If you’re shopping for a new set of shoes (tires) for your ride, then you might be baffled by the sheer selection of tire types in the market today. You have a whole selection of touring tires, all-weather, ultra performance tires, etc… So which one should you choose?

The thing is, it’s pretty much the same with a lot of things out there - it’s simply a name game. Understanding for which purpose a particular tire type is would help you in choosing what suits your need best.

All Season - Probably the one that most would recommended and rightfully so, given its versatility. If your car is simply a daily driver, all season tires would probably best for you as you only need one set of tires to use all-year round.

Summer - Ideal for dry climates. These tires are optimized to give you grip for dry surfaces and the heat caused by traction on such conditions.

Snow - These tires give you the best grip on low-traction surfaces of wet and icy roads. They aren’t really prescribed for summer driving since the added grip on dry surfaces causes immense wear.

Touring - Touring tires, while attractive, are the best ones if you’re in a budget. They provide a cushy ride and long wear but performance and grip is somehow compromised. Don’t plan on using them if you want to delve in street racing as, aside from lackluster performance, these might be unsafe for the stress of racing.

Dual performance/Track and competition - The choice of the weekend track racer. These perform well both on the street and track conditions. Ideal if you drive your car to and from the track.

Ratings - Depending on the types mentioned above, you might also find added labels. From best rated to least, they are: extreme performance, max performance, ultra-high performance, and high performance.

A lot of street racer wannabees often forget the importance of tires. I’ve seen a lot of ricers out there who sport 18-inch rims on their Civics and yet sport the cheapest rubber there is. There’s a reason why you should get good tires for your car plainly because they take a lot of abuse from the forces acting on them. To avoid being Bill Nye here, let’s just focus on some of the key ideas here.

There are three main forces acting on your tires when driving - 1) transferring power to the ground, 2) stopping your car when braking, and 3) providing grip against forces when cornering.

These are awfully powerful forces. For the first one, the power from the engine is channeled by the transmission to your wheels. Not getting enough friction and contact between the wheels and the ground (and that’s through the tires) would greatly affect the efficiency of your acceleration. When speeding up, weight shifts to the rear so cars built for drag racing are usually rear wheel drive cars.

As for cornering, remember Newton’s Law of Inertia? Steering forces your car to deviate traveling from a straight line, and again, much of the force needed there is through your tires. Stopping, is well, stopping. Aside from having a decent brake system, if your tires would not be able to handle the friction, you’re likely to skid.

The technical term to the area where “the rubber meets the road” are contact patches. You have four wheels on your vehicle so that would mean, that you have 4 contact patches. Generally, your car would more or less distribute its weight evenly among the tires. However, modifications like weight distribution, tire pressure, aerodynamics, would alter the area of these contact patches affecting overall performance.

Not all cars on the roads have them and not all cars coming out of the factory can have them as standard. But there’s a reason why anti-lock braking systems or ABS has been around as a safety feature. If you’ve driven a car without an ABS, you might have experienced wheel-locking when braking one time or another. Slam too hard on the pedal at a certain speed and your liable to screech to a halt. ABS prevents that. In most four-wheel ABS systems, this allows you to maintain steering.

Without being too technical, ABS is basically a system of a computer and sensors monitoring the speed of each wheel. When you press down on the pedal, the system kicks in and it takes over how each wheel should slow down to prevent unnecessary skids. If you’re new to the whole ABS thing, you might not notice anything strange at all save for the occasional pulsing of the brake pedal when the system kicks in.

However, this isn’t a foolproof system that would guarantee that skids won’t ever happen. Definitely, you have to consider other factors like the condition and grip of your tires. The road surface will also be a factor. Oil and tar on the blacktop will definitely give you less grip than a paved concrete road. Your speed and direction would also play a factor. The ABS doesn’t necessarily shorten the stopping distance of your car too.

You might want to test the system out in an empty parking lot when you get the chance. You might notice that driving on wet surfaces would affect overall handling but you will notice a difference when the ABS is working. You ABS usually just continues to work silently (unless your car has some options to turn it off). Usually, when it fails, it means that the system is not active (and the amber ABS light on the dash lights up). Usually, your brakes would work just fine, it’s just that you won’t have the ABS to help you out. But take it to a qualified mechanic as soon as possible for repairs.

Every seen the set of tools that come with cars? Forget about them. They might contain the barest necessities but you shouldn’t be content with them. Unless of course, you’re McGyver and can survive a 10 years in a deserted island with a toothpick. So better invest in some tools and one set of tools that any car owner should have is a good set of socket wrenches.

Socket wrenches are heaven sent. Depending on your locality, you might have to choose between SAE and metric-measured socket wrenches. A decent enough set can even be had for $50 or even less.

Here are some of the sizes that your wrench set should have - 1/2, 9/16, 3/4 inch ones get the most use. For metric measurements a set that includes 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 mm heads are essential.

Some sets would come with two ratchets with different-size drives (that square knob where you attach the socket heads). This might prove to be useful in many instances but a set with adapters would do. Some ratchets even come with flex heads to allow you to work at different angles. And get a set with ratchets that have no-slip grips and fit comfortably in your hands. For ratchets, there’s such a thing as teeth count - those that go click when you turn the socket wrench. Higher teeth count is almost always better.

