravoBudget provide. These programs are so thorough that even the pickiest of drivers ends up feeling happy going with a CarBravo option. What Advantages Come With CarBravo? You get a slew of benefits if you opt for a CarBravo vehicle. Let's say you're looking for a used Chevy Silverado to upgrade your recreational life or elevate your labor. Going for one that is CarBravo will give you the following advantages: 126 Multi-Point Inspection: This rigorous inspection means your vehicle has been examined with a fine-tooth comb for any possible issues. Less than 10 years old: While your vehicle will be used, it will still be a relatively recent model, offering modern technology advantages you can enjoy. Under 100,000 miles: Your CarBravo vehicle won't have a large amount of miles on it, meaning it has ample life to give you in the years to come. Checked for recalls: Are you worried about buying a used car only to find out that there's been a recall on it? That's not going to happen if you go for a CarBravo-approved vehicle. We’ll handle any recall work before we put it up for sale. CARFAX Report: This provides a full history of your vehicle's life. OnStar and Sirius trials: You get one complimentary month of OnStar and three months of Sirius Radio. Ten-day/500-mile vehicle exchange program: If you're unhappy with your selection, you can exchange it for another within ten days or 500 miles of your purchase. Think of it like an extended test drive. These benefits allow you to find a vehicle that you have total confidence in. You won't worry about past use or recall history. Instead, you'll just be able to enjoy your time behind the wheel of your pre-owned CarBravo purchase. CarBravo Warranty Coverage A CarBravo purchase also includes stellar warranty coverage. If you buy that Silverado we mentioned, you'll be going home with expansive coverage. With CarBravo, you will get a limited bumper-to-bumper warranty for 12 months/12,000 miles. There is no deductible, either. Both gas and diesel engines will fall under the warranty, along with your transmission and other driving systems. However, CarBravo goes beyond the main automotive ingredients. You get air conditioner coverage, for instance, and brake coverage. If you purchase an electric vehicle, you'll get EV and regenerative braking coverage, too, so an EV option is always in the cards. Bumper-to-bumper means just that: everything between the bumpers is covered. Twenty-four-hour roadside assistance is also included. Making a claim under your warranty is easy. You can visit the dealership you purchased your CarBravo vehicle from, of course, but you can also just pay a visit to any dealership that is associated with GM's program. These are just a few other ways that purchasing a CarBravo-certified vehicle gives you peace of mind. Ease of Purchase With CarBravo In addition to the advantages above, CarBravo also makes purchasing very simple. Our sales representatives are more than happy to chat with you and provide the guidance you deserve. They'll consider your driving lifestyle and then point you in the right direction so you have a vehicle that elevates your automotive life. With CarBravo, you can buy online by clicking the CarBravo link under our Used banner on our site. You don't have to leave your couch to find your vehicle. You can even have at-home test drives and complimentary delivery of your vehicle once you purchase it. You can also take advantage of a trade-in. You can sell us your current ride and use it to cover part or all of your down payment. Our customers are huge fans of the flexibility this offers, in addition to the discount they already receive by purchasing used. CarBravo offers many ways to help you save so you can drive better while still feeling financially secure. The Lowdown on BravoBudget BravoBudget is very similar to CarBravo, but covers older vehicles that may have more miles. This works well for customers on a strict budget, and it also works well for buyers who prefer older-style models. After all, just because a model is new doesn't mean it will fit your sense of style. Like CarBravo, BravoBudget offers a wide range of advantages. Models are 10 to 15 years old and must have fewer than 150,000 miles. Every BravoBudget vehicle undergoes a 62-point inspection. As with CarBravo, a CARFAX report is included, and recalls have been checked and resolved. When you buy an older model that is BravoBudget certified, you can still buy with confidence. While not as expansive as the warranty CarBravo offers, BravoBudget vehicles also include a powertrain warranty that covers the engine, transmission, and drivetrain. The BravoBudget warranty is shorter than the CarBravo warranty, covering 30 days/1,000 miles. Roadside assistance is also included in case of emergencies. If you're purchasing an older GM vehicle, you'll still know you are initially covered for the essentials. Enhancing the Used Car Experience CarBravo and BravoBudget exist to make purchasing a used vehicle a pleasure, not an uncertainty. No matter what you're buying, whether it's a massive Silverado or a smaller sedan like the Malibu, you'll be going home knowing you made a smart purchase if you buy with one of these certified programs. At our dealership, we are always invested in our customers having a positive, stress-free experience. That's why we are proud to feature vehicles that fall under the CarBravo and BravoBudget spectrum. We update our inventory often, so check our website regularly to see what has newly arrived for you to take for a test drive. If you have any further questions about these GM-certified programs, do not hesitate to ask us.