Underinflation is your Worst Enemy

We’re doing our P.A.R.T. for National Tire Safety week. Stop by any Dunn Tire location during the month of June 2013 for your free and honest assessment of your tires’ condition and lifespan! Plus receive a FREE tire pressure gauge and tread depth gauge while supplies last.

P = Pressure

It’s important to have the proper air pressure in your tires, as underinflation may lead to tire failure. It results in unnecessary tire stress, irregular wear, loss of control and accidents. A tire can lose up to half of its air pressure and not appear to be flat! The right amount of air for your tires is specified by the vehicle manufacturer and is shown on the vehicle door edge, door post, glove box door or fuel door. It is also listed in the owner’s manual.

Dunn Tire Announces Grand Opening of Mattydale Store

Buffalo NY – June 6^th, 2013 – Dunn Tire, a leading tire retailer based in Western New York, announced the grand opening of their new Mattydale store in the Syracuse area.  The new store, which replaces  the Dunn Tire Cicero store, is located in the Mattydale Plaza at 2803 Brewerton Road (Rt. 11) just 4 miles south of the previous Cicero location,  just past I-81.

The new Mattydale location offers many improvements including a more welcoming environment and more service bays.  Similar to Dunn Tire’s other retail stores, the Mattydale location features free Wi-Fi, complimentary coffee, a high definition television and a comfortable and spacious waiting area.  Additionally, the new location offers walking convenience to customers for shopping at the adjacent plaza.

“Our goal continues to be providing world class customer service in a relaxed and comfortable environment” said Patrick Logue, Managing Director of Retail Operations at Dunn Tire. “We serviced many customers in the Cicero community and look forward to continuing to provide top quality service to them in our new facility. We are confident our customers will enjoy this new store”

Dunn Tire expects to serve most of its Cicero customers from the Mattydale location. However they also have a store in Clay that may be more convenient for some. That location is at 3881 Route 31 in front of Target/Home Depot Plaza. Both the Clay and Mattydale stores are conveniently located to better serve all of these communities.

About Dunn Tire

Dunn Tire is a Buffalo, NY based tire retailer, and AAA Approved automotive service provider. Recently ranked by Tire Business as the 18th largest independent tire retailer in North America; they are also a Top 20 market share holder in the United States within in their retail category. Dunn Tire has 31 retail locations from Erie PA, to Syracuse NY. Locally owned and operated, Dunn Tire has been providing tire and automotive services since 1973.

Free Tire Safety Check, Free Tire Pressure Gauge and Free Tread Depth Gauge

The entire month of June, we’ll be celebrating National Tire Safety!  Stop by any Dunn Tire location during the month of June 2013 for your free and honest assessment of your tires’ condition and lifespan! Plus receive a FREE tire pressure gauge and tread depth gauge while supplies last.

Click here for more information on National Tire Safety week.

Play your PART and Be Tire Smart

The week of June 2-8, 2013 is National Tire Safety Week.  At Dunn Tire, we’d like to take this time to share some helpful information and remind motorists to check their tires for proper inflation, tread depth, and potential damage before heading out on the roads.

In fact, tire safety is so important to us, we’ll be celebrating this event the entire month of June.  We invite everyone to come into any Dunn Tire location for a free and honest assessment of your tires’ condition and lifespan. No appointment is necessary. We will measure your tire tread depth, check and adjust your tire pressure, and visually inspect your tire for any irregular or unsafe tire wear.  Additionally we will be giving away FREE tire pressure gauges and tread depth gauges (while supplies last).

Routine tire care and safety is simple and easy. The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) recommends getting in the habit of taking five minutes every month to check your tires, including the spare.

Interestingly, a new national survey conducted by the RMA finds that “only one in six US drivers is ‘tire smart’ when it comes to checking tire pressure ‐ a quick and simple step that can optimize vehicle safety and fuel economy and helps tires last longer.”  The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), which represents tire manufacturers in the U.S., conducted the survey to gauge motorists’ awareness about proper tire maintenance. Significant differences exist between men and women and also between younger and older drivers.

