Queens 106 St. Tire & Wheel, Inc is continuing its innovative role as a community educator by supplying information about gasoline prices, how to save money on gas and using better judgment while driving to improve gas mileage and driver and passenger safety. It's also adding a host of free services to customers.
In January, 2011, 106 St Tire & Wheel became the only tire dealers in the world to have a free, informative, cutting edge, e-book downloadable from their website to offer empowering information for their customers and community and assist them with money saving tips during the recession. Please see our home page (middle of the page for a free copy).
A 106 St Tire & Wheel spokeswoman stated, “We're increasing our efforts to make more information available to our customers and community as we do every year to raise awareness of during Rubber Manufacturer Association's (RMA) h annual National Tire Safety Week each year held in June. This event is popular and shows national interest in saving money and the environment with more than 22,000 tire and auto service outlets, including all of four of our stores, participated in this event in 2010.
“Our tire stores are placing a special emphasis, at this time, not only safety, but also on our customer base that is struggling under the financial burdens of the increases in gas prices.”
106 St Tire & Wheel is advising customers to be aware of cutting corners on the costs of driving their car without sacrificing safety. The company's stores, located in Corona, Jamaica and in Elmhurst will be offering free tire inspections, checking tire pressure and handing out free information on nitrogen fill not only through National Safety Week but rather starting immediately and extending indefinitely. Additionally, 106 St. Tire is adding free 40 point-plus vehicle safety checks with its wheel alignment services.
106 St's spokeswoman continued, “Driving on under-inflated tires can increase your cost by 3.75% in fuel economy but over-inflating tires can be dangerous. What's more, either shortens the life of your tires. With tires costing so much, check your tire pressure often. At all 106 St. Tire & Wheels locations, this service is always free.
“Over-inflation of tires does not improve your gas mileage,” she continued, “but it does reduce your tires' ability to grip the road and could possibly cause an accident. Under-inflation can cause accidents, too, and cost you nearly 4% of your MPG. With gasoline at about $2.89 a gallon, you could save about 15 cents a gallon by simply using your car manufacturer's guidelines on the driver's side door jam. This may not sound like much, and maybe it's not unless you drive a lot, but, if everyone did it across our city think about how much gas and emissions we could save. Also, times are tough and saving money per gallon of gas adds up over the course of a year; why give it to the big oil companies? You could treat yourself to a movie at the end of the month or maybe an extra day on vacation at the end of the year.”
The spokeswoman stated, “We all know our electric bills at home soar when A/C goes on. What does it do to your gas mileage when you do the same in your car? Auto testing at Consumer Reports proves that running the A/C in late model cars uses a nominal amount more in gas. In stressful times, it's probably better to run the car A/C when you need to so you won't be a victim of road rage or fading too early in the day because you're exhausted from the heat. Rolling down your windows can add drag and therefore ruin your gas mileage. Comfort aside, for the very best gas mileage, run the fan and keep your windows rolled up.
”106 St Tire & Wheel wants to dispel the myth that filling up during cooler weather gives customers more bang for their gasoline dollar.The tanks at gas stations are below ground, so the gas you buy is always cooler than the air and therefore denser. There are no savings to be had by waiting until the weather's cool. However, gas does evaporate so don't park in the sun.”
Also, 106 St's spokeswoman stated, “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says bolt on gas saving devices and fuel additives are a complete waste of money. What's more, Consumer Reports tests have shown that with today's computerized cars, clogged air filters don't actually reduce fuel economy. Take care of your car to make it last, of course, but don't look at air filters to reduce your gas expense unless you have an older model. If your car is not a computerized model, keep the air and fuel filters clean to maximize fuel efficiency.
“Also, keeping your engine running is a bad idea as drivers can receive a summons for polluting the air and it's, of course, time to think about the environment. There's another myth here in that re-starting a car uses up fuel, so keep the engine idling when possible. That's stale information. Today's fuel-injected vehicles are very efficient and don't waste gas during start-ups anymore. In fact, idling can cost you up to half a gallon of gas an hour, so turn off the engine if you're not going anywhere. If you have an older car that does suck up a lot of gas in starting, turn the ignition off and take the hit. It's the cost of driving in the modern world on a fragile planet.”
When asked what can we do to save money on gas while improving safety. 106 St Tire & Wheel's spokeswoman empathically stated,“Stop weaving in and out of lanes especially on highways and revving the engine so you zoom up to the maximum speed quickly. This can improve your fuel efficiency by a staggering 33%. On the highways, keep your speed at 60 mpg and improve your MPG by about 23%. Add the last 2 items together and save an astounding 56%. lean out your trunk lessen your load additionally and save about 2% on MPG.”