Extension adapters are also useful parts of the set. There are nooks and crannies where you might need the extra reach. A spark plug remover adapter for example is one tool you might find very useful if included in the set.

Quality comes with a price though. Those $50 sets can probably do the routine jobs. But just in case you’d need to have tools for more demanding work - stuck up nuts and bolts can be really stubborn requiring brute force - then better invest in better tools. Here’s a clue for a good brand - the ones featured in Iron Man.

Just to understand more about your car, especially if you are a newbie:

The coolant, or anti-freeze, is the substance that not only prevents freezing but it also acts as a lubricant for your car’s water pump. The coolant is generally a mix of water and ethylene glycol. It must be changed on a regular basis, especially its PH level as it is important to keep your coolant from eating metal.

The water pump is the shaft in your car with a pully on one end and a pump rotor on the other it. What it does is that it moves the coolant from the radiator throughthe engine and then back to the radiator. The water pump is aided by the fan belt or the timing belt.

The thermostat is important in the cooling system as it controls the flow of the coolant through the engine. If the thermostat fails in an open position, your car’s engine may have bad gas mileage as it makes it run too cold. On the other hand, if the thermostat fails in a closed position, it will cause your engine to overheat as no coolant will be distributed to the engine.

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There is no avoiding car repair. One way or another you’ll ust have to go down that line. Now what pisses me off is when I am not only inconvenienced by a malfunctioning car, but when the guys with whom I entrusted to revive the darn thing rips me off too. So this are just some tips to avoid rip offs.

Be prepared. Learn how your vehicle works and try to identify common car problems. Know your own vehicle well especially its quirks. With a little car knowledge, you won’t be intimidated by smart asses when they use technical terms in assessing so-called problems.

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Okay, back to car maintenance basics with this posts with a simple illustrated guide to checking your engine oil level. I know a lot of drivers who just don’t like the idea of popping up the hood before starting the car and rolling off to somewhere. Believe me, I also know a lot of cases where cars conked out just because of this.

The engine has a lot of moving parts and to keep them running smoothly, lubrication is needed. Running the engine without oil is mechanical suicide. Here’s how to check you engine oil level.

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For the health conscious and those who wish to kick their junk food habit while driving on long trips with the family. Here are a few tips on what to eat. It ain’t a nature trail but, it sure does come close to it. By the way, the driver should always keep his or her attention on the road and not on the cooler.

Keep a small cooler in your car. You car might not be a camper with a fridge or a limo with a minibar but a small cooler can always be accessible. Fruit slices like apples, bananas, and pears make good snacks. Dried fruits can also be an option.

Be sure to check that they’re the more healthy variety. Vegetable sticks like carrots and celery are another option. Grapes, cherries, and cherry tomatoes need not be sliced. Kids may prefer to have dips with their sticks so keep yogurt and low fat dressing in the cooler as well. Some cheese and mini sandwiches of cream cheese and peanut butter can also do the trick for the tots.

Instead of candy, pack some trail mix. Try the one mixed with chocolate. You can also mix your own granola at home before leaving. Include lots of dried fruits and nuts!

If you’re the kitchen-type of person, why not bake a batch or two of oatmeal cookies the night before the trip? Include this in your snack pack.

Here is a bit of a guide on what to attach to your car when you need that extra space. They need carrier racks but if your car doesn’t have one, there are car clips available in your local automobile accessories store. These babies can be hooked to the ledges on the sides of your car. There are also carriers that already have special straps that can be attached through the inside of the car.

Car back carriers are large cargo bags that can be hung from the luggage rack. Good news, they are easy to load. Bad news, they won’t work with sedans and are of use only to wagons, vans, and SUV’s. Afraid they’d be in the way of your vision when driving? Don’t be. They hang under the rear window.

Car-top carrier bags are basically the same as the one above. The only difference is that they are attached by straps to the rack on top of your car. Choose carrier bags that are UV resistant and waterproof. The only downside to this is that you have to pack them full so they don’t flap in the wind.

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The most common electrical problem that a car-owner encounters is the battery wearing out. Depending on brand and design, a car battery can last between 3 and 7 years.

Another common electrical problem is having a bad alternator. This can be indicated by dimming of headlights when your car is idle. Better take your car to a garage. If the alternator cannot produce enough electricity, the car battery has to compensate for this, which will then wear it out. If your car immediately loses juice despite a brand new battery, try to have your alternator checked. It might not be charging your battery during use. Don’t be surprised if all you hear is a “tick” when you try to start your car.

If the interior lights and the dashboard lights are not working, then the problem might be the fuses. There is a fuse panel in the glove box under the dash or one beside the air intake (common located) in the engine. Discoloration of the fuse means that has blown. Replace and test the system not working. Just be sure that you are using fuses with the same rating. Or if not, just check the bulbs. Bulbs wear out quite commonly. However, if your bulbs burn out quickly, have your system checked for any short circuits.

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