Keeping your vehicle running smoothly and safely are the number one priorities for most drivers. And for some it may seem like an impossible task. But it really isn't as hard as you think. There are a couple maintenance checks that you can perform each week, or even month, like checking the oil level and tire pressure that can drastically improve your vehicles performance and help prevent costly repairs down the road. Checking your vehicles tire pressure and making sure that it stays at the rec [...more]

There are many important elements that make a car or truck run well; the engine, the transmission, proper amount of oil and gas. But one of the most important elements that is often forgotten is the tires. We become frustrated when they go flat but the rest of the time we pretty much take for granted the important role that they play. There are substantial differences between properly maintained tires versus improperly maintained tires when it comes to handling and safety. We all notice how ni [...more]

The automobile industry is by far one of the largest industries in the U.S. Vehicles are used for many practical purposes such as commuting to work and around town and even sometimes taking a family road trip. For many automobiles are more than just a means of transportation, they are also a great hobby. Many people enjoy collecting classic cars, attending car shows , and taking part in various racing sports. Regardless of why you buy a car you want it to perform and look its best; especially if [...more]

Tire Review, the industry's leading news and analysis journal, recently featured an article about the Performance Plus Tire annual food drive.  The article highlights the upcoming Hot Rod Happening and Great Entertainment Giveaway which will mark the culmination of the food drive.  It also discusses the history of the event, which started 14 years ago as a Boy Scout project and has grown into a premiere fundraising and hot rod event for the local community. The full article can be found here.

So what will rims look on your car? The short answer: awesome. The long answer: really awesome. In all seriousness though, a new set of rims will make your car look great, especially if you are still driving around with stock manufacture rims. First of all though, it's important to note that wheels and rims are usually thought of as synonyms with the word 'rim' often being used as slang to refer to the more formal term: 'wheels', which are inner-frame that holds a tire. Though technically spea [...more]

Some questions in life have more than one answer: ""Who has the best pizza?", or "How many times can you wear the same shirt?", and of course "When should car tires be replaced?" You can ask anyone those three questions and you'll almost be guaranteed to get a different answer every time, but only one of those questions can have significant impact on your life. And no, it's not the question about the pizza regardless of how great it tastes. The question that can really have an impact on your l [...more]

How do we define what the best of something really is? Is the best beating out all of your competitors by a wide margin, or is the best being great at everything? If someone or something is the best then there really should be no distinction, being the best is about both surpassing the competition and being able to do it all or it would be in a perfect world. In reality sometimes identifying the best of something is more of an opinion like "who is the best baseball player of all time?" and at [...more]

Famous inventor and American hero, Benjamin Franklin famously said that "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." If old Ben Franklin were still alive today he probably would've added that changing a car's tires as another of life's certainties. Cars need regular maintenance to stay in any sort of good drivable condition whether it be an oil change or changing a tire, but before you go out and buy a set of new tires it's vital to know what size tires your car t [...more]

Maybe you just got your car washed and polished and everything is looking great, well almost everything. It's your wheels, something's got to be done about your wheels. Let's assume that you have a fairly new set of chrome wheels on your vehicle, but over time they have gotten a little bit dirty, but aside from your wheels everything else on your vehicle looks pristine. Maybe you're planning on taking your car to an auto show or maybe you have a date but in any case you don't want your car's ot [...more]

In an earlier post we revealed how to find what size tires your will your car take, but what should you do if you drive a truck instead of a car? In most respects trucks are no different from any other passenger vehicle, but there are some rare cases where something that works for a car just doesn't measure up for a truck-- literally. Take truck tires, for instance, a set of normal passenger car tires might seem like they would be perfect for your pickup truck, but there is reason why tire man [...more]

Do larger tires get better gas mileage? The short answer is, no. Though, the real answer is a bit more complicated than a simple yes or no answer. The truth is that in many instances larger tires will not  increase a vehicle's fuel efficiency; however, there are many aspects of tires that can contribute a vehicle's gas mileage apart from the tire's size. One of the reasons that larger tires will not lead to an increase in a car's gas mileage is because they are heavier than smaller tires – [...more]

So when did compact spare tires start being used? If you guessed early 20th century then you are way off. Although spare tires are common in modern vehicles, the first automobiles didn't actually have spare tires at all, let alone compact spare tires. One of the leading car manufacturers in the early 1900's -- the Thomas B. Jeffery Company -- was the first automaker to began outfitting their passenger automobile with a spare tires. In 1909 Rambler introduced their latest vehicle, the Ramble 44, [...more]

What really is the best time of day to drive in the summer? It might seem like a strange question, but the truth is that every season of the year has conditions which people should take into consideration when choosing the best time to drive. Probably the most important factor to consider when selecting the best time of day to drive in the summer, or any season for that matter, is the local traffic conditions. Choosing the best time of day to drive in a densely populated area like California [...more]

