Do you know the difference between summer tires, all season tires, and winter tires?

When it comes to buying a tires for your vehicle, the large selection of tires can be confusing. What is the difference between summer tires, all-season tires, and winter tires? Use this guide to help you choose the right tires for your needs.

Summer Tires

The summer tires are beneficial when you are dealing with dry roads. Summer tires are built for agility and speed. Summer tires usually have shallow tread depth as they are designed for speed. Despite what a lot of people believe, summer tires actually provide great traction in rain storms. Winter driving requires an upgrade to all-season tires or winter tires.

All Season Tires

The majority of car owners will opt for all-season tires. An all-season tire is set to handle all types of weather from rain to snow. Most people feel the all-season tires are designed to handle rain better than summer tires, but this is not true. The summer tires do a great job gripping a road, even in the rain. With the all-season tires, the main grip ability is for the snow. All season doesn’t mean a tire is set to have great performance for all weather patterns. The all-season tires prevent you from needing to change your tires in the spring and the fall. If you live in an area without a great deal of snow, consider a lower rated all-season tire.

Winter Tires

The winter tire is designed to provide plenty of grip during a snow storm. In deep water at high speeds, the tire need to stay in contact with the pavement. The tread pattern of the tire will provide the gripping ability a car needs to stay stuck to the road. Compare customer ratings of the tires to ensure they will be able to give adequate grip during a snowstorm.

Choosing a Tire

Summer tires are not adequate to handle snow, but they can handle rain for the most part. The problem is ice. A tire needs to have a soft, grippy tread to provide the ability to grip the road. If the car is slipping often in the snow, it is important to change to winter tires. Review the original manufacturer’s tires to find out what tires they recommend for the vehicle. 

Drive Slow Save Gas

Gas is going up this summer and not going down. What can you do to save a few bucks this summer? Driving slow or moderate speed enables your vehicle to maintain the effective fuel efficiency of the car, which in turn can help to reduce the excessive use of gas.

The best speed for most cars to get fuel efficiency is between 45 and 65 mph. Research shows that the average speed for effective fuel efficiency is at 55 mph for most cars. When driving at this speed, the car performs at its best mpg hence reducing the amount of fuel consumption. In addition, you can also increase your speed up to 65 mph with the same fuel efficiency. Best fuel efficiency speed for large and heavy trucks is around 45 mph while for sports cars it is 65 mph.

Decelerating and accelerating.
Speeding up and slowing down is what gets most of us. Most people think that the quicker you accelerate or decelerate, the quicker you move or stop can save gas and time. That would be wrong. When you accelerates or decelerates quickly your car engine uses a lot of power/gas. It is recommended that you drive slower which reduces the power output of the engine lowering the amount of gas used.

Lower acceleration and deceleration technique should mostly be used at stop signs or when making a turn. Use less fuel, save money!

Check Your Vin Number When Buying a Used Car

When buying a used car, make sure that the VIN on the car matches the VIN stored in the on board control units. In a recent car purchase, the purchaser found out shortly after the purchase the VIN read out of the car with a scan tool was not the same as the VIN displayed on the car in 2 places. The VIN displayed on the car was checked thru Carfax and reported good. However the VIN read out of the car was the correct VIN for the car and as a result the manufactures warranty was void and the history of the car is very questionable. WHAT A MESS! This is one reason for a pre-purchase inspection and it needs to be done at a shop that has the capability to read the internally stored VIN; something we at Metric Wrench Billings have added to our PPI list.



Don’t run the risk of buying used cars with costly hidden problems. Get your VIN number checked before purchasing a used vehicle

80% Of Vehicles on The Road Need Service

The results are in. Vehicle check-up events at community car care events across the country revealed that 80 percent of vehicles on the road need service or parts, the Car Care Council reported. The overall unsatisfactory condition of most vehicles also reinforces the continued need for consumer education about the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair.

Vehicle inspection forms submitted from event coordinators in several states shows that 80 percent of the vehicles checked during National Car Care Month and Fall Car Care Month needed parts replacement, service or fluids. For example, nearly one out of every ten vehicles had the "check engine" light on. The top problem areas were: motor oil, windshield wipers, air filters, belts and hoses, and lights.

When checking lubricants and fluids, the three top failure rates were: low, overfull or dirty motor oil at 32 percent; inadequate washer fluid levels at 23 percent, and low, leaky or dirty coolant at 23 percent. Additionally, transmission, brake, power steering and clutch fluids were also checked and had failure rates of 17 percent and below. Fifteen percent of vehicles had front windshield wiper failures and 10 percent needed service to rear wipers.

Other statistics of concern included: At least one belt reported as unsatisfactory in 18 percent of the vehicles inspected, and 7 percent required at least one new hose. New air filters were needed in 18 percent of the vehicles, while 7 percent needed new PVC filters. The "check engine" light was on in 9 percent of the vehicles.

Call or visit Metric Wrench Billings today for all of your BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Volkswagen car care solutions.

Here's Some Helpful Tips For You "unseasonened" Southerners....Just in Case It Gets Below Freezing!

by Jerry Pasman, Automitive Express Centre, Red Deer Alberta.


Here are some helpful hints that could make your winters easier to deal with ...


Keep your Headlights clear with Car Wax! Just wipe ordinary Car Wax on
your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights - lasts 6 weeks.

Squeak-proof your Wipers with Rubbing Alcohol!
Wipe the wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or Ammonia.
This one trick can make badly streaking & squeaking wipers change to near
perfect silence & clarity.

Ice-proof your Windows with Vinegar!
Frost on it's way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts Vinegar to
one part water & spritz it on all your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of
water---preventing water from freezing!


Prevent Car Doors from freezing shut with cooking spray!
Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & rub it in with a
paper towel. The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber.

Fog-proof your Windshield with shaving cream!
Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe if off
with paper towels. Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.

De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer!
Just put some hand Sanitizer gel on the key & the lock & the problems solved!

Take good care of your BMW, Mercedes or any vehicle in this unseasonably cold weather! Visit Metric Wrench Billings today for all of your car needs!

Common Tail Light, Turn Signal and Brake Light Failures

One of the most common tail light, turn signal and brake light failures is burned out bulbs. Unfortunately, glass replacement bulbs are a reality for any vehicle owner. Time and the elements take a toll on your bulbs, leading, inevitably, to failure. Having the right bulb on hand to replace that blown light will keep you legal and safe on the road. You can replace your bulbs with colored bulbs to add a custom look to your vehicle.

Another problem commonly found in BMWs, is after you change all of the bulbs, the check light remains on. That could be caused by the wire harness cable that connects to the light housing; one of the pins could be burned and melted. This causes a slight voltage irregularity thrown to the computer telling it there is a fault even though the lights still work. So check all your wire connections very closely and see if you have any abnormalities or burned out pins.

Having problems with your turn signal? If your turn signal stops working or isn’t working all of the time, use hand signals until you can get it fixed to avoid a huge fine! A turn signal is also known as the electrical connection and switching, there are two types of dashboard turn signal telltale indicators, left and right green indicator lights on the vehicle's instrument cluster, and a cyclical "tick-tock" noise generated electromechanically or electronically.

And did you know that International regulations mandates that turn signals are required to blink on and off, or "flash", at a steady rate of between 60 and 120 blinks per minute.

If you’re having problems with your turn signal, it’s best to have a certified technician at Metric Wrench check your vehicle to see what’s causing the problem, to correct it and to reset all lights and warnings.

Take good care of your BMW, Mercedes or any vehicle to help prevent common tail light, turn signal and brake light failures. Visit Metric Wrench Billings today for all of your car needs!