Buying Used Tires - 5 Things To Watch Out For

When buying secondhand (used) tires either from a tire shop or an online auction site its important that you are aware of the following 5 issues. You can then ask the right questions and make sure you don't end up with a tire purchase that leaves you and your wallet feeling deflated!

1. Sizing People get confused by tire sizing and it is no wonder really - its pretty bizarre. The basic tire size is made up of 3 measurements and if one of them isn't mentioned you should not assume what it is - it pays to check.

Width - this is the section width of the tire for example a 195/70 R14. This means the tire is 195 millimeters across the width of the tire.

Profile - The sidewall height is represented as a percentage of the width so a 195/70 R14 means that the sidewall or profile height of the tire is 70 percent of the width. Often the profile is not mentioned and that normally means that the tire is a standard 82 or so percent. Never assume though as this is a common misunderstanding that can occur when buying used tires. There is nothing worse than buying something that simply does not fit - ask the person selling the tire to read you all the numbers on the sidewall to make sure!

Rimsize - The other number mentioned is the Rim size in this case a 195/70 R14 has a Rim size of 14 inches.

2. Rubber Cracking or Perishing A good thing to check when purchasing a second hand tire is for any perishing or cracking of the sidewall and tread rubber. It is wise to give the sidewall a good flex and make sure there are no cracks or chords visible. It is normal to have very fine surface perish lines if the tire is not brand new however make sure they are no more than that.

3. Lumps Bumps and Repairs If buying a secondhand tire it is prudent to ask if there are any obvious repairs that have been done to the tire. Although if a repair has been done properly there should be no issues if there are any problems with the repair moisture and air could have seeped into the casing of the tire which could potentially cause issues further down the track. No repairs is great!

4. Uneven Wear or Scalloping Sometimes the tires you are looking at may be unevenly worn due to an alignment or suspension problem with the vehicle the tires were previously on. Although they may still be structurally sound for ideal driving I would recommend that tires with even tread wear are purchased. Also if there is any scalloping of the tread road noise and poor handling are potentially going to be a problem.

5. Type of Tire Its important to either ask (if you are buying off EBay) or check yourself if you can for that the tire you are buying is not for example a snow tire - sometimes it can be hard to see from a photo on an auction site but the tires you are buying may have a snow or off road type of tread which will result in extremely poor handling and traction on tar seal. Its important to check that if you are looking for an on road only tire - that is what you end up purchasing.

Its important to be as educated as you can be when buying secondhand items that your life literally depends on so don't be afraid to ask plenty of questions and make sure your used tire purchase is a safe and economic one!

After more than a decade in the tire industry Rob StGeorge got into Information Technology however he still enjoys sharing his knowledge about Tires, Wheel Alignment and Alloy Wheels

http://used-tires.blogspot.com

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Birthday Party Carnival Fun

Have you ever worried about how you would manage to keep control of a group of excited party goers if you took them all to an outside attraction for a birthday party..? If the thought of this makes you shiver, why not look at bringing the excitement of local carnival to your own back garden. If your child wants is expecting a visit to a carnival or amusement park, bring it to them

Using imagination and taking some time to prepare the details, it can be done a lot cheaper than taking a group out and consequently you can invite a bigger group and have an even better time!

If money is no object, stop reading now, grab your yellow pages and hire a complete funfair for the day, terrific fun and probably 3,000 for a couple of rides, assorted bouncy castles and side shows.

Ok, for the rest of us we'll need to take our time and plan this out properly. You will need to get your invitations out early, not just because it's a job you can tick off the list but more importantly to determine how many guests you are likely to have. From this number you can work out how many carnival games and attractions you will need.

If you are stuck for activities for the party, look to what you would see at a normal carnival. Games like Tic Tac Toe where you would throw four balls into the target to make a line across, down or diagonal, or Clown throw ball where the player has to throw sponge balls through different openings in the target the balls can be replaced by bean bags but these would require a stiffer backboard as they create more impact. You could have a ring toss, simply made by standing the same sized bottles within a target box (24 arranged 6x4 would be minimum) and then the player would have to toss a ring clean over the neck. You will need to judge the size of the ring when you know what bottles you are going to use. As an alternative, you could fill the bottles with coloured water (food dyes) and stand the separately. Small prizes, into their own party bag, for the winners.

If you can afford it, hire in a professional face painter. Alternatively, rope a willing helper in and 'do it yourself'. Face paints and supplies are readily available and there are a number of books and handouts available to get you started who knows, it maybe the start of a whole new career.

As an extra treat you could either buy bags of popcorn and candy floss (cotton candy) or you could hire in the machines or go for a mix of both. Candy floss can be bought in bags quite readily, if you live by the coast look up rock suppliers in yellow pages, or alternatively ask your local supermarket. Popcorn is now readily available and most people have a hot air popcorn blower.all you need is to make it all look more carnival like. Readily available are popcorn boxes (or ask at your local cinema) and if you mount the machine high in a clear box with artwork around the outside, you can make it look quite attractive.

Toffee apples can be bought or made. To make your own toffee and make it extra special, use some rock pieces to add an extra flavour again, rock ends can be bought cheaply from rock suppliers, or they probably stock toffee apples themselves..Bet you all want to live by the coast now!

For decoration, use either bought or handmade bunting triangles of colourful fabric 8" wide with the other two sides being 9" sewn onto to bias binding which can be stapled or tied as required. Add bunches of balloons to add to the colour and feel of the carnival. If it's going to last into the evening, there is nothing more magical than some coloured or plain light strings which will help the games, but also transform the party into a real carnival.

Lastly, as with a real carnival, you need plenty of clowns. You could either ask your helpers to wear clown fancy dress, or wear fancy dress showman's jackets or you could make it a fancy dress party and really complete the theme.

A few carnival games, some decoration, some carnival treats you could simply add hot dogs and drinks as the main food and some friends to help you and you've achieved the ultimate children's birthday party. This is not an idea only for clever or craft orientated people this is a theme that can actually be achieved by anyone providing you put a little planning in.

If you want more information on how to construct the carnival games mentioned above see our other article 'Outdoor Games a boring title but strangely good games'. This also includes details of more games you can incorporate into your carnival birthday party.

Article submitted by: KV Sinclair. Keith Sinclair has over 35 years of business experience and in addition to being a part time University Lecturer on Business Studies, he is CEO of Cavalcade; a group of companies operating in the party sector. Cavalcade operates Karnival-House http//:www.karnival-house.co.uk one of the UK's leading internet Fancy Dress Retailers. With massive stocks for immediate dispatch and an ever expanding range, Karnival-House continues to strive simply to offer outstanding service combined with outstanding value.

In addition to Face Paints and supplies, Karnival Costumes has an extensive range of clown fancy dress for adults at: http://www.karnival-house.co.uk/acatalog/Clowns_and_Jesters.html and for children at: http://www.karnival-house.co.uk/acatalog/Clowns_Fancy_Dress_Costumes_Kids.html Feel free to browse our online shop and take advantage of our downloadable brochure service which includes step-by-step face painting guides.

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