Tire Replacement: What Fort Richardson Drivers Need to Know

Looking at getting some new tires? The choices at Fort Richardson tire stores can be a little overwhelming. Suppose you have an SUV and are trying to decide between all season tires or some that are also rated for off-highway. Do you get off the payment on the outskirts of Fort Richardson more than most? If so, some additional off-road traction would be nice.

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 Fort Richardson in a sporty car. You may like to run a high-performance summer tire when the weather’s good. When AK 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 Fort Richardson 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 Alaska Spring and Performance 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: like pulling a trailer or carrying heavy loads.

Tires are one of the biggest purchases for Fort Richardson drivers. With so many choices, you’ll be able to get what’s best for you. Take their time. And don’t worry about what’s in stock. If you want something that isn’t here at Alaska Spring and Performance, manager John Stoehner can order it. Chances are you’ll be rolling on your new tires in a couple of days.

Eagle River Safety Systems: Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Flats, blow outs, skids and longer stopping distances can all be the result of Eagle River folks driving around on under-inflated tires. Now, it’s hard to tell when a radial tire is under-inflated. If your manufacturer recommends 35 pounds of pressure, your van tire’s considered significantly under inflated at 26 pounds. The tire may not look low until it gets below 20 pounds.

New laws required manufacturers to include a Tire Pressure Monitoring System – or TPMS system – in all cars and light trucks by the 2008 model year. The system has a dashboard mounted warning light that goes off if one or more of the tires falls 25% below manufacturer’s pressure recommendations.

This technology has been used by Eagle River race car drivers for years. They are able to head off problems from under inflation by closely monitoring tire pressure on the track. It’s up to your car’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 Eagle River drivers. U.S. government studies have estimated the net costs. Of course, the TPMS system itself will cost something. Maintaining the system will have a cost, replacement of worn or broken parts and tire repair cost increases.

The costs are partially offset by savings in fuel and tire wear. There’s also a saving in property damage and travel delay. The net cost is estimated to be between $27 and $100. The government predicts fewer fatal accidents. They estimate that it will cost between three and nine million dollars for every life saved.

Your safety has always been a concern at Alaska Spring and Performance. We want you on the road and accident free. We've traditionally provided things like tire rotations, snow tire mounting and flat fixes at a very low cost. We’ve been able to quickly and cheaply provide the service, and pass the low cost on to you as an expression of our good will.

That’s why we're concerned about how you’ll perceive the changes that this new law will force. Every time a tire is changed: taken off to fix a flat, a new tire installed, a snow tire mounted; the Alaska Spring and Performance service technician is now going to have to deal with the TPMS system.

Even a simple tire rotation will require that the monitor be reprogrammed to the new location of each tire. When a car battery is disconnected, the TPMS system will need to be reprogrammed. TPMS sensor batteries will need to be changed and failed parts replaced.

Like all other Eagle River service centers, here at Alaska Spring and Performance we've had to purchase new scanning equipment to work with the TPMS sensors and to update expensive tire change equipment to better service wheels equipped with the new monitoring systems. Our Alaska Spring and Performance service technicians have been thoroughly trained on many systems and new tire-changing techniques. All of this adds up to significantly increased cost to perform what was once a very inexpensive service for you.

So when you start so see the cost of tire changes, flat repairs and rotations going up at Alaska Spring and Performance, please keep in mind that it’s because of government mandated safety equipment. We want to keep you safely on the road – and we're committed to doing it at a fair price. This new safety equipment will help you avoid the most common types of vehicle failure in Eagle River, and possibly a catastrophic accident.

Clean Air for Your Engine: Engine Air Filters In Anchorage

Every Anchorage car owner who has taken their car in for an oil change has been told that their engine air filter’s dirty.

Here’s what goes into the determination of when to change the filter: First, your van owner’s manual will have a recommendation of when to change the filter. Second, a visual inspection by your Eagle River technician may determine that your filter it is visibly dirty and needs to be changed.

So between your owner’s manual and your Eagle River technician’s inspection there’s really no guesswork involved.

Now, most air filters purchased in Elmendorf Afb, Fort Richardson, or Anchorage don’t cost a lot to replace. It’s just that AK people hate getting caught with an unexpected expense. On the plus side, though, changing a dirty air filter at Alaska Spring and Performance can often save enough on gas to pay for itself before your next oil change in Eagle River.

Think about a dirty furnace filter in your Fort Richardson home. When it’s all clogged up, enough clean air can’t get through. In your van, that means that your engine can’t get as much air as it needs to burn the fuel efficiently. So it makes do with less air and has to use more expensive AK gas to move your vehicle around Eagle River roads.

Your van actually needs about 12,000 gallons of air for every gallon of gas it burns. Engine air filters don’t cost much in Anchorage at Alaska Spring and Performance. When it’s time to change yours, just get it done. You’ll save buy less expensive Eagle River fuel, have better performance and protect your engine.