Car Tire Repair & New Tires
El Cajon new tires auto repair shop. The best part of getting new struts is the opportunity to put new tires on your car too. Sunshine Auto Repair wants to make sure your car looks and feels good on the road with you behind the wheel.El Cajon Tire Repair Service / New Tires
Improve your vehicle’s handling, increase tire life, and drive with safety by checking your tires every month to insure that they are inflated with the right amount of air pressure. We offer a wide range of tires for your vehicle. Let our professionals help you find, balance, and mount the right tires for your car.
Below are some of the tire services that we offer:
- Wheel Alignment (Featuring our brand new state-of-the-art
- Computerized Camera Alignment System)
- Tire Mounting
- Tire Balancing
- Tire Rotation
- Tire Inspection
- Flat Repair
Tire Guide and Tips: Understanding Your Tire
For example: P225/70-R15, 89H:
P = Passenger Tire (LT = Light Truck)
- 225 = Overall width of the tire in millimeters
- 70 = Sidewall height (distance from rim to tread) as a percentage of the tread width (known as aspect ratio)
- R = Tire construction, this one is Radial (also, B = Belted Bias, D = Diagonal Bias
- 15 = Represents the size of the wheel in inches
- In this example, the tire has the number 89H. This is the weight capacity of the tire. However, in most cases, you will not see this heading on the sidewall.
- The V and Z rated tires have excellent dry pavement grip/traction but due to their soft rubber compounds, do not have a long life.
- A tread rating indicates how long a tire should last. This figure is written in small letters on the sidewall of your tire. The higher the number, the longer the tire should last. 100 is the basic tread wear rating.
- The traction rating works just like grading – ‘A’ being the best, ‘B’ is good, and ‘C’ is acceptable. This number is also found on the sidewall.
- Temperature ratings work the same – ‘A’ best, ‘B’ good, ‘C’ acceptable. If you drive your car very hard, you want a temperature rating of ‘A’ because a ‘C’ would fail faster under these conditions. Again, look for this number on the sidewall.
Alignment Service
Proper alignment is necessary for even tread wear and precise steering. A misaligned vehicle will also affect your gas mileage.
- Excessive or uneven tire wear.
- Steering wheel pulls to the left or right.
- Feeling of looseness or wandering.
- Steering wheel vibration or shimmy.
- Steering wheel is not centered when car is moving straight ahead.
Many vehicles today are equipped with rear suspensions that can be adjusted for alignment. Our ASE certified alignment technicians can tell you if your vehicle requires a two or four wheel alignment. With our state-of-the-art computerized alignment machines we will also provide you with a computer printout showing the adjustments that were made to your vehicle.
The most common adjustable angles are:
Toe
This refers to the tilted direction of the wheels toward or away from one another when viewed from the front. Toe is the most critical tire-wearing angle. Tires that “toe-in” point toward one another. Tires that “toe-out” point away from each other.
Camber
This refers to the tilt of the wheels toward or away from one another when viewed from the top. Wheels that tilt in toward the vehicle have “negative camber.” Wheels that tilt away from the vehicle have “positive camber.”
Caster
This refers to the angle of the steering axis in relation to an imaginary vertical line through the center of the wheel when viewed from the side. “Positive caster” is the term used when the vertical line is tilted back toward the rear. If it’s tilted forward, we call it “negative caster.” The proper caster angle stabilizes your car for better steering.
Thrust Angle This refers to the relationship of all four wheels to each other, as well as their relationship to an imaginary centerline that runs from bumper to bumper. The term “thrust line” refers to the direction in which the rear wheels are pointed. Thrust angle is correctable on cars with adjustable rear suspensions. If your car has a non-adjustable suspension, thrust-angle is compensated for by aligning the front wheels to the rear wheels.
Why Four Wheel Alignment?
Reduced Tire Wear
Improper alignment is a major cause of premature tire wear. Over the years, a properly aligned vehicle can add thousands of miles to tire life.
Better Gas Mileage
Gas mileage increases as rolling resistance decreases. Total alignment sets all four wheel parallel which, along with proper inflation, minimizes rolling resistance.
Improved Handling
Does your car pull to one side? Does the steering wheel vibrate? Do you constantly have to move the steering wheel to keep your car traveling straight ahead? Many handling problems can be corrected by total alignment. With all the system components aligned properly, road shock is more efficiently absorbed for a smoother ride.
Front End Inspection
A suspension system inspection is part of our alignment procedure. This allows us to spot worn parts before they cause costly problems.
Wheel alignments should be checked at least once per year or anytime you have your tires replaced. We would be happy to set up an appointment for you to check your wheel alignment. Our Free local courtesy shuttle can take you to work, home or to the local shopping mall! Otherwise, you can always reserve one of our complimentary loaner cars!