Wheel spacers and wheel adapters are invaluable when installing custom wheels and tires, but what are wheel spacers and adapters, and what are the benefits of wheel spacers and adapters? Wheel Spacers Typically used to install larger tires, wheel spacers are devices that fit over a vehicle's holding bracket to create extra clearance between the wheel and the wheel hub assembly. In other words, wheel spacers increase the offset or the distance between the wheel and the wheel hub assembly. Whe [...more]

Planning on using what’s left of the summer to go on an awesome road trip? Before you set off there are a few things that everyone should know to have the best and safest trip possible. Our smart road trip tips can save you time, your sanity, and even your life. If you are traveling with young children on any trip longer than a couple hours then do yourself and any other adult passengers you might be traveling with a favor and get a portable DVD player. The clichéd question of "Are we there yet [...more]

How many wheels does a fire truck have? Before answering that question it's important to explore the history of the fire truck.  Unbeknownst to many, the fire truck actually predates the automobile. It seems a little strange, but it’s true, the first fire engines were used as early as the 16th century. The first engines were used in Germany and were really nothing more than water pump on wheels, not unlike a portable water well. In 1721, an English inventor by the name of Richard Newsham paten [...more]

Summer is a great time for all sorts of fun activities like drag racing, road trips, or even watching a drive-in movie with that special someone. While summer is not quite as complicated as the winter there still are a few things to keep in mind if you’re planning on spending a lot of time driving during the summer. Every year thousands of people go on road trips in the summer; people drive for hours and sometimes days just to visit the beach or attend their favorite band’s concert. If you are [...more]

California Summers are known for three things: hot cars, cool beaches, and good food. For the past few years Performance Plus Tire has been bringing all of these great things together at the Annual Summer Barbeque and Cruise Night in Long Beach, California. So if you like cars and free food there’s really no better place to be, but there’s no time to waste, this year’s Summer BBQ & Cruise Night is happening today, July 22, 2011 and will be held from 5 pm to 9 pm at 3910 Cherry Avenue in L [...more]

There is a certain sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from working on your on vehicle. The feeling that you get after having just installed a new set of tires or a catalytic converter single handedly is unmatched. After that point a person starts to look at their car in a new light it isn’t just some machine – it’s their pride and joy – and it needs to be handled with the utmost care. Every vehicle needs regular maintenance and the odd repair here and there, but you don't have [...more]

Note: post edited on 30 September 2014 to replace language stating that Goodyear created a sulfur-free rubber. Despite the name, vulcanized rubber has nothing to do with the pointed-eared aliens from Star Trek and it definitely wasn’t invented by Leonard Nimoy. Vulcanized Rubber was actually invented by Charles Goodyear in the early 19th century.  Goodyear’s vulcanized rubber revolutionized the rubber industry and helped shape global transportation.  In the early 1800’s all rubber products were [...more]

Is there anything more American than baseball and apple pie? Well, if there is anything more American than Mom and apple pie it would have to be the traditional American muscle car. Muscle cars are performance vehicles that embody the American spirit: they are fast, sturdy, and powerful. But the debate regarding the first “true” is one that will most likely not be settled anytime soon. Popular opinion is divided as to whether the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 or the Pontiac GTO was the first true muscle [...more]

Before selecting a pair of custom wheels, especially when plus sizing, it’s important to know how to identify a car’s lug bolt pattern. All vehicle wheels are mounted to a frame called the wheel hub assembly that extends from the vehicle chassis, which is secured by a series of lug nuts or wheel studs. These lug nuts appear in a circular known as the bolt pattern on the wheel hub and usually extend through the vehicle’s brake drum. Alright, it’s time for a geometry lesson; every bolt on the whe [...more]

Tire care just doesn't seem to get the attention that it deserves these days compared to general engine maintenance. The rims and tires on car are equally important though. And yet; rotating a car’s tires is something many people rarely have performed, if they bother to do it at all. It’s shocking to hear how many people think that just driving a car rotates the tires by itself. Yes. It's true that the tires are spinning whenever the car is in motion but rotating a car’s tires is something entir [...more]

Anyone who says that the muscle car is dead obviously hasn’t driven the new Dodge Challenger SRT8 392. There is nothing like the thrill of cranking up the 16-valve pushrod 6.4-liter V8 engine and going from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Though without a good set of wheels and tires don’t expect that Challenger to go very far. There are people that can settle for an ordinary stock car but the true dyed-in-the-wool car enthusiast knows that you have to make a few modifications to your ride.  O [...more]

Want to save some money? Try rotating the tires on your car yourself. This will save you not only the money you'd spend having someone else do it, but it will help extend the life of your tires, so that you don't have to buy news ones as frequently. Although the process is time consuming, it is nothing that you can't do yourself, or with the help of a friend or family member. You will need a car jack and you may want to invest in a hydralic floor jack for this as regular jacks are only designed [...more]