Every St. Peter vehicle owner has to purchase tires at some time or another, so it’s a good idea to understand what the choices are. The best seasonal performance is achieved by purchasing tires to match the season you are driving in. Summer tires are designed for hot temperatures. The tread is engineered for good traction on dry or rainy MN roads. But the rubber compound in summer tires gets stiff when temperatures drop below 45°F, and snow and mud can pack into the tread, reducing the traction of the tire.

Winter tires are designed for good traction on snowy surfaces. The tread actually throws snow off of the tire as the wheel turns. The rubber compound in a winter tire is soft so that it will remain flexible at Cleveland temperatures below 45°F. At higher temperatures, however, the softer rubber wears down rapidly.

All-season tires sacrifice some of the extreme performance of summer or winter tires, but they maintain adequate traction in either type of St. Peter weather.

So your first consideration when buying a tire is where you live in MN and where you usually drive. If you require maximum summer and winter performance you can go with dedicated summer and winter tires; you would just need to change out your tires each spring and fall.

For serious winter driving in MN, look for tires with a severe snow rating. These tires are labeled with a mountain-and-snowflake logo.

Your second critical consideration is the quality of tire to purchase. Summer, winter and all-season tires come in a variety of grades and styles at MN tire stores. St. Peter auto owners will want to purchase a tire that will give them good wear and that will handle their driving style and road conditions. Your Autotronics of ST Peter tire professional can give you auto advice as to which type of tire will best fit your needs.

St. Peter motorists who drive off-road around MN may want to look at a high-grade tire that is designed for off-road use. These tires are designed to handle the extra wear of off-roading while still giving good performance on St. Peter streets and interstates. There are a number of options to choose from so that you can find the right tire whether you are only an occasional off-road explorer or a serious rock climber.

New wheels can be purchased in St. Peter as a statement of style or to add personality to your minivan. There are almost unlimited options. If you change the size of the wheels on your minivan, however, you will need to get some professional help to make your vehicle compatible with its new wheels. Talk to your Autotronics of ST Peter service specialist for more information about tires.

The hottest MN news story may be different everyday, but there’s one topic that seems to come up over and over again – the price of gas in St. Peter. If you feel like most of your paycheck goes into your gas tank, this post is for you. Here are several basic things  St. Peter auto owners can do to greatly reduce their gas consumption, save money, and help the Cleveland environment. You can really improve your fuel economy by how you drive – but first, here’s a review of things you can do for your car that’ll save gas no matter how you drive.

The first one for St. Peter drivers is keeping tires properly inflated. That can save two miles per gallon. Driving on low tires is like driving through sand – your car just has to work harder. Most St. Peter service centers will fill up your tires for free, so just ask your Autotronics of ST Peterservice advisor. Also, make a habit of checking your tire pressure whenever you fill up. Many St. Peter gas stations have an air hose you can use for free.

Another important item is to keep your air filter clean. An air filter all clogged up with dirt and bugs doesn’t let enough clean air through to efficiently burn fuel. Using a dirty air filter will cost you almost two miles per gallon in reduced MPG. And worn spark plugs can cost another two. A spark plug can fire as many as 3,000,000 times for every thousand miles driven. Check the minivan owner’s manual for replacement recommendations.

The biggest item is the oxygen sensor. This device provides the engine management computer with vital information it needs to fine-tune the fuel/air mix. When that’s messed up it can cost St. Peter car owners up to three miles per gallon. And of course, there’s harmful dirty or substandard oil. Dirty oil causes extra drag. The wrong grade may be too thick. That’s another .4 miles per gallon right there.

One item St. Peter residents seldom think about is their gas cap. A worn, loose or missing gas cap can cost another two miles per gallon. Adding up all of these worn, missing or sub-par items leads to a total of almost 11.4 miles per gallon in reduced fuel efficiency! And with current gas prices in the St. Peter area, the cost really adds up. Taking care of these simple maintenance items will save St. Peter drivers money at the pump. 

Now most St. Peter drivers aren’t missing on all of these items, but think about which ones might affect you right now! And don’t forget tune-ups, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, fuel system cleaning, wheels out of alignment, PCV valve, fuel filter and other important services spelled out in your owners’ manual.

Autotronics of ST Peter knows all this stuff and can tell you when you’re scheduled to take care of each item. Create a system of your own to track your service schedules, or just use the computer system at Autotronics of ST Peter – which may also be updated with recall notices and critical maintenance schedule items from your automobile manufacturer.

All of us St. Peter car owners know we have to get the oil changed in our minivans periodically. That’s just part of good car care. But when Cleveland service advisors change your oil, they also usually inspect your air filter. That’s why they sometimes let you know that your air filter needs to be changed before releasing your minivan.

Don’t just chock this up to trying to sell you something else. Saint Peter car owners really do need to change their air filter when it gets dirty. You can check your owner’s manual to see how often your air filter should need to be changed, but remember, if you live in an area in MN with poor air quality, or if you drive a lot or drive under harsh conditions in the Cleveland area, you may need to change that filter more often than is recommended.

Changing an air filter isn’t guesswork. If a filter’s dirty, it needs to be replaced. Air filters aren’t very pricey at Autotronics of ST Peter in St. Peter. But the problems they cause if St. Peter drivers don’t change them can get to be pricey.

For every gallon of gas your minivan burns, it needs 12,000 gallons of air. Clean filters allow better airflow into your engine, which means that your engine will get more air more quickly. That means your minivan engine runs more efficiently.

Dirty air filters cut airflow to your engine. All the debris in the filter clogs up the spaces the air needs to pass through to get to the engine. This dirty air can damage costly electronic components.

If you are in tune with your minivan, you’ll notice a difference when you change a really dirty air filter for a clean one. Your minivan may actually purr for you again. Its performance improves when it has a new, clean filter. So remember, changing your air filter is one of the most essential elements of preventive maintenance. At Autotronics of ST Peter, it’s inexpensive, it’s effective, and it’s important.