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Everyone likes a nice cool car…except on a cold day. If you’ve ever shivered and tried to keep warm in a car with a weak heater (not to mention trying to clear fog from the inside of the windshield with stray Taco Bell napkins), you know what a miserable experience it is.    The heating system of your car is pretty simple in principle; it uses heat from the engine by directing coolant through a mini-radiator called the heater core. The heater core is located behind the dashboard and is connec...

The days are getting shorter, there’s a snap in the air, and before you know it, the winter months are going to be upon us. Is your vehicle ready?    • Wipers: Even the best windshield wipers are only good for about a year; normal wear, the sun’s UV rays and the elements take their toll on them. Get a good look and check them for chunks, strips or chips missing, and replace if necessary for a streak-free field of vision in wet weather. Hint: a fresh application of  Rain-X on your windshield ...

Winter’s on its way, and while some people look forward to snowball fights and blazing fireplaces, many of us find winter to be a real pain. Winter can be really hard on vehicles as well as people. At Star City Tire in Roanoke, VA, we would like to talk about a few ways that cold weather and winter conditions put an extra burden on your car (and some things you can do to help).    Battery: You go out on a cold morning, stick the key in the ignition and hear the engine turn too slowly ...

Where did this year go? Before you know it, it’s going to be time for the holidays, and that can mean travel in some pretty trying conditions (and we don’t just mean restless kids in the back seat). Is your vehicle ready for some interstate miles?   • Tires: It’s a good idea to have your tires rotated every 5,000-7,000 miles to ensure even wear. With that in mind, it’s easy to just schedule a tire rotation with every oil change, since the vehicle will be up in ...

If you’re past “a certain age,” you might remember when gas was $1.50 per gallon, or $1.00 per gallon, or 59 cents, or what-have-you…but the truth is that everything has gotten more expensive. After all, when gas was $1.00 per gallon, a nicely tricked-out Chevrolet Caprice Classic was selling for about $6,000 brand new.    Now that we’re well into the 21st century, gas prices are likely to fluctuate, but one thing’s for sure: gas is likely to never be “cheap” again. We kno...

You know that winter conditions can be rough in Roanoke, VA and all of southwest Virginia. It’d be better if you could just stay home and not even venture out when there’s snow, sleet or ice coming down, but we don’t always have that choice. At Star City Tire ,we want you to be safe this coming winter – so here are some winter driving tips that we hope you’ll find useful. First, it’s important that you go into the winter months with a solid, reliable vehicle: ·         Check your ba...

Some people love winter. They love the snow, the snap in the air, the short days and cozy nights at home. Others can’t stand it, for many of the same reasons. Regardless of whether you love it or hate it, though, chances are you’re going to have to get out and drive in it at some point. We’ve got a few suggestions to help you through the winter safely:  • Make sure you’ve got a well-maintained car. This includes fresh windshield wipers, proper tire inflation, a strong battery, a properly-...

You may have noticed that your fuel economy tends to drop off when the temperatures drop. Ever wondered why? Here are some causes: ·         Your engine is most efficient at normal operating temperature, and in cold weather it takes much longer to warm up to that temperature range. This will definitely hurt fuel efficiency on shorter trips, where the engine might never warm up completely. ·         Motor oil tends to be thicker at cold temperatures, increasing friction in the engine. ·         ...

Differential Service – Why Is It Important?    Of all the various things on a vehicle that need regular service and maintenance, the differential is too often neglected. But what exactly is it, and what does it do?    Visualize a rear-wheel-drive vehicle making a right-hand turn. As the car turns to the right, the left rear wheel will have to actually cover a longer distance and spin at a different speed than the right wheel. If the rear axle was delivering the same torque to both wheels, the...

It’s March and it may not be warming up just yet, but you know that spring is right around the corner. The buds will be coming out on the trees, flowers blooming, birds tweeting, and it’ll be time to get your vehicle back in shape after the rigors of a rough winter. At Star City Tire in Roanoke, VA, we’ve got a few suggestions to get your car back in good shape again for spring and summer: ·         Winter weather, with its snow, ice, road grit and salt, is extremely hard on your car’s fini...