So when did compact spare tires start being used? If you guessed early 20th century then you are way off. Although spare tires are common in modern vehicles, the first automobiles didn't actually have spare tires at all, let alone compact spare tires. One of the leading car manufacturers in the early 1900's -- the Thomas B. Jeffery Company -- was the first automaker to began outfitting their passenger automobile with a spare tires. In 1909 Rambler introduced their latest vehicle, the Ramble 44, [...more]

What really is the best time of day to drive in the summer? It might seem like a strange question, but the truth is that every season of the year has conditions which people should take into consideration when choosing the best time to drive. Probably the most important factor to consider when selecting the best time of day to drive in the summer, or any season for that matter, is the local traffic conditions. Choosing the best time of day to drive in a densely populated area like California [...more]

Wheel spacers and wheel adapters are invaluable when installing custom wheels and tires, but what are wheel spacers and adapters, and what are the benefits of wheel spacers and adapters? Wheel Spacers Typically used to install larger tires, wheel spacers are devices that fit over a vehicle's holding bracket to create extra clearance between the wheel and the wheel hub assembly. In other words, wheel spacers increase the offset or the distance between the wheel and the wheel hub assembly. Whe [...more]

Planning on using what’s left of the summer to go on an awesome road trip? Before you set off there are a few things that everyone should know to have the best and safest trip possible. Our smart road trip tips can save you time, your sanity, and even your life. If you are traveling with young children on any trip longer than a couple hours then do yourself and any other adult passengers you might be traveling with a favor and get a portable DVD player. The clichéd question of "Are we there yet [...more]

How many wheels does a fire truck have? Before answering that question it's important to explore the history of the fire truck.  Unbeknownst to many, the fire truck actually predates the automobile. It seems a little strange, but it’s true, the first fire engines were used as early as the 16th century. The first engines were used in Germany and were really nothing more than water pump on wheels, not unlike a portable water well. In 1721, an English inventor by the name of Richard Newsham paten [...more]

Summer is a great time for all sorts of fun activities like drag racing, road trips, or even watching a drive-in movie with that special someone. While summer is not quite as complicated as the winter there still are a few things to keep in mind if you’re planning on spending a lot of time driving during the summer. Every year thousands of people go on road trips in the summer; people drive for hours and sometimes days just to visit the beach or attend their favorite band’s concert. If you are [...more]

California Summers are known for three things: hot cars, cool beaches, and good food. For the past few years Performance Plus Tire has been bringing all of these great things together at the Annual Summer Barbeque and Cruise Night in Long Beach, California. So if you like cars and free food there’s really no better place to be, but there’s no time to waste, this year’s Summer BBQ & Cruise Night is happening today, July 22, 2011 and will be held from 5 pm to 9 pm at 3910 Cherry Avenue in Long [...more]

There is a certain sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from working on your on vehicle. The feeling that you get after having just installed a new set of tires or a catalytic converter single handedly is unmatched. After that point a person starts to look at their car in a new light it isn’t just some machine – it’s their pride and joy – and it needs to be handled with the utmost care. Every vehicle needs regular maintenance and the odd repair here and there, but you don't have [...more]

Note: post edited on 30 September 2014 to replace language stating that Goodyear created a sulfur-free rubber. Despite the name, vulcanized rubber has nothing to do with the pointed-eared aliens from Star Trek and it definitely wasn’t invented by Leonard Nimoy. Vulcanized Rubber was actually invented by Charles Goodyear in the early 19th century.  Goodyear’s vulcanized rubber revolutionized the rubber industry and helped shape global transportation.  In the early 1800’s all rubber products were [...more]

Is there anything more American than baseball and apple pie? Well, if there is anything more American than Mom and apple pie it would have to be the traditional American muscle car. Muscle cars are performance vehicles that embody the American spirit: they are fast, sturdy, and powerful. But the debate regarding the first “true” is one that will most likely not be settled anytime soon. Popular opinion is divided as to whether the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 or the Pontiac GTO was the first true muscle [...more]

Before selecting a pair of custom wheels, especially when plus sizing, it’s important to know how to identify a car’s lug bolt pattern. All vehicle wheels are mounted to a frame called the wheel hub assembly that extends from the vehicle chassis, which is secured by a series of lug nuts or wheel studs. These lug nuts appear in a circular known as the bolt pattern on the wheel hub and usually extend through the vehicle’s brake drum. Alright, it’s time for a geometry lesson; every bolt on the whe [...more]

Tire care just doesn't seem to get the attention that it deserves these days compared to general engine maintenance. The rims and tires on car are equally important though. And yet; rotating a car’s tires is something many people rarely have performed, if they bother to do it at all. It’s shocking to hear how many people think that just driving a car rotates the tires by itself. Yes. It's true that the tires are spinning whenever the car is in motion but rotating a car’s tires is something entir [...more]