(619) 444-1696
Why do I have to have my Wheels Aligned (Alignment)?
Research indicates that the average car is driven about 12,000 miles per year. A car with toe alignment just 0.34 degrees (Just 0.17 inches) out of specification has dragged its tires sideways for more than 68 miles by the end of the year!
Why does my car's steering wheel pull to the left/right?
A “pulling car” will have disasterous effects on tires and cause them to pop prematurily. This could be the result of poorly tuned suspension issues, under inflated tires, tires improperly rotated, etc… Make sure to check with a professional sooner than later.
Sunshine Auto Repair is here for any of your important questions. Please call or stop by. We offer our “Appointment Service” if your time is limited.
Why Does My Brake Pedal Pulse?
This form of pulsation is the telltale sign of disc distortion, which is sometimes referred to as brake rotor warpage.
Here’s the sticky: brake rotors are steel discs that need to be perfectly flat, like a vinyl record, to do their job smoothly. Sometimes, brake rotors become warped, losing their perfectly flat shape. Much more commonly, the brake rotors wear unevenly, meaning the thickness of the rotor is uneven around the disc. In any case, dimensional variation of the brake rotor discs, whether caused by wear or heat, causes uneven braking output at the surface of the rotating disc, which results in a feel of pulsation and roughness when the brakes are applied.
Rotor warpage is rarely an issue with high-quality brake rotors and is typically caused by a failure of low-quality rotors to hold their shape against the tremendous heat generated in the braking system during severe use. If you use low-quality brake rotors and use your braking system hard (perhaps on hilly terrain, or while towing, or while driving a vehicle fully loaded with passengers and gear), rotor warpage is nearly guaranteed.
Should I Replace My Brake Pads and Rotors at the Same Time?
This is a common and highly-debated topic with drivers looking to save a buck or two. Your brake pads and rotors are partners. They work together every time you press the brake pedal. They’re best pals.
But one of these two components may wear out before the other, leading many to wonder if they should replace both at once, or just what’s worn out.
The generally-accepted principle of changing pads and rotors at the same time has several benefits. First, pads and rotors are designed to wear down together. Over time, small grooves will form in the brake rotor surface and corresponding brake pad. These grooves fit into each other, ensuring 100 percent of your brake pad is acting on 100 percent of the rotor, for 100 percent stopping power.
Change the brake pads and not the rotors, and the grooves no longer line up. When choosing this route, 100 percent of your new brake pad may be acting on only 80 percent of the grooved brake rotor surface. Accordingly, braking power will be reduced. Also, the old grooved rotor surface will rapidly chew up your smooth new brake pads, wearing them rapidly.
Finally, if your brake rotors wear out 4 months after the pads do, you’ll be making another visit to the shop to have them replaced, and you’ll be paying the labor rate a second time to change them. For instance, changing pads and rotors might take a technician one hour in total, but changing them separately means you’re paying the majority of that labor rate, twice.
Why Does My Brake Pedal Go All the Way to the Floor?
There are several reasons a vehicle’s brake pedal may go all the way to the floor, and all of them are serious and require immediate attention. Causes may include a leak in the hydraulic portion of the braking system, contamination of the brake fluid by air or water, or severely worn pads and rotors. If you experience a brake pedal that goes all the way to the floor, you’re best to stop driving as soon as possible and have a professional assess the vehicle.
When Is It Time to Change My Brakes?
Your braking system has numerous components, but the brake pads and brake rotors are the stars of the show when it comes to getting your vehicle stationary. When you apply the brakes, hydraulic pressure squeezes the pads into the rotors, slowing the vehicle down with tremendous amounts of friction.
The pads and rotors wear down slightly every time you press the brakes, eventually wearing to a point where they can no longer do their job. It’s a little like the rubber eraser on the back of a pencil, which wears out a little at a time until there’s almost nothing left.
Many factors affect the rate at which things wear out. These include the vehicle, driver habits, types of use, for example, towing or other severe driving, terrain characteristics, and even owner maintenance habits. The quality of parts has a lot to do with their lifespan too, with cheaper components tending to wear out and require replacement more quickly.
When do your brakes need to be changed? In simple terms, they should be changed when the thickness of the brake pads and/or rotors falls below a certain safe limit. As this limit approaches, stopping power may feel reduced, a loud squealing sound from the brakes may become irritating and constant, and visible wear to the brake rotor surface may be noted.
A technician may also recommend replacing brakes after a system inspection, which drivers should have completed regularly for peace of mind. Finally, some vehicles are equipped with special sensors that detect brake wear and can alert the driver to have the system serviced.
WHY DOES MY BRAKE PEDAL GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR?
You should immediately check your master cylinder under your hood.
