Maintaining a regular schedule for rotating your tires helps to ensure even tire wear and helps your tires last longer. Rotating your tires involves changing their position on the vehicle from one wheel location to another. All tire manufacturers recommend rotating your tires regularly. In fact, failing to do so could void the manufacturer’s warranty. Rotate tires at the vehicle manufacturers’ recommended intervals or at 5,000 to 7,000 miles if not specified.

There are two different schools of thought on how often you should rotate your tires on front wheel drive vehicles. The front tires on these vehicles tend to wear quicker than those on the rear of the vehicle. By rotating the tires front to rear and side to side the wear patterns between the wheel locations spread the wear out more evenly, allowing you to extend the life of all four of your tires.

Others argue it makes more sense to replace the front tires on a front wheel vehicle as they wear out, but to leave the back tires alone. This plan is especially effective if you do a lot of driving or plan to keep the vehicle a long time. It is estimated that the back tires will last as long as two sets of front tires. 

To find out what rotation pattern would be best for your vehicle and tires, consult one of our highly trained Service Advisors in the Toyota of Tampa Bay Service Department.

Nationally known car enthusiast and broker Melvin Goodman is bringing his Sweet Dreams Car Show Tour for 2010 to Tampa Bay at the St. Pete Times forum on Sunday, March 21 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  

2,500 people are expected to attend the event that will include displays by Morgan Auto Group’s Lamborghini Sarasota and BMW of Sarasota.  The event will include over $10,000,000 worth of cars on display, including Celebrity Vehicles from a mystery celebrity’s LP640 Lamborghini, the Lightning’s own Ryan Malone’s Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, and Tampa Bay Buc’s quarterback Josh Freeman’s 2010 Range Rover Super Charged.  

Also on display will be the Million Dollar Ride, a Bugatti Veyron.  You will also be able to see the latest in stereos, bikes and more.  

Hope to see you there!

Toyota of Tampa Bay is proud to be a sponsor of the Transitions Championship 72-hole official PGA Tour event being held at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. The festivities begin on March 15 and last all week through to the exciting final round on March 21. The Transitions Championship raises money each year for local charities.  

Larry Morgan, CEO and owner, of Toyota of Tampa Bay has been on the Board of this PGA event since 1998 and during that time the event has raised over $20,000,000 for local charities. On Monday, March 16, Larry will caddy for Toyota of Tampa Bay’s Service Director, Joe Schlueter, in the Shelton Quarles Celebrity Pro-Am which benefits the Shelton Quarles IMPACT Foundation.  

The IMPACT Foundation is dedicated to helping local Bay area underprivileged children and their families improve the quality of their lives through housing and educational initiatives.

After disclosing its February sales, Toyota has announced it will offer   ”unprecedented” deals to spur sales of select models.

The automaker will offer:

• Zero percent financing for up to 60 months on 2010 Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Tundra and Yaris, for qualifying buyers.
• Low lease rates on 2010 Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, Prius, RAV4, Tundra and Venza, for qualifying buyers.
• Free two-year premium maintenance program for customers who purchase or lease a new vehicle and provide proof of a Toyota, Lexus or Scion vehicle already registered in household, with applicable conditions.

The deals are “unprecedented in the history of Toyota,” said Toyota brand manager Bob Carter. The deals apply to most of the vehicles under recall, from Camry, Corolla, Prius, Tundra, RAV4 and others. The Yaris subcompact is included, too, even though it isn’t under any recall.

Source: [USA Today]

Tips to avoid being driven to distraction gives you some good ideas of how to stay safe while on the road. With texting and all the other distractions you are up against while driving you need to stay alert and pay attention.

Texting while driving has received a great deal of attention lately, and with good reason: Keeping your eyes on a tiny keyboard rather than the roadway ahead is a disaster waiting to happen. However, texting is just the latest in a long list of distractions that could have deadly consequences on America’s roadways.

“Safe driving is about focus,” said Bill Moore, president of MetLife Auto & Home. “Many accidents could be avoided if the basic principles of defensive driving and driver attentiveness were observed.”

To stay focused on safety, drivers may want to ask themselves the following questions:

• Are you keeping your eyes on the prize? With cars more than ever resembling mobile offices and entertainment centers, it can be easy to forget you’re behind the wheel. Most accidents occur in seconds and distractions delay your reaction time.  
• Are you awake enough to drive? Driver fatigue leads to inattentiveness, and according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 100,000 crashes are caused each year by drivers literally being asleep at the wheel. Recognize the signs of drowsy driving, which include difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, irritability and frequent yawning–and then, take action.  
• Are you more interested in your cell phone conversation than the road ahead? Even in states where it’s permissible, talking on a cell phone increases the likelihood of getting involved in a motor vehicle accident. If you need to call, pull off the road.  
• Do you have a designated deejay? Simple things like changing the radio dial or finding that “perfect song” on your MP3 player may seem harmless, but they can be a big distraction.
• Are you being lazy about changing lanes? It’s critical to look briefly over both shoulders before changing lanes. Even if you have onboard technology installed in the car, such as blind-spot and rearview indicators, the basics you learned in driver’s education will always apply: signal your intention, check your mirrors and then glance back both ways to be certain that no one – or nothing – is in your blind spot.
• Are you day driving or daydreaming? Even without external distractions, it’s easy to get caught up thinking about personal problems or work assignments. If you feel yourself losing focus, give yourself a wake-up call and set aside your problems. They can wait until the ride is over.

Source: [Car Junky]