Anyone who says that the muscle car is dead obviously hasn’t driven the new Dodge Challenger SRT8 392. There is nothing like the thrill of cranking up the 16-valve pushrod 6.4-liter V8 engine and going from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Though without a good set of wheels and tires don’t expect that Challenger to go very far. There are people that can settle for an ordinary stock car but the true dyed-in-the-wool car enthusiast knows that you have to make a few modifications to your ride.  One of [...more]

Want to save some money? Try rotating the tires on your car yourself. This will save you not only the money you'd spend having someone else do it, but it will help extend the life of your tires, so that you don't have to buy news ones as frequently. Although the process is time consuming, it is nothing that you can't do yourself, or with the help of a friend or family member. You will need a car jack and you may want to invest in a hydralic floor jack for this as regular jacks are only designed [...more]

You might think that the most popular question car owners have about tires is how to know which tires to buy. A more pertinent question is how to know when to replace car tires. Do you know? The most obvious indication that it is time to get new tires for your car is when the tires experience a blow out. There may be times when accidents or road debris lead to a blow out and those cases are impossible to avoid. However, many blowouts are a result of driving on tires that should have been replac [...more]

When you buy tires online you are left with the old tires to dispose of. Most cities and towns have banned the burning of tires in order to protect air quality. Many landfills no longer accept tires because of the threat of fire and the amount of space they take up. That may leave you wondering if and how you can recycle the tires. You probably can. Many communities have instituted tire recycling drop off locations. These may be run by the refuse department or by tire companies or body shops. C [...more]

Tires are made of a number of different components: sidewall, inner tube, liner, belts, piles. While each of these is important to the overall performance of the tire, drivers generally look at the tire's tread in order to measure how fast their tires are wearing down. Understanding why tread wears at all is a matter of understanding how tires work. The biggest enemy of tire tread aren't sharp objects or road debris. It is heat. Tires are made of rubber and when you expose rubber to heat, the t [...more]

Summertime finds many Americans hitting the road. Whether they are going on road trip vacations or cruising for fun with friends, they want to be enjoying the warm weather and longer hours of daylight by getting out on the streets and highways. Summer is also the time when motorheads like to show off their wheels, with car clubs holding rallys and tours or meeting in parking lots to display classic and vintage cars. There are some clubs that focus on foreign made vehicles, but there is nothing [...more]

The economy is tight and people are trying to figure out ways to save money by taking on certain repair and enhancement projects on their own. While much of the attention is given to home improvement, there is much that people can do for their car without paying a professional. Many people are learning to change their car's oil, rotate tires, or even do minor car repairs, all in the name of saving money. They also get more than a bit of personal satisfaction from a job well done. There are some [...more]

The good news is that quality car tires are built to last. The even better news is that you can prolong that life by taking good care of the tires. In fact, some tests have shown that proper tire maintenance can extend the life of tires by as much as thirty to fifty percent. When you are looking at tires for sale , each manufacturer should indicate the general longevity of the tire. This information should appear on the label. In most cases, tires can last between 25,000 and 50,000 miles. Choo [...more]

Even if you've never had to buy tires for a car before, you can do so like an expert with just a little bit of research. You should spend some time looking at tire reviews and safety ratings online to help you determine the best ones to buy. You will also need to check a few things on your car before making your purchase. You should be regularly checking your tires not just to make sure they are properly inflated, but to find any cracks, bulging, or other damage. Discolored tires or those with [...more]

If you have invested in sprucing up your car by purchasing high quality chrome wheels , you are going to need to take care of them. Wheels get dirty fairly easily. In some climates rust also becomes a factor. If you let that rust and dirt build up, it can wear off the chrome finish over time. Regular cleaning is essential and relatively easy. The first thing to know is that putting your car through an automatic car washer or using power washing tools can actually damage the chrome finish. It is [...more]

The majority of modern cars are the road use pneumatic tires, primarily composed of rubber, with additional chemicals added to the process. With over a billion tires made each year in factories across the globe, it is obvious that the general manufacturing process is going to be similar for all tires. Assembly line production is standard practice in the tire industry worldwide. While must of the manufacturing has moved overseas, there are still a number of companies operating tire manufacturing [...more]

The abbreviations used in car manufacturing can seem like gibberish to the uninitiated. Weird numbers like "P195/75R14 92S" can make consumers throw up their hands in despair and turn over responsibility for choosing new tires to the salesperson at the dealership or to a knowledgeable family member. In reality, these numbers are easy to decipher, once you understand the following key. The first part of the sequence identifies the type of vehicle the tire is intended for. P is a passenger tire , [...more]

Before you start shopping for new tires for you car, you need to ask yourself some important questions and do a little bit of research. Otherwise you may be overwhelmed by the incredible range of options available out there. First, decide if you are replacing a blown or worn out tire or if you are buying a complete new set of wheels & tires . There are definite cost savings to buying just one tire at a time. However, there are also consequences to the performance and overall safety of your [...more]