Tony’s Tires is a locally owned tire installation and repair shop located in Front Royal, Virginia. Services offered include New Tire Sales and Installation, Tire repairs (when safe to do so), vehicle repairs related to tires and tire wear, TPMS installation and Computerized Wheel Balancing using state of the art Hunter Road Force Touch equipment.

They offer all major tire brands, including Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear, Continental, Falken, Hankook, Yokohoma and many more. Their distributors enable them to get virtually any tire needed within just 24 hours. They also offer a selection of wheels from various manufacturers including Advanti, Konig, Modular Society, Mickey Thompson and more.

Tony’s Tires is located at 11 E. 7th Street in Front Royal, Virginia. Their telephone number is 540-551-0922. http://www.tonystiresfrontroyal.com/

This 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited, loaded leather, sunroof, heated seats, news tires, warranty.

In-house financing available with approved income and $1500 down payment.

Contact Jamie at Elite Auto Sales 540-631-7230, or stop by the lot at 1372 John Marshall Hwy, Front Royal, VA.

Click here to visit their website.

This 2010 Toyota RAV4 4×4 Limited model has leather, sunroof, backup camera and our warranty.

• Superb power and fuel economy from V6
• Huge cargo space with flat load floor
• Roomy second-row seating
• Balanced ride and handling
• Solid build quality
• Strong crash test scores

In-house financing available with approved income and $2000 down

Contact Jamie at Elite Auto Sales 540-631-7230, or stop by the lot at 1372 John Marshall Hwy, Front Royal, VA.

Click here to visit their website.

Are your windshield wipers streaking, squeaking, skipping or splitting? If so, it’s not surprising. Wiper deterioration is a common consequence of winter driving and nothing is harder on them than ice and snow. As soon as wipers are no longer functioning optimally, and visibility is compromised, it’s imperative to get them replaced. This is quick and easy to do — you just need to know a few basic things.

What types of wipers are available?

There are three main types of wipers:

• Conventional wipers. These wipers are the most affordable. They’re durable and reliable.

• Aero wipers. This type of wiper adheres better to the windshield, ensuring a streak-free cleaning.
• Hybrid wipers. Offering the best of both worlds, these wipers are basically heavy-duty aero wipers.

What size should I buy?
The size of wiper you need depends on the type of vehicle you own. You can consult your owner’s manual to find out how long they should be. Alternatively, you can go to an auto parts store: most have a computer in which you can input your car’s information in order to learn what wiper size you need.

How are wipers removed and installed?
Removing wipers is usually a simple matter that requires little more than unhooking them. However, the precise method to do so depends on the type and brand.

Installing new wipers is just as easy and involves simply hooking or clipping them on. The packaging will contain instructions to guide you. However, this is a service that most auto shops will perform inexpensively or even for free when you purchase wipers from them.

If your wipers are no longer functioning well, don’t wait to swap them out — visibility is essential to staying safe on the road.

We can easily foresee a future where roads are abuzz with electric vehicles: after all, new EV models are popping up every year featuring increasingly powerful batteries. In addition, an expanding network of charging stations is beginning to dot urban landscapes. However, we shouldn’t be too quick to dub the electric vehicle the car of tomorrow. There’s another eco-friendly option that’s starting to make its presence felt: the hydrogen vehicle.

Hydrogen vehicles, also known as fuel cell vehicles, are all the rage in California. Just ask car manufacturers like Toyota and Honda, whose hydrogen models—respectively the Mirai and the Clarity—can increasingly be seen cruising up and down California roadways. These automakers, as well as a number of industry experts, foresee a future in which electric and hydrogen cars will share the road.

However, as things stand at the moment, electric vehicles have the upper hand on hydrogen ones. The quantity sold in North America practically doubles each year and the number of charging stations is increasing at a similar rate. As for hydrogen vehicles, California is their lone epicentre. The new technology is more or less confined to this state, which alone has the necessary infrastructure—specifically, hydrogen stations and hydrogen-generation facilities.

Hydrogen vehicles versus electric vehicles

While they’re both eco-friendly options, hydrogen vehicles and electric vehicles have several important differences. Here are some key points to consider.

• Infrastructure costs. The infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles is more expensive to build and put in place: a single hydrogen station requires about a three million dollar investment, while a Level 2 EV charging station costs approximately $11,000 and a fast charging station, $30,000. Whereas an EV charging station can serve about 20 vehicles a day, a hydrogen station can fill up several hundred.

• Recharging. Recharging a hydrogen vehicle takes no longer than getting gas, but filling up an EV is a lot more slow going. Level 2 charging stations (currently the most common option) take between six and 12 hours to supply a complete charge; fast charging stations take about 30 minutes.

• Range. Hydrogen vehicles get an impressive range of nearly 300 miles whereas the median range for EVs is 114 miles. However, certain EV models do match hydrogen vehicles for range, such as the Tesla, which delivers up to 335 miles before needing to be recharged.

While it’s too soon to tell whether the hydrogen vehicle or electric vehicle is the car of tomorrow—or whether they’ll share the title—either way, the future is looking greener.

Every day, the technology propelling the development of autonomous cars becomes increasingly fine tuned. Most experts agree that it won’t be long before driverless cars are cruising the streets in droves. Here are some of the basics about this emerging technology.

How does a self-driving car work?
The easiest way to understand how self-driving cars work is to look at their key technologies.

• Radar sensors monitor the speed and position of surrounding vehicles and objects.

• Lidar sensors build a map of the exterior world by shooting out millions of infrared lasers and recording how quickly they bounce back.

• Ultrasonic sensors are found in the wheels and they detect the position of the curb and surrounding environment when the vehicle parks.

The data from these sensors are transmitted to a central computer, which manipulates the steering, acceleration and braking.

What kinds of self-driving cars are there?
When it comes to self-driving technology, there are five levels of automation.

• Level 1: driver assistance. The car has various driver-assist features such as lane-keeping support and blind-spot detection.

• Level 2: partial automation. The driver remains engaged in driving and monitoring the road but can make use of certain automated features, such as parking assistance and traffic-jam assist (which allows for automated driving on well-paved roads when traffic is moving slowly).

• Level 3: conditional automation. The driver doesn’t need to monitor the environment but is prompted to intervene and take control of the wheel in certain circumstances.

• Level 4: high automation. The car can handle all driving tasks. The driver is prompted to intervene only in rare situations.

• Level 5: full automation. The car is fully self-operated and will never prompt a person to intervene.

As it stands, only Level 1 and Level 2 cars (such as the Tesla Model S) are available to consumers on a large scale. However, cars with more advanced automation are being tested by a number of automakers, and it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing Level 3s on the streets too.