When to Visit a Tire Shop

The owner of a car or pickup truck will have plenty of repair and maintenance needs to keep track of, and that includes the wheels and tires, too. A car’s owner might take the car’s tires or wheels for granted, but responsible car owners will know when to spot issues with that hardware and visit tire stores for a solution. Even cheap tires might do a fine job when they replace damaged or deflated tires, and high end tires may last a long time indeed. Many tire stores and tire shops today may offer a variety of brands, many of which are known for offering superior quality products. At tire stores, car owners may choose a tire based on their planned driving, since not all tires are the same. Off road tires, on road tires, and winter tires may all be different, and a new car owner may soon want to learn the difference. And what about the aluminum rims of a car’s wheels? It’s important to keep track of that, too.

All About Tires

What might go wrong? A car owner may visit tire stores nearby if their tires are very old, or if they have suffered trauma. Simple age may eventually make tires a liability, and this is why many car owners keep a log tracking when they purchase tires. What might be the problem? Age-worn tires are known to slowly but constantly deflate even if they aren’t punctured, and these semi-flat tires greatly reduce a car’s fuel efficiency and may even make the car’s performance erratic and sloppy. This may even be dangerous in some cases, and some auto incidents take place simply because a car had deflated tires. Even pumping them back up with air may not help for long, so a car’s owner will visit tire stores and get some new ones fitted on. New tires are tough and will not leak air.

Specialized driving may also call for a visit to tire stores. A car’s owner may start driving off-road, and this requires visiting tire stores to have off-road model tires put on. Many regular car tires are meant for on-road driving, but these smooth tires may suffer if they drive in rough terrain. And during winter, a car’s owner may opt to visit tire stores and get rugged tires with an excellent grip. These tires may help a car handle roads that are slick with ice or snow, and that can help prevent accidents.

And of course, a car’s owner will go to tire stores if their current tires are punctured or damaged somehow. A car might run over a sharp rock of tree branch, or a piece of metal and get slashed wide open. Some car owners can fit on a spare tire themselves and resume driving; otherwise, they may call for a tow truck. And sometimes, sheer vandalism is an issue, when a person deliberately slashes open a car’s tires for some reason or other.

How often should car tires get care? One idea is to have a car’s tires rotated every 3,000 to 6,000 miles of driving, or alongside every oil change that the car gets. Meanwhile, car owners are urged to get their tires aligned and balanced every 5,000 to 6,000 miles or so, and doing that can help boost each tire’s lifespan and performance.

Wheel Rims

A car may also suffer damage to the lightweight rims that go over the wheels. These rims help give the wheel its shape and they hold the tire in place, but these rims can be removed, repaired, and replaced as needed. For example, a minor auto accident or vandalism may create dents or other damage in the car’s rims or hubcaps, so professionals may remove the rims or hubcaps and pound out the dents. Meanwhile, if the car’s rims are dirty, such as from mud, the owner can simply wash them. But take caution, since steel wool will scratch a hubcap or rim’s aluminum surface.

Meanwhile, car enthusiasts like to modify their cars in terms of both performance and aesthetics, and that includes rims. Car owners may have simple rims and hubcaps removed and replace them with more stylish models, which may even include lights. Some rims may be designed with street racing in mind.