Other key tire care facts from the RMA survey include:

• Only 17 percent of drivers know how to properly check tire pressure.
• Only 48 percent of drivers know where to find the correct inflation pressure for their vehicle: a label on a vehicle’s driver side door or owner’s manual. 52% of drivers wrongly believe that the correct pressure is listed on the tire sidewall.
• Nearly 40 percent of drivers don’t know that tires should be checked “cold” – before driving. Don’t check tires after driving. As tires roll, they warm up, which causes the pressure to increase and could give a false tire pressure reading.
• 52 percent of drivers do not know how to tell if their tires are bald.
  • Stick an upside down penny into tire tread. If you see all of Lincoln’s head, the tire is bald and needs to be replaced.
  • All tires have “wear bars” at 2/32nds tread depth. When tread is worn down to that point, they are bald and need to be replaced.
  • 2 out of 3 drivers do not check the tire pressure in their spare tire.
  • GENDER GAP: 20 percent of male drivers are “tire smart” vs. 14 percent of women.

RMA urges motorists to Be Tire Smart – Play Your PART.

Pressure: Check tire pressure monthly with a tire gauge and inflate to vehicle manufacturer’s recommended pressure.

Alignment: Misalignment of wheels can cause uneven and rapid tread‐wear.

Rotation: Rotate tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles to help you achieve more uniform wear.

Tread: Advanced and unusual wear can reduce the ability of tread to grip the road in adverse conditions.

Stop by any Dunn Tire location during the month of June 2013 for your free and honest assessment of your tires’ condition and lifespan! Plus receive a FREE tire pressure gauge and tread depth gauge while supplies last.

Are Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires Right For You?

Tire manufacturers continue to push the limits of modern technology and production processes. New chemical formulations, tire tread designs, and advanced manufacturing techniques are being combined to raise the quality standards of tires. Over the past five years, an increasing demand for sporty handling tires that can be used in a variety of road conditions has created a new category – Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires.

Ultra high performance all-season tires are designed to maximize precision handling while delivering year-round versatility including light snow traction.  These tend to be ultra low profile tires branded with the M+S symbol.  The speed ratings are typically V, W, and Y.

1. A state-of-the-art directional tread pattern and wet-weather silica compound combine for extreme wet-weather control.

2. TriFusion – three different compounds bonded together on the tread face to provide a balance of all-weather performance.

Source: Michelin

Many tire manufacturers now offer some type of ultra high performance all-season tire. They use proprietary technology, specialized polymer and silica compounds as well as unique tread design to achieve their desired results.

According to Motor Trend, “Performance tires currently account for a 23-percent share of the tire market… In fact, performance tires have outgrown the rest of the tire industry in each of the past six years.”  Industry analysts expect this trend to continue. The driving force for this shift to high performance tires is that automobile manufacturers want to showcase their vehicles to prospective buyers under the most favorable conditions.  For this important reason, there has been a recent trend for new vehicles to ship with performance tires as original equipment. Automobile manufacturers want their vehicles to demonstrate precision handling, responsiveness, safety, and ride comfort – specifically during test drives.

For example the Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position uses “advanced technologies, including a silica-rich performance compound, ‘stealth’ tread elements and 3D siping,”  The silica enriched tread compound supports enhanced wet and dry performance – while the 3D siping helps to improve breaking and traction.

The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric is another example of an ultra high performance all-season tire. In manufacturing these tires, Goodyear uses “race traction resins and polymers to make the tires sticky in the dry, and grip in the wet, while encouraging a longer tread life.” Goodyear’s TredLock technology embeds microgrooves into the tire’s tread that provide extra biting edges that aid traction and lock together in turns for better grip. The Traction Teeth aid traction in inclement weather.

Other popular tires in this category are Pilot Sport A/S Plus, Continental ContiExtremeContact, Pirelli P Zero Nero, and Yokohama Advan S.4. These tires are all designed to deliver precision handling and smooth comfort for today’s high performance luxury sedans and coupes. For example, drivers of a BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Infinity, etc. may find a set of ultra high performance all-season tires to be the perfect complement to their vehicle.

Keep in mind the term “all-season” means a lot of different things depending upon your location and year-round weather conditions. The ultra high performance all-season tires are tested in “light snow” conditions. Some regions have very little if any snowfall during winter – while others like upstate NY and northern PA can anticipate several feet of snow.  In our area, the ultra high performance all-season tires work well from April to November. These tires are not truly a year-round tire for heavy snow. We’d recommend a quality set of winter tires to get the best performance during the winter months. If you’ve used ultra high performance all-season tires, we’d love to hear about your experience.