A Bench Vice

Everyone who has ever used a garage as a place to make mechanical repairs has wished (at least once) that they possessed an extra set of hands. Sadly, medical science has yet to give human beings additional fully-functional limbs. Luckily, a bench vice makes a more-than-adequate substitute for a secondary pair of hands: it allows garage-users to apply pressure, hold items in place while they work on them or simply keep objects in position until their superglue or soldering sets. A bench vice is essential for repairing some car parts and for making or mending other mechanical components.

A Stringo

It’s often necessary for garage-owners to move cars with precision and speed. However, nobody enjoys having to start their car and get behind the wheel just to adjust the vehicle’s position by a few feet. The Stringo is a wonderfully simple and easy-to-use machine for manoeuvring cars. What’s more, it works beautifully even in small spaces, making it ideal for individuals with compact garages.

A Car Jack

Garage-owners have to get under their vehicles to make repairs almost as often as they have to move those vehicles. As such, a car jack is an absolutely essential tool for all garage-owners. It allows the owner to raise their vehicles high enough to make repairs without unnecessary risk.

A Torque Wrench

It’s no longer sufficient for car-owners to simply tighten every bolt in their automobiles as much as possible. Nowadays, it is essential for car-owners to be able to tighten and loosen bolts precisely. Consequently, every garage should contain a high-quality torque wrench. Torque wrenches allow garage-users to make vital adjustments far more exactly than other types of wrench and spanner, which makes them must-have car-maintenance accoutrements. It’s worth noting, of course, that these remarkable tools are useful for maintaining all sorts of machinery: cars are just the ‘tip of iceberg’!

Basic Tools

It’s easy to focus on specialist equipment and high-end mechanical accessories. However, garage-owners should also ensure that they have a good set of simple, standard tools, such as screwdrivers, hammers and drills. These tools are versatile and are often essential for making small, subtle repairs. Every garage should contain a set of ordinary, everyday tools for performing ordinary, everyday tasks. However, garage owners should remember not to settle for tools of merely-ordinary quality: it’s always worth investing in the best!Vehicle enthusiasts, hobbyist mechanics, automotive professionals and mechanical workers all need well-stocked garages. Having a wide range of highly-precise and highly-versatile tools is vital for carrying out any kind of important ‘garage work’. All garage-owners should start with a decent set of standard tools, a torque wrench, a car jack, a bench vice and a Stringo as these tool allow users to undertake almost any essential mechanical operation in their garage. Of course, there’s always room for more tools in a garage after these have been installed!

The Benefits of Changing Tyres

When cars are initially sold, most will come with summer tyres. These tyres have less friction than the winter version and will therefore perform better in warmer climates.With a summer tyre, less of the rubber will actually sit on the road, therefore reducing the drag on the car. This increases the fuel efficiency within the engine and gives the driver a much more positive driving experience.However, when cold or wet weather comes, this lack of friction can cause a problem. The summer tyre is more likely to lose traction on the road or on uneven ground. And without the increased tread of a winter tyre any snow on the road can build up on the tyre quickly creating a snowball effect, leading to some very serious accidents.In bad weather, a winter tyre provides more control to the driver and therefore makes manoeuvring in poor conditions much easier. A flatter tyre and larger tread draws water and snow up into gaps in the tyre leaving the contact with the road unhindered, and therefore much safer to drive.That increased friction also encourages the driver to drive more slowly, therefore improving car safety during the most dangerous driving months of the year.

But There Are Disadvantages to Winter Tyres

While winter tyres are vital in winter, if they are used in the summer the flatness of the tyre can actually reduce handling ability. Lower tyre performance can increase breaking times and make bends difficult to handle, therefore making them far more challenging.

The answer, therefore, is to invest in both.

The initial cost may be a little eye-watering, but investing in summer and winter tyres can save lives. In some countries, winter tyres are now a legal requirement for the worst months of the year. And statistically the results have been very positive. Even the action of changing the tyres themselves enables drivers to consider their driving habits encourages them to adapt to the new conditions.

A Tyre for All Seasons?

In recent years there has been an introduction of ‘all season’ tyres onto the market that are looking to negate the need for separate tyres depending on the weather conditions. Indeed there are also alternatives to winter tyres such as tyre socks and snow chains. And while all of these products will go some way to improving the driving experience in bad weather, none can provide the efficiency and safety all year round. And until that changes, the safest bet is to get that second set of tyres.