Conti, General all-terrain tires debut

Continental Tires the Americas’ newest all-terrain light truck lines — the Continental TerrainContact A/T and General Grabber X3 — are now available in dealers’ showrooms throughout North  America.

The debut of the two tires marks Continental’s entry into the all-terrain segment with a Continental-branded product and the expansion of Grabber product line into the mud-terrain segment, Conti said.

According to Conti, the TerrainContact tires incorporate the tire maker’s “TractionPlus” technology, which helps to provide durable performance through dirt and gravel while maintaining a quiet, comfortable ride on pavement. TractionPlus features an open pattern and large stable blocks, while the patented +Saline helps to provide traction in wet conditions.

“This tire is the perfect balance of on- and off-road performance for light truck and SUV owners,” Travis Roffler, director of marketing for Continental Tire said.

“While this is a new segment for Continental Tire, we are confident that the hours and miles we’ve invested in testing this tire will pay off. Whether dry, wet, pavement, dirt, gravel, or grass, we believe consumers will be extremely happy with the off-road durability and traction while also experiencing a quiet, comfortable ride on-road.”

The TerrainContact A/T also features traction grooves that provide gripping teeth inside the groove to lock in snow for improved grip, while the full-depth sipes also help with traction on snow and ice.

The TerrainContact A/T is available in 20 sizes in 16- to 22-inch wheel diameters with a 245 to 285 millimeter widths and 45 to 75 series. Additionally, there will be 15 LT metric sizes, ranging from 16- to 20-inch wheel diameter with a 235-315 width and 60-80 series.

The General Grabber X3 is so named because it takes extreme terrain to the power of three, offering “extreme” performance in mud with an optimal void and self-cleaning pattern, in dirt with enhanced grip and stability and on rock surfaces with adhesion and cut/chip resistance.

The X3 features a high-void tread-pattern design, evacuation channels and alternating shoulder scoops for mud traction; block chamfers, traction notches and stone bumpers for dirt performance; and multi-angle gripping edges, deflection ribs, and sidewall protection lugs for grip on rock surfaces.

The X3 will offer 42 SKUs, including 17 with the Grabber line’s signature smooth red sidewall lettering. The lineup includes 13 flotation sizes in 31- to 37-inch outside diameters in rim diameters from 15 to 20 inches. There also are 16 LT metric sizes from 255 to 315 millimeter widths in 16- to 20-inch rim diameters.

Tips for buying used tires

Evaluate Tire tread depth

First you should determine how much life the tires have left in them by looking at the depth of the tire tread. Using a gauge you can determine EXACTLY how much is left.

Read the Tire Age

It is important to check the age of the. You can check the age of a tire based on the writing on the side of the tire. Knowing how much tread is left, you can calculate approximately how long of a life the tire has remaining based on its age, remaining tread depth and your driving habits.

Know the UTQG Rating

The Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG) rating, often called the Treadwear Rating, is another important aspect to look at. The lower the number, the softer the tire and the quicker it will wear out. Most race cars use a UTQG of less than 100. The most economical, long lasting tires are around 450-600 UTQG. If you’re looking at a tire with a UTQC under 200, expect it to wear quickly. It will have tons of grip and be a very high performance tire, but that performance comes at the cost of durability. Anything between 200-400 is a relatively high performance tire that will last a normal lifespan. Anything 450-600 should last a very long time, all things considered equal, and be a great choice for durability, but likely at the cost of performance.

Get The Most Out Of That Set Of Tires

Your tires are a pretty big investment. Even with the cheapest set of tires, you’re going to be spending upwards of $400 on the tires, mounting, balancing, disposal fees and taxes. Since you laid down that kind of money, doesn’t it just make sense to make sure you get the most miles possible out of them?

Here’s some advice on long tire life:

• Regularly check your tire pressure. This one is really, really important. Underinflated tires will wear

unevenly and reduce your fuel economy due to increased rolling resistance. That increased rolling resistance also means more heat, which will break down the tires’ internal structure and shorten their lives. All it takes to shorten a tire’s service life by 25 percent is for it to be underinflated by 5-6 lbs.

• Rotate your tires regularly. No vehicle has even weight distribution from front to rear. The engine puts more weight over the front wheels; in addition, the front tires will wear differently as the vehicle’s weight and momentum shifts to the front while braking. The front tires are also subjected to different forces while cornering. As a result, it’s important to rotate the tires, shifting their positions on the vehicle to even out wear. Rotations should be done every 6,000 miles or so; many drivers have the rotation performed at the same time as an oil change, since the vehicle’s already up on a lift anyway.

• Check your wheel alignment. A vehicle that’s in need of a wheel alignment will wear the front tires unevenly, as the out-of-spec wheel tries to drag the car in a different direction. That’s what also causes the persistent pull to one side while driving in a straight line. Be alert to the signs of poor wheel alignment, and have an alignment performed if necessary.

• Drive sensibly. That means no hard cornering and no wheel spin while taking off. 

History of Labor Day

Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events.

Labor Day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages. People of all ages, particularly the very poor and recent immigrants, often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks.

As manufacturing increasingly supplanted agriculture as the wellspring of American employment, labor unions, which had first appeared in the late 18th century, grew more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay. Many of these events turned violent during this period, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Others gave rise to longstanding traditions: On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history.

The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers across the country, and many states passed legislation recognizing it.Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives.

On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers. In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.More than a century later, the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be identified.

Many credit Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, while others have suggested that Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday.Labor Day is still celebrated in cities and towns across the United States with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays and other public gatherings. For many Americans, particularly children and young adults, it represents the end of the summer and the start of the back-to-school season.

History of Labor Day

Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events.

Labor Day, an annual celebration of workers and their achievements, originated during one of American labor history’s most dismal chapters. In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages. People of all ages, particularly the very poor and recent immigrants, often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks.

As manufacturing increasingly supplanted agriculture as the wellspring of American employment, labor unions, which had first appeared in the late 18th century, grew more prominent and vocal. They began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay. Many of these events turned violent during this period, including the infamous Haymarket Riot of 1886, in which several Chicago policemen and workers were killed. Others gave rise to longstanding traditions: On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history.

The idea of a “workingmen’s holiday,” celebrated on the first Monday in September, caught on in other industrial centers across the country, and many states passed legislation recognizing it.Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when a watershed moment in American labor history brought workers’ rights squarely into the public’s view. On May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives.

On June 26, the American Railroad Union, led by Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers. In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.More than a century later, the true founder of Labor Day has yet to be identified.

Many credit Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, while others have suggested that Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday.Labor Day is still celebrated in cities and towns across the United States with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays and other public gatherings. For many Americans, particularly children and young adults, it represents the end of the summer and the start of the back-to-school season.

Labor Day 2016

We will be closed on Monday, September 5th in honor of the Labor Day holiday. We will return to our regular hours on Tuesday, September 6th.