How to Save Money on Car Tires

Tires, those black doughnuts that enable us to travel from place to place, are probably the biggest expense for the average car owner.
Sure, gasoline and engine maintenance are also expenses, but tires are an expense that never seems to end. Depending on how often
your drive and the driving conditions, the average tire needs changing every 9 to 12 months. Obviously if you only drive on weekends,
your tires are going to last a lot longer, possibly a couple of years. If, however, you’re a taxi owner/driver, then you can expect to
change your tires every 4 or 6 months. It is recommended by tire manufacturers and government road safety agencies that car owners
change all their vehicle’s tires at the same time. There are still many drivers that only change one or two tires at one time – this is seen
by some as being thrifty, but in actual fact it is being stupid. Let’s take a look at ways to save money on tires.
First of all, whenever you have to change your vehicle’s tires, make sure you change all four. Only changing one or two tires will cause
all tires to wear unevenly, which in turn will cause the vehicle to be unbalanced on the road. With your vehicle unbalanced, you will have
to constantly spend money on wheel alignment and balancing. If, however, your tires wear evenly you’ll only have to shell out for
rebalancing and alignment adjustments occasionally.

When the time arrives for renewing the rubber on your car, truck or motorcycle, you need to decide what type of tires you want to put
on your vehicle. For example, if you drive a four-wheel drive pick-up, putting standard touring tires on the truck would be silly. Likewise,
shoving off-road tires on a Corvette would be just as stupid. It therefore, makes sense to put tires on your vehicle that suit the terrain of
where you drive and – should you use the vehicle for work – the type of job you do. Don’t rush out and buy the cheapest tires you can
find – chances are they are probably not going to give you the longevity other, slightly more expensive, tires will give you. Before you
drive down to your local tire dealer, spend a few days checking out newspaper advertisements and other media for tire sales, bargains
or deals. If you’re patient and thorough you’ll be able to pick up a quality set of rubber doughnuts for a reasonable, albeit, cheap price.
You should, also take advantage of commercials that advertise “Buy three tires, get the fourth free”.
When viewing the various types of tires, in a dealer’s showroom, make sure you check out the date of manufacture. The last four digits
on the stenciled number on a tire, is its manufacturing date. Knowing this date will ensure that you don’t get tricked into purchasing a
tire that is too old – remember rubber does deteriorate with time. Once you’ve decided on the type of tire, ask the dealer if having the
tires mounted, aligned and balanced, is included in the price. Most tire dealers offer these services free for anyone buying a full set.
In the event you are in dire need of new tires but are without the wherewithal to purchase a brand new set, give some thought to visiting
a car wrecking yard; the average car owner doesn’t consider this option. Car wrecking yards have hundreds of cars that have been
involved in accidents; both major and minor. These vehicles are stripped down and their parts are sold; it therefore, goes without
saying that the tires from these mangled wrecks are also sold. It is possible for you to find a full set of relatively new tires for an
incredibly low price. Make sure that the tires you purchase are compatible with your vehicle. If you do buy tires from a wrecking yard,
confirm that the tires are in good condition. You don’t have to be a tire expert to know whether a tire is going to give you a few months
of safe driving or cause your vehicle to be another addition in the same wrecking yard. Use your common sense and don’t put price before
safety. Purchasing re-treaded tires are another option to save money. Most of the leading manufacturers offer retreads at reasonable prices.
Bear in mind that driving at high speeds with retreads on your vehicle is not recommended. Retreads have been known to split from the
surface of the tire and cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. If you do purchase a set of retreads, use them on a temporary basis
until you have enough money to replace them with new tires.If you have the money to purchase new tires, but wish to save a few bucks,
don’t be beguiled, by a smooth talking salesman, into buying well known brands like Bridgestone, Goodyear or Michelin. Lesser known
manufacturers, the likes of Kumho, Falken and Cooper, have reasonably priced tires which are just as good as the aforementioned major
producers. You’ll also find that these minor producers have more bargains and discounts than their famous rivals.
You can also read other money saving tips like how to save money on Shipping, how to save money on one income, or how to save money
on Jewelry. Regular maintenance of your tires is important. Maintenance includes keeping tire pressures at their recommended PSI – indeed
with your tires inflated correctly, you’ll also save money on gasoline as there will be less drag. You should also rotate your tires every six or
seven thousand miles or kilometers; doing this will ensure the treads wear evenly. Regularly inspecting each tire’s sidewall for wear and tear
will also save you money in the long run.

