AUTONET TV

Getting the Right Tires and Wheels in Rockford

A lot of people get custom wheels in Rockford. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you're not careful. Sometimes, once they're mounted, they just don't fit right. The tires rub in turns or on bumps. You don't want that.

Consulting your TJ's Auto Center Inc. tire professional can ensure you get the right fit. First he'll ask you a series of questions about your Rockford driving needs and what you want in your new wheels. Now, not every wheel can go on every car. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside so the tires rub.

If you don't want to make any modifications to your vehicle, you would need to focus on the wheels that would fit. With trucks, some people in Rockford like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Rockford drivers don't realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your vehicle's anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn't know what changes you made so it can't tell how fast you're going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong speed. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your vehicle engine control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Illinois. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your friendly and knowledgeable TJ's Auto Center Inc. tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and how to select the right tire for your vehicle. Your TJ's Auto Center Inc. service advisor will help you find the best tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs in Rockford.

TJ's Auto Center Inc.
3427 E. State St.
Rockford, Illinois 61108
815-399-2886

Automotive Detective Work in Rockford

There's a reason we use the word “diagnose” when we talk about fixing cars in Rockford. Figuring out what's wrong with your vehicle has a lot of similarities to figuring out what's wrong with someone who is ill. Vehicles are a mass of complex systems that can produce a variety of symptoms when something goes wrong. As with human diagnoses, a specific symptom may be indicative of a number of problems, and figuring out the specific cause takes training and experience.

Sometimes the diagnosis of your vehicle's trouble comes down to a matter of trial-and-error. This can be frustrating for Rockford drivers because time and money are on the line. You may feel you should only be paying for repair work. Of course, you only want to pay for the right repair – and a proper diagnosis is part of getting it right. Like at the doctor's office — some of what you pay for is the doctor's time and effort to figure out what's wrong with you, not for the actual cure.

The good news is that Rockford drivers can do a lot to help out their friendly and knowledgeable service advisors at TJ's Auto Center Inc. in figuring out what's wrong with their vehicle. Again, the medical office is a good analogy. The more information you can give your doctor about where it hurts, when it hurts and how it hurts, the more quickly he will be able to help you. In the same way, the more you can tell your TJ's Auto Center Inc. service technician about when the problem occurs, what is sounds like, how often it occurs, where it occurs, etc., the more efficiently he will be able to get you back on the road.

Good preventive maintenance goes a long way to keeping your car out of a Rockford repair shop, but if you need to get it , good communication will get you back on the road quickly.

TJ's Auto Center Inc.
3427 E. State St.
Rockford, Illinois 61108
815-399-2886