If you searched for “tire shops near me” you might not realise that tire care and maintenance are essential for the safety and optimal performance of your vehicle and can help extend its life.
Knowing what exactly tire problems service packages entail can help ensure that your vehicle gets the best possible care.
Article Summary
Symptoms of Bad Tires And Service
To help inform your decisions about your vehicle care, you should familiarise yourself with some of the available tire services to help you keep your vehicle more efficient on the road.
Flat Tire Repair
One of the most common services provided by tire shops is repairing flat tires.
A picture of a technician checking tire inflation, a technician will first remove the tire from the wheel, check it for damage and then take a decision about possible repair.
If the tire puncture is located less than one inch from the sidewall (the part of the tire that projects outward) or the size of a puncture is larger than ¼ inch in diameter, the tire is not repairable and needs to be replaced.
Flat tire (note the nail sticking in the tire) if the tire is repairable, the agent uses a patch from the inside that goes on top of a plug. Patches and plugs are durable for the following reason, because, as a general rule, we should not drive on a damaged tire as it can develop greater problems and even completely fail the tire.
When you get your flat fixed you can expect the technician to check the wheel and vehicle suspension for any additional damage, and to check the condition and air pressure in your other tyres. Attending to your flat tyre in a timely manner can help prevent other problems from occuring later on, and keep your car running smoothly.
Wheel Alignment
Having your bad wheels aligned means your wheels are oriented to the ideal angles for your vehicle per the manufacturer’s specifications. If your wheels are misaligned, you’ll wear your tyres unevenly, your car won’t handle well, and you’ll use more fuel.
When aligning your wheels, the technician sets the angles of the wheels to point parallel to each other (toe angle) and perpendicular to the road (camber angle). An automaker might specify certain toe and camber angles that aren’t exactly parallel to the ground or to each other (depending on the suspension geometry and desired handling characteristics of the vehicle).
Tire Rotation
The Tire rotation service places the tires on a different corner, for example, a front tire could be placed on the back wheel or a tire on the left side could be moved to the right side. Tire rotation is a good all-around habit, and it is also an important element to maximize time and money spent on your tires.
Reasonable differences in wear cause premature failure of specific tires, so regularly rotating a tires’ positions balances out wear. This especially important in front wheel drive vehicles since those cars’ front tires are used for acceleration of the vehicle.
Front tires usually show greater wear than those on the rear so there is a cyclic rotation of the wear, by regularly rotating the tires.
When I rotate your tyres, I will check the tyres for any damage and to see if they are inflated to the correct level. Rotating your tyres regularly will save you money because premature tyre replacement can become very costly.
On average, you should rotate your tyres every 5,000 to 7,000 miles, but you should always consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual.
Tire Balancing
Tire balancing reduces your tyre’s and wheels’ imperfections that make them spin unevenly. As a result, you feel vibrations that can be unpleasant.
Technicians attach weights to your wheel, trying to restore the wheel axis of rotation. An unbalanced tires can lead to uneven wearing and vibrations that, in its turn, leads to suspension and steering components damage.
Using the special machine a technician can account for weight variance to determine where the weights belong. Tire balance will make your journey more comfortable and therefore add to your driving experience.
If you balance your tires regularly, you prolong the life of them and prevent your vehicle’s suspension and steering systems from premature wear. The weight and shock of a regularly unbalanced tire would inevitably lead to this outcome.
The process is straightforward the tires are put on a specially designed machine which accounts for the weight variance and then with the help of the machine, the technician can pinpoint the exact area which the weights belong.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
TPMS or the Tire Pressure Monitoring System, is an electronic system used to detect the air pressure in your tyres and alert you when a tyre is severely under-inflated, including poor vehicle handling, lower miles per gallon and increased irritation on your tyre. Keep your Tire Pressure Monitoring System working at optimal performance levels at all times.
If you have it serviced for your TPMS, technicians will check the tire pressure sensors, replace any malfunctioning devices, and verify that the system accurately reads and displays the pressure in your tyres. Also, several service providers offer a complimentary TPMS check, sometimes for less than $15 (that’s $14.99).
As a tyre owner, it is a good idea to get your tyres checked for system functionality regularly to catch a potential problem early, before it turns into an inflated expense.
Wrapping Up Tire Problems Service
It is important to know what kind of tire service packages are available to maintain the safety and performance of your car. Regular maintenance such as lump tire, tilt wheel alignments, wheel rotation, wheel balancing and TPMS checks will extend the lifespan of your tires, and improve the handling as well as fuel performance of your cars.
After a thorough search on “tire dealers near me”, make sure your serviced package comes with all the recommended maintenance. It makes sure that your vehicles are always running on optimum performance.
Your car is in good hands with professional maintenance at your side. It gives you a hassle-free car care experience. This is a common practice to keep our vehicles running with high quality performances in our daily lives. It is a good investment for car owners and your daily driving.
And this becomes an essential aspect of maintenance. Whenever you feel it’s time to improve tire health and thereby that of your vehicle as a whole, search for ‘auto shops near me’ to find a good service provider and keep your tires and your vehicle in ship-shape condition. Remember, improved tire health will mean improved vehicle performance.