How to pay easily car loan

1. Determine your financial situation

This is the first and most important step in the car buying process. You must know how much you can spend before you can determine what you can afford. You don't want to get stuck making a bloated car payment that will leave you eating bologna sandwiches for three years.

First of all, you need to have a monthly budget. This is very easy to calculate. Add up all of your fixed monthly expenses, such as your rent/mortgage, phone bill, etc. Subtract that from your net income. Then subtract your estimated extraneous expenses, such as food, gas and entertainment, whatever. The result should be an amount of money you have to play with.

From that, you need to remember that buying a car involves more than a down payment and monthly payments. In your budget you will need to include licensing, registration and other hidden costs, as well as monthly insurance costs, gas and maintenance.

Once you have all of this worked out, you should have a ballpark figure of the budgeted amount you can use for car payments. A good rule of thumb is roughly 20 percent of your net income can be used for a car payment. Once you determine that figure, stay with it.

2. Decide which car you want

Now that you have settled on a monthly allotment, now you can look at which vehicles fit into your price range.

This is really about personal choice, but a good criteria to go buy is to look at what your needs are. Do you have a family? There are plenty of affordable, safe and reliable minivans and station wagons on the market. Single and commute, or do a lot of city driving? The compact segment has a wide range of models to choose from that boast handling and superior gas mileage. Do you use your vehicle for work-related tasks, such as hauling, delivery, etc? Check out the many light and heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans. Midlife Crisis? There are several convertibles and sports cars that will make you feel young again.

Also consider your wants. Compact cars get really good gas mileage and are a great if you want to save money on the increasing gas prices. Plan on taking road trips? Consider something that gets good mileage and has cargo space and lots of cup holders. Plan on going off-roading? The SUV is your best bet. Some even come with a first-aid kit!

Once you've narrowed your choices down to a couple, it's time to do some car research.

3. Do your homework

All right, Colombo. Here's where you will need to spend some time sorting through some details, but it will be worth the effort in the end. After all, the more you know about what you're buying, about whom you're buying from, and about the buying process itself, the more money you will end up saving.

There are plenty of places for you to do your car research. Check out the Internet and newspapers, contact car dealerships, credit unions and local banks to see what kind of deal you can get. Knowing what a car dealer's competition is offering can only help you out in the negotiating process.

Look at interest rates. You'll want to get the lowest possible interest rate, as it will help you pay less in the long run. Many car buyers focus on getting the lowest possible down payment. If a car dealer gives you a low down payment, the money you are saving has to be made back. Car dealers will find ways to lower your down payment, and as a result will find ways to compensate for their generosity. By deferring the down payment "savings," with interest, you'll end up paying more in the long run.

Also be aware of factory-to-dealer incentives. The secret is that the manufacturer refunds a certain percentage of the car's price to the dealer. So even if the car dealer sells you a car at the invoice price, he or she will still make money from the deal. Find out about a manufacturer's incentive percentage, as they are public information.

You should also look out for rebates. When incentives are offered, this often means the manufacturer wants to either get rid of slow-selling cars or reduce the inventory. Therefore, they may also offer the buyer a cash rebate and a low financing rate, or an option of one of the two.

4. Go to the car dealerships

Now that you have an understanding of what kind of rate you will be offered, you now want to go out to the car dealerships. You already have an idea of what kind of car you want, how much you can spend and what kind of perks you can get. Also you have an idea as to what different car dealerships are offering. This is quite a bit of information for you to carry with you into the negotiating process. But again, the more you know, the better off you'll be. But remember: Car dealers are professional negotiators and do it everyday. You are a novice and will be treated as such. The car dealers aren't going to be easy on you, nor are they going to point out all the ways you can save money. It's up to you to find all of those.

