Clay Dooley Tire & Auto - Champaign
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How to Choose the Right Tire

Tires are the only point of contact between your vehicle and the road. They also support the weight of the vehicle. Tires play a vital role in ensuring your car is safe to be driven. Selecting the right tires for your vehicle is an important task. Get it wrong, and you can jeopardize your car's performance and its ability to tackle any type of weather. Car tires usually need to be replaced every three or four years. Your tires must handle a wide variety of climatic conditions, so you need to make sure to buy tires that will perform not only in your most common climate conditions but also in the most extreme conditions that you will face. Choosing the tires that will serve your needs best involves determining the kinds of driving you’re doing, the type of vehicle you own, and the weather conditions you regularly experience. When shopping for new tires, it is imperative that you choose tires ... read more

How to Choose the Right Tire

How to Choose the Right Tire
The Importance of Tire Rotations

A crucial factor in your vehicle’s health, efficiency and performance is getting regular tire rotations. A tire rotation is when the tires of your vehicle are moved from one position on the vehicle to another. The front tires will move to the rear and the rear tires will move to the front, typically in a cross-diagonal direction, meaning they will also change sides. Your vehicle carries more weight at the front, so front tires will typically wear out faster. Tire rotation is done to prevent the uneven wear this can cause and to prolong the life of your tires. Your tires should be rotated at the same interval you get an oil change. The guidelines in your vehicle’s owner manual offer timing as well as the best rotation pattern for your vehicle and type of tires. The tires are the only part of the car which make direct contact with the road and influence your vehicle handling, ride, braking and safety. For optimum performance, tires must have the correct air pressure, tread depth, balan ... read more

The Importance of Tire Rotations

The Importance of Tire Rotations
What to Know About Nitrogen-Filled Tires

Keeping your tires properly inflated is a key to getting the maximum fuel efficiency from your vehicle. Properly inflated tires also reduce tread wear, improve your car’s stopping distance, and decrease the chances of a blowout. Nitrogen-filled tires are said to have the benefit of keeping your tires inflated longer than the standard compressed air tires. The air in your tires eventually escape through the tire’s inner liner, but nitrogen-filled tires take a longer time. Routine maintenance is critical to long tire life, and proper tire pressure will ensure the good health of your tires. The greatest benefit that nitrogen-filled tires are said to provide is keeping your vehicle’s tires inflated longer, which saves you money at the pump. Even so, researchers have concluded that although nitrogen will slow down tire inflation loss, you’ll still need to check and top off your air roughly every other month to stay within the ideal inflation range. Nitrogen-filled Tires FAQ Q: Will I get b ... read more

What to Know About Nitrogen-Filled Tires

What to Know About Nitrogen-Filled Tires
How to Know You Need a Wheel Alignment

Wheel alignment is the process of adjusting the angles of the wheels on your vehicle to the specifications of your vehicle manufacturer. When your vehicle was built, the wheels were perfectly positioned to the manufacturer’s ideal specifications, but over time your vehicle loses its alignment. Misalignment issues can lead to serious safety and performance issues and costly repairs. A wheel alignment service will optimize the various angles of your wheels to each other, and to the road. Aligning your wheels requires the vehicle to be placed on a wheel alignment machine. This machine uses specific measurements to allow the technician to set and adjust the suspension components back to the factory specifications. The common alignment angles are camber, caster, and toe. These angles become misaligned due to potholes, hitting curbs, speed bumps, being in an accident and other driving hazards. So, how do you know when your vehicle requires a wheel alignment? The Most Common Indications You ... read more

How to Know You Need a Wheel Alignment

How to Know You Need a Wheel Alignment
Benefits of a Clean Auto Air Filter

Did you know that changing your air filter can increase your car's fuel efficiency and prolong its engine life? The air filter's job is to deliver 10,000 gallons of clean air to the engine for every gallon of gas burned to enter the engine. Though it's only one small component among the many that make your car run, the air filter plays a big role in how your car runs and how long it runs. Car engines need an equal amount of fuel and clean air in order to run efficiently and smoothly. To make sure that your engine receives only the cleanest air and prevents damage from small dirt and particles, air filters for cars are installed. The major benefits of keeping your auto air filter clean are: Better Fuel Economy — If your car doesn't get enough air, your car will consume more fuel than it otherwise would. Your air filter plays a role in how efficiently your vehicle uses fuel. A clean air filter will help your car go farther on a tank of gas than it would with a dirty ... read more

Benefits of a Clean Auto Air Filter

Benefits of a Clean Auto Air Filter
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