Toyota and Honda issue recalls

Tire Business staff report
WASHINGTON (Dec. 2, 2011) — Toyota Motor North America Inc. is voluntarily recalling 210,000 Toyota Siennas, model years 2011 and 2012, for incorrect load ratings on the vehicles’ tire pressure placards.

Incorrect load information on the placards could lead to tire overloading and tire failure, Toyota said.
The company will mail corrected placards to vehicle owners, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said there was no schedule as yet for the mailing. Meanwhile, owners may call Toyota at (800) 331-4331.
 
Also, American Honda Motor Co. is voluntarily expanding a previously announced recall of certain Hondas and Acuras, model years 2001 through 2003, for defective inflators in driver’s-side airbags.
 
Honda has learned of several incidents in which the airbag inflators deployed with excessive force, causing injuries and even fatalities, the company said in a press release.
 
Honda has determined that approximately 640 vehicles contain the defective inflators, but it is impossible to determine which vehicles have them, the company said. As well as recalling 273,000 vehicles, Honda will inspect another 603,000 vehicles and replace airbag parts as necessary.
 
Recalled vehicles include 2001 and 2002 Accords, 2001-2003 Civics, 2001-2003 Odysseys, 2002 and 2003 CR-Vs, 2003 Pilots, 2002-2003 Acura 3.2 TLs and 2003 Acura 3.2 CLs.

Source: http://www.tirebusiness.com/



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Dangerous Valve Stems

Valve stems seem like such an insignificant part of a vehicle, most people never give them a thought. Flat tires and blowouts on the other hand, get attention very quickly. Unfortunately the two may go hand in hand.



Dill, a large tire stem distributor, imports stems made by a company in Shanghai, China. Stems sold in the U.S. from November 2006 through July 2007 were substandard. They did not meet the ozone resistance levels rubber needs to resist cracking. Failure of the stems has already been blamed for at least one fatal accident.



If you purchased tires after November 2006, ask the tire dealer what brand of stems they use. It’s always been good idea to inspect valve stems whenever air pressure is checked. Now it is even more important than ever. An easy way to inspect the stem is to simply push it sideways and check for cracks.

If any stem shows signs of cracking, all four should be replaced.

Substandard valve stems are very dangerous. Like any substandard part the actual cost far exceeds any potential savings.





Source www.agcoauto.com





Tire Rack's Recommended Installers are your installation solution. You can drop-ship to their location, too!

Gift ideas under $50 in Tire Rack's Automotive Gift Guide.

Tire Rack's Recommended Installers are your installation solution. You can drop-ship to their location, too!

Should You Consider Nitrogen?

Nitrogen in tires is becoming a popular replacement for standard air. Nitrogen is all around us... the air we breathe is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and the rest is small amounts of other gasses. When it comes to tire inflation, nitrogen has many advantages over oxygen. With nitrogen tire inflation, improvements can be noted in a vehicle's handling, fuel efficiency and tire life through better tire pressure retention, improved fuel economy and cooler running tire temperatures.



Consumerreports.org Blog

October 4, 2007

Tires - Nitrogen air loss study



Filling tires with nitrogen rather than air is becoming a common practice in the replacement tire market. This service offers tire dealers another avenue for making money while also promoting safety. The claimed safety benefits often include the potential for reducing air loss compared to an air-filled tire. Maintaining proper inflation can help prevent tire overheating; promote optimum tread life; and reduce rubber aging and wheel corrosion. The use of nitrogen in large truck fleets and the commercial tire industry are well documented and support these claims.



The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has seen reduced aging of tires filled with nitrogen. Though the data does support that passenger car tires could benefit by all the claims made for nitrogen, tire manufacturers say that they already design tires to perform well with air inflation. And while nitrogen will do no harm, manufacturers say that they don't see the need to use nitrogen, which generally adds $5 or more per tire charge.



Consumer Reports wanted to find out if nitrogen is worth the price, so we purchased a Nitrogen Inflation System and checked out how well the inflation held up over a one year period. We evaluated pairs of 31 tire models of H- and V-speed rated, all-season tires used in our tread wear test from 2006. We filled one tire per model with air and the other with nitrogen. The test was quite simple: fill and set the inflation pressure at room temperature to 30 psi (pounds per square inch); set the tire outdoors for one year; and then recheck the inflation pressure at room temperature after a one year period.



