When I had my tires rotated last month, Family Tire (the place where I got my tires rotated) told me that I would need 4 new tires by October because they would be worn out by then.I went to a mechanic a week ago, he said that the tires looked fine.My girlfriend says we shouldn‘t need to get the tires rotated because the tires were Sumitomo which, to my understanding, is supposed to be the best tire you can get.I can‘t tell if they‘re worn out or not. Is there a way to tell? I don‘t want to drive on the highway and suddenly get a flat and get in an accident.
You want the CVT to operate in reverse to the braking pressure you apply. E.g. if you lightly touch the brakes you want the CVT in a high gear so it only creates a small generating resistance. If you press hard, you want it to down shift so that you are generating more power and creating more resistance.
The test we always used to see on tv was where they'd stick a penny into the treads with lincoln's head upside down. If the treads weren't deep enough to reach the top of his head it was time to get new tires.
There is a rubber RIDGE running across the tire, when that ridge is even with the tread you are at the minimum tread depth allowed ny FED DOT, replace when you see it. T^his is mainly a rain use indicator, running over a nail,screw or BRICK will kill a brand new tire, you may hear it go flat but a BLOW OUT is unlikely these days.
Generally speaking, when your tire's tread depth gets to 3/32 of an inch or less, it's time to start shopping for tires. Your tire should have wear indicator bars, raised bars (not as thick as the tread itself) that give you a good indication of when you need to replace. Every tire manufacturer recommends rotating about every 6,000 miles so you achieve more even wear, and it will extend the life of your tires. However, if you notice cracks or bulges in your tire's sidewal or treadl, you're at a greater risk for a blow out. If you're having trouble figuring out your tread depth, your local auto parts stores all carry an inexpensive little gauge that makes it super easy
My friend, don't down shift, unless it's absolutely necessary to avoid a major accident. Reason for this, brakes were made to take the stress of stopping a vehicle. The transmission was not. It cost less to fix the brakes, than to replace the transmission. I see this all the time at the mechanics shop I used to work at. Particularly in standards. The brakes are there for a reason, just like the emergency brake. Think of it this way. Your going 70 mph on the highway, and you down shift, either a manual or a standard transmission, to the next gear. You are now putting the centrifical force of either the flywheel (standard) or the torque converter (automatic) at a 70 mph speed, probably around 2 -1/2 to 3 thousand rpms, to the next gear down. This pre-maturely wears out each type of these units. Automatic transmission rebuilds can cost up to $1,500 or more depending on the type. Standards slightly less. New ones can run around $3,000 or more, also depending on type. Your hybrid comes with a 600 lb. battery. The weight of about 2 passengers. It gets it's charge from a dyno while in motion. This battery is costly to replace. At one time it's cost was around $10,000, and it has to be removed with a small crane. Now the cost is lower, but not worth the headache to pay to replace it still. I hope you please take what I am stating into extreme consideration. This won't answer your question, but hopefully save you alot of money and headaches in the long run.
