6 Things to Know About Summer Tires

There’s this peculiar Canadian sport where men and women hurl heavy smooth bottomed rocks, called stones, down an icy lane while teammates very quickly and vigorously broom the ice, apparently to make the ice even more slippery, in front of the sliding stone. The object is to land your team’s stone onto a bull’s-eye painted on the far side of the ice or to knock your opponent’s stone off of it. There’s a bit of strategy involved where you attempt to strategically place a stone in hopes of either preventing another of your stones from being pushed off the bull’s-eye, or to block your opponent’s path to the bull’s-eye. The sport is called curling and it’s all rather graceful to watch. Curling is a big sport in Canada. That’s probably because ice is a big thing in Canada. They do ice very well in Canada. Tennessee roads look a lot like curling when drivers are made to drive through an unexpected ice or snow storm. The bull’s-eyes are whatever’s in the way and the stones usually have a hefty payment book attached. Unlike Canadians, we don’t do ice very well in Tennessee, and fortunately, we don’t deal with snow and ice that much. But we can take lesson on how Canadians choose tires for driving conditions, particularly when they are thinking between a set of winter tires versus a set of all-season tires. Here’s a short take of Canadian tire science to help you make the choice here in Tennessee. more Tread, Material, and Design Considerations for Seasonal Tires Any true winter tire has an aggressive tread design, one with deep, interweaving grooves designed to punch through slush and snow and grab for all the traction it can. Really, really aggressive treads have embedded metal studs for chewing through packed snow and ice making them studded winter tires. Winter tires use material that’s designed to stay soft in cold temperatures allowing the rubber to ply easily giving the tire even more grip across various snow and ice covered surfaces. All-weather tires borrow the aggressive tread design from true winter tires, but tone it down a bit. The tread design provides stability by pushing away water and slush from the contact surfaces. All-weather tires use a rubber material that’s designed to stay flexible in more moderate temperatures. The rubber provides excellent grip on snow, slush, as well as on bare concrete and asphalt. A set of all-season tires uses a milder tread design that provides a quieter ride and offers low rolling-resistance during warmer temperatures. While all-season tires do a good job of channeling water away from the contact surfaces, winter snow and slush will clog the channels creating smooth tire surface that will not grip at the contact point. The material used for all-season tires is harder rubber designed to get a longer tread life, but at the cost of traction in colder temperatures. Weather Related Road Conditions and Tire Types Usage When winter temperatures hover around and above 44.5’F (7’C) typical road conditions in winter range from clear and dry roads to wet, and possibly light snow and slush covered roads. These milder conditions typically create hazards more due to wet road conditions rather than icy road conditions. Seldom snow covered, roads are generally passable and in good shape. All-weather tires definitely work in these conditions, and all-season tires are also a good choice. When winter temperatures hover around and below 44.5’F (7’C) typical road conditions in winter range from hard packed snow, soft snow, and wet, rough, or black ice. These harsher conditions typically create hazards due to direct contact with ice and snow rather than the road surface. That means that you need a winter style tire for best traction and safety. Summary of Weather Conditions and Tire Choice Harsh winter with plenty of snow, ice, and freezing weather – winter studded Harsh winter with plenty of snow – winter non-studded Mild winter with rain, quick melting snowfall, and slushy roads – all weather Warm, dry, mild wet winter conditions – all season Make a Thoughtful Tire Choice for Whatever Weather Condition you Drive Through Getting a good set of tires should always be a thoughtful choice regardless of driving conditions. That’s why you should consult with knowledgeable technicians about which set of tires is suited for any particular situation. At Ford Lincoln of Franklin, we serve our customers with a broad range of knowledgeable services including tires. Come visit us today at 1129 Murfreesboro Road in Franklin if you’re thinking of which tires you should buy, or give us a call right now at (615) 800-6500 for more information. We’ll be glad to help you out.