The tires were filled and deflated three times with nitrogen to purge the air out of the tire cavity. We also used an oxygen analyzer to be sure we had 95-percent nitrogen purity in the tire--the claimed purity limit of our nitrogen system, which generates nitrogen gas from ambient air.



The test started on September 20, 2006 and the final measurements were taken on September 20, 2007. The results show nitrogen does reduce pressure loss over time, but the reduction is only a 1.3 psi difference from air-filled tires. The average loss of air-filled tires was just 3.5 psi from the initial 30 pressure setting. Nitrogen-filled tires lost an average of 2.2 psi from the initial 30 psi setting. More important, all tires lost air pressure regardless of the inflation medium, so consumers should check their tires' air pressure routinely. No evaluation was done to assess the aging claim.

Bottom line: Overall, consumers can use nitrogen and might enjoy the slight improvement in air retention provided, but it's not a substitute for regular inflation checks.



--Gene Petersen



For more info check out these links:

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2007/10/tires-nitrogen-.html

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2007/10/nitrogen-tires-.html

http://tirenitrogen.typepad.com/

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Checking Your Tire Inflation Pressure

Regardless of its size, every tire's load capacity, durability, traction and handling is dependent on using the right inflation pressure for the application. Since both too little and too much inflation pressure sacrifices some of the tires' performance, maintaining the "right" inflation pressure is very important.

While a wide variety of tire sizes are available to fit the many different vehicles in use today, almost every tire size can be used on more than one vehicle. Therefore it is the vehicle manufacturers that ultimately determine the tire inflation pressures they believe best fine-tune the tires' capabilities to their specific vehicle makes and models.

The pounds per square inch (psi) pressure number branded on the tire's sidewall identifies the maximum cold inflation pressure that specific tire is rated to hold. However, the tire's maximum pressure is not necessarily the correct pressure for every vehicle upon which the tire can be used (almost all vehicle manufacturers' recommended tire inflation pressures are less than the tires' maximum pressure).

Therefore when checking and adjusting tire inflation pressures, the "right" inflation pressures are those provided by the vehicle manufacturer, not the "maximum" inflation pressure branded on the tire's sidewall. The vehicle manufacturer's pressure recommendation can be found on the vehicle's tire information placard label, as well as in the vehicle owner's manual.

Beginning in 2003, vehicle manufacturers were directed to place tire information placards in a standardized location and follow a common format. The tire information placards identify the Original Equipment tire sizes and inflation pressures (including the spare), along with the vehicle weight capacity.

The placard on new vehicles must now be located on the driver's side doorjamb (called the "B-pillar"). If a vehicle does not have a B-pillar, then the placard is to be placed on the rear edge of the driver's door. And if the vehicle does not have a B-pillar and the driver's door edge is too narrow, the placard is to be affixed on an inward facing surface next to the driver's seating position.

In addition to providing the Original Equipment tire size and recommended inflation pressure, vehicle manufacturers must also identify vehicle load capacity with the following sentence: "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXXX pounds."

NOTE: Adhering to this vehicle load capacity information is important. For example, calculations indicate it would be easy to exceed a five passenger SUV's rated vehicle weight capacity by carrying additional passengers in the vehicle's rear "cargo area" and placing all luggage on a rooftop carrier.

Additionally, new vehicle owner's manuals must also address the following five subject areas: tire labeling, recommended tire inflation pressure, glossary of tire terms, tire care, and vehicle load limits. Vehicle manufacturers can also list alternate tire pressures based on load and/or speed in the owner's manuals.

For vehicles produced between 1968 and 2003, the original tires size(s) and inflation pressures (including the spare) are listed on a vehicle placard (sometimes alternate pressures based on load and/or speed conditions are also provided).

Earlier placards can typically be found on:

• The driver-side door or doorjam


• Rear passenger doorjamb of Ford sedans


• Fuel filler door


• Glove box or center console door


• The engine compartment


• Driver side rear door


• Driver side “B” pillar (post closest to door hinge)


• Passenger side “B” pillar


• Passenger side front door


• Passenger side back door


• Driver side “C” pillar (post closest to the door handle)


• Passenger side “C” pillar


• Trunk/hatch area


• Sun visor

Many manufacturers also list the recommended tire pressure in the vehicle's owner's manual (sometimes along with alternate pressures based on load and/or speed).

One final note, tire pressure must be checked with a quality air gauge as the inflation pressure cannot be accurately estimated through visual inspection.

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