Todd: I’m Todd.
Thad: I’m Thad.
Both: And we’re the Watters boys.
Todd: There’s something I see on the roads that drives me crazy.
Thad: Those “If you can read this, you’re too close” bumper stickers?
There's something on the roads even worse than this...
Todd: Yeah – except sometimes I get bored while driving and need something to read.
Thad: Why don’t you just stick one on the inside of your own car’s window?
Todd: Hmmm…good point. I’ll think about it.
Thad: Don’t bother. I already did it for you.
Todd: What really my wears my treads is seeing cars that have different tires on each hub.
Thad: We’re talking different sizes, different constructions, even different stages of wear.
Todd: Nothing is more dangerous than putting un-matching tires on your car.
Putting un-matching tires on your vehicle can lead to this
Thad: Now there are some vehicles that are intentionally fitted with different sizes in the front and rear, but that’s by design.
Todd: Otherwise, we see a lot of people mix and match, starting with radial and non-radials.
Thad: That’s a bad idea. It’s kind of like putting a Felix the Cat slipper on one foot and a high-heeled steel-toed boot on the other and then trying to jog a mile.
Todd: I think jogging in general is a bad idea, but okay.
Thad: And if you have to mix radial and non-radial, never put them on the same axle.
Todd: Radials go on the front axle, non-radials on the back.
Thad: Same thing with size. Never put different sized tires on your car.
Todd: See the “slipper-boot” analogy, above.
Thad: Different sizes are harder to drive, harder on your car and decrease your gas mileage.
Todd: Also avoid mixing tread patterns, like all terrain and all-season.
Thad: All of these differences add up, over time, as you drive your vehicle.
Todd: At best you’ll get dramatically uneven wear.
Thad: At worst you’re creating an unsafe driving environment for yourself and everyone else in your car.
Todd: We’ll often see cars brought in where drivers have tried to save money by purchasing a used tire that’s not the same as the others, in size or tread or anything else.
Thad: We understand that economics can dictate these decisions.
Todd: But seriously, where the rubber meets the road, you’re really playing with fire.
Matching tires are happy tires
Thad: So avoid mixing tires, and metaphors, as my brother just did.
Todd: Me…ta…
Thad: Just imagine that a “metaphor” is a new tire from Michelin.
Todd: Cool!
Thad: Just like you match the colors you’re wearing to work today…
Todd: My brother notwithstanding.
Thad: Make sure you match your tires.
Todd: Same size, same tread, same, construction.
Thad: You’ll have a safer drive and peace of mind.
Todd: Two things that are worth the investment.
Thad: Speaking of investment, are we still doing the $18.99 oil changes?
Todd: We’ve gotten a lot of response – do we still have oil left?
Thad: No, that was your job.
Todd: Actually my job is to make sure you are doing your job.
Thad: I thought that was my job.
Todd: Okay – we’ve established that we both get paid to stare at each other.
Thad: Luckily, we have plenty of oil at Watters Autoland.
Todd: Which means you can still take advantage of our oil change special.
Thad: Just subscribe to our “Talkin Cars” blog via email, and we’ll send you a coupon, good for a $18.99 oil change at Watters Autoland in Indianola.
Todd: It’s our way of saying thank you for your tremendous response to “Talkin Cars.”
Thad: Just click on the “subscribe by email” thingy on the right side of this page.
Todd: Which probably has a more technical term, but okay.
Thad: Submit your email address, and we’ll send you an email in return, with your coupon. It’s that simple!
Todd: Just like you!
Thad: Shut your thingy.
Todd and Thad Watters own and manage Watters Autoland in Indianola, Iowa. Visit them at www.wattersautoland.com
