Some of us St. Peter drivers just love tires. All those little rubber hairs on new tires and the smell is wonderful. We live in a great time for tires. No matter how you drive around MN, where you want to go or the look you’re after; there is a tire for you.

The same is true about wheels. The hardest part is choosing from the thousands of wheels available at MN tire shops.

The team at Autotronics of St. Peter can help you get some things in mind before you make a purchase. Let’s start with function and think about how you drive.

For example, maybe you have a large SUV but you don’t drive off-road around MN, so an off-road tread isn’t important. Also, because you are not out bouncing over rocks in the MN backcountry, you don’t need a high profile tire to protect your rims. So that means you can probably go with the low-wide look.

If you have a winter season with rain and snow or if you find you need better ice and snow performance, they make great, high-performance snow tires that won’t make it look like you are driving a tractor.

There really are a lot of options for any given vehicle. St. Peter drivers will find it very helpful to have a discussion like this with their St. Peter tire pro or the tire experts at Autotronics of St. Peter when they need new tires. You can find the best solutions for your driving needs and to make improvements in ride or handling.

Picking a wheel that is the same size as what you are now running on is important and pretty simple. But, it gets trickier if you want to upsize. Just get some help when you go bigger. All that tire and wheel still needs to fit in the available space. You do not want your tires to rub when you turn or hit a bump. St. Peter drivers also need to make sure their brakes and suspension bits will fit with their wheel of choice. It doesn’t matter how great your car looks if it’s not drivable.

Taller, wider wheels and tires probably weigh more than your stock shoes. And it’s “unsprung” weight that has a big impact on brake performance. The upsized shoes increase rotational inertia; if you go too big you may need to upgrade your brakes to compensate.

Another possible problem is an inaccurate speedometer. This happens because the number of rotations can change with the new wheels. Fortunately, speedometers and odometers are all controlled by the engine computer; so they need to get reprogrammed at Autotronics of St. Peter to compensate for the bigger tires.

No matter what you are after: low cost, long life, high performance, traction or stunning good looks, your wheel and tire professional at Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter, MN, can help identify your needs and give you a custom fit. With all the options available, you don’t have to compromise. There is a tire out there with your name on it!

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Because 90% of our driving decisions are based on visual information, unobscured vision is paramount. Which brings us to the topic of today’s Autotronics of St. Peter article: wiper blades. While this isn’t the most exciting automotive subject, it’s important. You wouldn’t drive at night in St. Peter with your headlights off, but a dirty or streaked vehicle windshield can catch the glare of the sun or on-coming headlights and make it just as difficult to see.

Most of us in St. Peter replace our wiper blades when they no longer do the job. They are so worn, hard or brittle that they can’t clean the windshield. They may even be falling apart. In other words, we deal with our wiper blades from a failure perspective. We address them when they no longer function. The theory, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” doesn’t apply here. Instead, we should think about wipers blades as an important safety system that we should maintain rather than repair.

MN automotive experts recommend that we change our wiper blades twice a year, in the spring and fall. That way you have functional blades for those St. Peter spring showers and winter storms.

When we use our wipers a lot, they get worn from the St. Peter road grime and bug juice. Even if we don’t use them very often, they’re exposed to the sun, heat and cold, and air which cause them to dry out, become brittle and break.

And of course, you need a good windshield washer fluid in your vehicle to help the wipers do their job. Always use washer fluid because plain water doesn’t work as well and it can freeze in the reservoir. If you’re driving where there are a lot of bugs in MN, you can pay a little more and get fluid that does a better job of clearing them. If you live where you have extremely cold winters, you can get fluid that resists freezing.

Like everything else in the automotive world, there’ve been some big advancements in wiper blades, both in terms of the design and the materials from which the blade is made. If you are a local St. Peter driver that has a need for better than average windshield wipers, you can pay some more for an upgraded wiper. And if you live where there’s a lot of snow and ice in MN, they make special winter blades that don’t clog up and freeze like standard blades.

At one of your fall and spring oil changes, ask your Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor which is best wiper blade for your driving conditions. Replace your blades on schedule so you never have to struggle with your vision when you switch on your wipers.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

When you get an oil change, it’s always a safe bet to just use the type of oil the manufacturer recommends. But sometimes we’re asked if we’d like conventional or synthetic motor oil. We glance at the price tags on the two options and choose the cheaper one. But in this case, the more expensive oil might be the better bargain for St. Peter drivers.

Conventional oil is made from petroleum. Its molecules form long hydrocarbon chains. Synthetic motor oil is either more highly refined petroleum or completely man-made. Its molecules are more uniform. This provides advantages over conventional motor oil.

First of all, the molecular structure of synthetic motor oil makes it more slippery than conventional oil so it lubricates better. This translates to better wear protection for St. Peter drivers, cooler operating temperatures and more engine power.

Further, synthetic oil is more heat-resistant than conventional oil, and it doesn’t vaporize as easily. It provides better protection for severe conditions like stop-and-go driving around St. Peter and very hot or freezing MN temperatures.

Also, synthetic oil doesn’t generate oil sludge like conventional oil. This prevents small engine passageways from becoming clogged, which can significantly extend the working life of your vehicle engine.

Manufacturers are aware of the advantages of synthetic oil, and many of them are using it to fill their vehicles before delivering them to be sold. Many owner’s manuals now come with the recommendation to use only synthetic oil. Because synthetic oil wears better and protects better than conventional motor oil, it can be changed less often. If your vehicle came with a recommendation for synthetic oil, you may have noticed that the recommended period between oil changes is longer than what you’re used to. However, if you switch to conventional oil, you need to be aware that you can’t follow this longer service interval. You’ll have to change your oil more often.

On the other hand, if you are using conventional oil and you switch to synthetic oil, you may be able to lengthen the time between oil changes. You can ask the pros at Autotronics of St. Peter for more information. They can offer you good auto advice about oils and service intervals based on your driving habits and requirements.

Oil changes are the hallmark of preventive maintenance at Autotronics of St. Peter. All St. Peter drivers need them. So we should get excited about a product that reduces how often we need them. Synthetic oil is more expensive, yes, but it can pay for itself by lasting longer than conventional oil. And when you add in the hidden savings of an extended engine life and improved fuel economy, not to mention increased engine power, there’s a good chance that synthetic oil actually saves cash in the long run. All St. Peter drivers pay for vehicle care. But understanding what we’re paying for can make us more savvy shoppers.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com