Five Ways to Maintain a Vehicle from Ford Lincoln of Franklin Keeping your vehicle up and running is a big deal. And that's why the team at Ford Lincoln of Franklin has put together five of the best ways to get it done. Serving Franklin, Clarksville, Lebanon, and Nashville, Ford Lincoln of Franklin strives to be your one stop destination for any vehicle need. more Keep the oil fresh There's nothing nice you can do for your vehicle than to keep its oil fresh and clean. The mating surfaces of the engine work hard to get you and your family from point a to point b, and they do so in a very punishing environment. Heat, friction, and just general duty are putting constant strain on your engine's moving parts, and it's the oil that makes sure that these parts can keep standing up to the punishment. Fresh, clean oil that is replaced at least on the manufacturer's schedule is a must to keeping your vehicle running at tip top shape. Wash, wax, vacuum The easiest way to keep your car looking, feeling, and maybe even smelling good is to keep it washed, waxed, and vacuumed. On the exterior painted surfaces, if you keep grime and road debris at bay then there is a better chance that the surface will keep it's new luster longer. That's because letting the dirt and debris accumulate over time will cause minute scratches that will etch away at the coatings. Fresh washes and waxes prevent accumulation of this crud. On the interior the same applies. Use of a car means that what's outside gets tracked inside, and what gets tracked in is usually dirt and grime. Keeping the flooring and seats clean will keep the carpet and upholstery from getting ground in dirt and grunge. Seasonal checklist Every season is going to bring different needs to you, your family, and how your vehicle fits into these needs. So every time the seasons change, you should evaluate what types of things you'll need to keep handy as well as what things you should make sure you have tended to. Things to keep in mind are the weight of the windshield wipers which vary with the weather of the season, antifreeze potency when fall turns cold, air conditioning charge when spring turns to summer, and maybe even the tires you run. It's a blend that more than likely will be custom to you, but regardless, you should have some seasonal change items that make sure your vehicle is ready for the weather. Keep up to date on recalls Manufacturers are always looking into their vehicles to be sure that what's on the road is going to meet the driving needs of their customers. Also, they check for ongoing issues that may relate to safety. So when you get a recall notice in the mail, you should make sure to schedule an appointment to have the dealership's service department handle it. Most recalls are easy fixes and take only a little bit of your time, and they won't cost you a cent. The dealer will perform whatever action is required to correct the deficiency and get your vehicle back to you quickly. Use authorized parts When you do repairs or replacements on your vehicle, whether you do the work yourself or have a shop do the work, make sure you use reputable replacement parts. Keeping your components in specification with the manufacturer's requirements will make sure that the repairs and replacements that you do will last long, and perform to the manufacturers specs. Call Ford Lincoln of Franklin for your next service When it comes time for service, make sure to contact the team at Ford Lincoln of Franklin. Serving the Franklin, Lebanon, Clarksville, and Nashville area, we are ready to make your next service visit a complete success.

Not too many people have the extra cash laying around to let them just pop into a new or used car. So most people end up turning to the time honored classic of borrowing - getting a bank to loan you the money to finance your new ride. Sounds pretty good, unless you have to figure out how to finance a car with bad credit. It's not game over if you don't have good credit. The team here at Ford Lincoln of Franklin want to help deliver on your dream of new wheels, so we've put together some actions you can take to improve your credit during the process with a few things to work on that'll help you with bad credit car finance. more Actions you can take to improve your credit during the process Pay your bills on time If you want to look credit worthy to potential lenders there's probably nothing better to do than pay your bills on time. Credit boils down to this, it's an installment loan - you get a big chunk of change and you pay it back over time in smaller, monthly payments. The understanding is that you'll make timely payments. So if a bill is due, make the payment. Pay some debt off Think of credit like a bucket of cash availability. You can only put so much in a bucket before things start falling out. A creditor is looking at how full your credit bucket is. The closer to the top, or your limit, the less likely a creditor is to put more credit in the bucket. The best way to get more room in the bucket is to pay off some if the debt that's already in there. Paying off some of the existing debt your carrying means you'll be able to take on more load. Lower some balances If you can manage to pay off some load, that's great. In addition to paying off you may want to think about paying down too. Any time you can lower the debt load you carry you not only increase possibility of landing your new car loan, but you also help yourself out by settling at least part of your debt. Lenders are looking at how you manage your debt load, and when you make proactive steps to getting your money matters in order, they'll take notice and have a more favorable outlook on lending you more. Get a cosigner One of the strongest ways to finance a car with bad credit is to get a cosigner. A cosigner essentially backs the loan against default, that means if for some reason you end up not making good on the loan, the cosigner will be liable for the unpaid amount. A cosigned loan demonstrates to the lender that someone has enough confidence in your abilities that they'll back you, so the creditor feels at ease and they'll be more willing to give you a loan. Things to watch out for that may lower your credit more When you're in the market for credit there are a few things you want to watch that will negatively affect your credit, too many credit checks, high credit card balances, late payments, getting charge-offs, and maxed out credit cards are sure fire indicators to lenders that a loan to you may be more than the average risk. So when you are thinking about getting into a new set of wheels be proactive and make sure that you don't fall into the trap of getting your credit score even lower than it may already be. A little planning in the process of getting a new loan can go a long way. Budgeting and Credit If you're looking to finance a car with bad credit in the Nashville, Clarksville, Lebanon or Franklin area, then the team at Ford Lincoln of Franklin is ready to help. We know how to work with less than perfect credit to get the loan you need to get you into a new or used car. And once you're on track with your new loan, you'll have an opportunity to clean up your financial situation with sound budgeting and credit management. Let us help you get on a new track with a new or used car loan.