Also remember that you are in control at all times. You have the right and ability to stand up and walk out of the office at any point and the dealer will lose the sale. Don't let a car dealer intimidate you. Be relaxed and comfortable you know all the information and that you hold all the cards.

Hyundai i4 1st Drive

Functionality is arguably the primary driver of the fleet market; if a car satiates certain tax and practicality demands, it’s likely to succeed.

Combine functionality with desirability, though, and you’ve got a hit. Just look at Apple.

The i40 is Hyundai’s iPad. Well, that’s what the company thinks it is.

You’ll probably agree it’s a handsome thing, even as an estate – the saloon will be launched later this year – and when it goes on sale in September the Blue Drive eco version will boast best-in-class CO2 emissions. And almost best-in-class practicality.

The i30 hatchback began Hyundai’s trickle into the fleet market, and now, senior vice-president Allan Rushforth told Fleet News, the tide is about to turn.

“Prior to last year, Hyundai’s single biggest fleet order was 250 cars,” he says.

“Hyundai is quite young and immature in terms of the fleet market, selling cars to SMEs rather than big companies. But that’s before i40 orders.”

Hyundai expects 50% of the annual 5,500 i40 sales to go to fleet.

This optimism is based not only on Rushforth’s proclamation of the i40 as Hyundai’s “first serious D-segment competitor,” but also the company’s belief that this is its best car ever.

The cynic might suggest that’s not too difficult a prize for the i40 to take, but our first drive of a late pre-production car reveals the i40 will become a serious alternative to the cluster of perfectly agreeable D-segment cars already available.

For a start it feels spacious, particularly rearward, with plenty of rear legroom and a large boot.

The cabin quality falls slightly short of the class-leading Ford Mondeo’s, but the dashboard is designed with a neat balance of style and intuitiveness.

Hyundai is still choosing between two suspension set-ups, one softer and perhaps more agreeable for high-mileage users, the other firmer, sportier, in the Mondeo mould.

The latter makes the i40 genuinely involving to drive, and it’s the one we prefer – though that’s without having tried it on a pothole-infested UK back road.

Either way the i40 will offer cost effectiveness – at launch, the lowest emitting Blue Drive eco version will have lowest-in-class 113g/km CO2 emissions.

It’s powered by a 114bhp 1.7-litre diesel unit featuring ISG start-stop technology.

We drove the 136bhp version, with 124g/km. It’s not particularly quick and can get a little coarse when pushed hard, but it is very quiet at idle and cruising speed.

So, big, good looking and, hopefully, cheap (prices are to be confirmed but are likely to start at around £20,000).

For the time being, Hyundai’s confidence seems well placed.

Keep your car engine in good condition

Here is 4 tips for how to keep car engine in good condition. If you follow these tips no need to push car on the way.

· 1 Look under the hood of the vehicle before washing the exterior of the car to find areas where grease, dirt and other gunk build up on the different components of the engine. You may also notice a bad smell when you are either inside or under the hood of the car.

· 2 Gather the products you will need to detail the engine. This should include an engine degreaser, hose or pressurized water source, a rag and some chrome polish or wax. Take the time and spend the money to get good quality products from your local auto parts store. The products used at car washes are often on the lower end of the quality scale.

· 3 Spray degreaser all over the engine, allowing it to sit for a few moments. Use a hose or other pressurized water source and spray off the entire engine, removing the degreaser and with it the grease, dirt and other build up. Make sure to climb in and get the hard-to-reach areas as well. Consider climbing under the vehicle to spray out the underside of the engine.

· 4 Use a rag to wipe of any engine parts that are chrome or after-market metals and materials. Dry them thoroughly, as chrome spots easily from the water. Use a soft cloth to apply polish or wax to the chrome parts, then use a different cloth to wipe off the polish or wax before it dries completely.