Tire Services at T.O. Haas
Tires are the connection between your vehicle and the surface of the road. A critical part of your vehicle’s suspension system, tires are responsible for transmitting the forces of driving, steering, and braking to the surface of the road. Although tires are easily maintained, they are often overlooked. The air inside your tires and the design of the tire influence vehicle performance, tire tread life, and ride comfort. Tire maintenance is vital for getting the most out of your tires by maximizing mileage and tread wear. Our staff will help you understand the basics of tire care and maintenance, like when you should seek tire rotation, balance, and alignment. Our auto shop staff will also help you understand tire sidewall markings, teach you the best time to purchase a new set of tires, and show you how to choose the right set of tires for your vehicle.
Importance of Tire Services
Premature tire wear is caused by poor tire inflation levels and improper tire rotation. Whereas correctly inflated tires tend to have durable sidewalls, underinflated tires often have flexible side walls that result in quicker sidewall wear. Overinflated tires are also undesirable and will result in excessive center tread wear. Wheel balancing has the potential to relieve some symptoms of improper tire wear, like excessive lean. However, improper tire wear may also be the cause of alignment issues. During any tire repair service, our staff will be able to determine whether a tire balancing or rotation service can solve your current set of issues. Because tire inflation is so important, our staff will take care to follow the inflation standards recommended by the manufacturer during a new tire installation. Overall, proper tire inflation can lead to reduced tread movement, increased water dissipation, reduced rolling resistance, proper traction, and adequate load carrying capabilities. Our tire service work promotes better fuel economy and longer tread life.
Preventative Maintenance for Tires
Keeping your tires in good condition isn’t difficult. It does require attention and follow-through on all preventative maintenance appointments. Our tire shop service staff can help you with this by developing a schedule for all your regular maintenance needs, including your tires. T.O. Haas wants to be part of your car care team!
Here are some of the major tire services we provide.
Tire Rotation
Tires wear differently based on which wheel assembly each is mounted on. Rotation means moving the tires from one wheel assembly to another in a regular pattern.
It promotes even tread wear on each tire, better handling on the road, balanced traction, and improved fuel efficiency. It’s important to remember, too, that tire warranties often require rotation to keep the warranty in effect.
Check your owner’s manual for information on the frequency of rotating the tires on the vehicle. Experts in the tire industry recommend rotating your tires every 5,000–6,000 miles. There are other factors to consider, though, such as your driving habits, the amount of driving you do, and your geographic location. Our expert tire specialists will also discuss this with you and answer any questions you may have.
Wheel Balancing
Wheel balancing is another service that many drivers neglect. Everyone is busy and budgets are often tight, but these services are critical for valid reasons. Unbalanced tires lead to uneven tread wear and over time that leads to bald spots. At high speeds, these bald spots cause your car to become less manageable, making it more difficult to control your vehicle’s steering. A blow-out leading to injury or death can result.
You should also get the tires balanced after you hit a curb or a sizable pothole. These occurrences are common and may not cause any issues, but have it checked out just to be safe.
A wheel is balanced by adding small weights to each wheel assembly. As time passes, though, these weights must be adjusted to keep the tires in balance and ensure a smooth ride. Unbalanced tires become noticeable when there are vibrations in the car, and the steering wheel begins to shake, especially at higher speeds.
Balanced tires lead to more efficient fuel economy, something everyone is concerned with. Because the tires experience less wear, the car requires less gas, saving money and unnecessary tire wear.
Wheel Alignment
Between the tires and the rest of the car is the suspension. If your car is experiencing vibrations from unbalanced tires, the chassis of the car ultimately becomes unbalanced. This can damage the suspension and leads to high repair bills.
A wheel alignment can be part of your regularly scheduled maintenance appointment to prevent this. Our tire and wheel specialists at T.O. Haas can align the wheels whenever you bring the car in for an oil change or inspection. This will ensure the tires and the suspension are protected as much as possible. Tires can’t be aligned too often, so put it on your schedule and let us worry about it!
Tire Inflation
Did you know only about 20% of drivers keep their tires inflated properly? Hopefully, you aren’t part of that statistic reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. This is a critical part of caring for your tires, but many drivers don’t appear to know this or simply don’t keep up with it. Check your owner’s manual for the correct pressure for your tires and then ask for assistance from our service staff if you need help with a tire gauge so you can check the pressure yourself. This will save unnecessary tire wear, increase your fuel efficiency, and potentially keep you from experiencing a dangerous blow-out on the road.
Newer-model cars today have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). This helps keep track of the pressure in your tires. A dashboard light will come on if one or more of your tires are underinflated. The correct pressure for your tires is also found inside the driver’s side door so it’s easily accessible.
Make it a habit to check the tires every 3,000 miles and always check before a long trip and when the weather gets cold.
Tire Repair
O. Haas follows the strict guidelines provided by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) when repairing tires. These guidelines spell out in detail how tire repairs must be done in order to return the tire to acceptable safety standards. It is one reason you can trust us as one of the best tire repair shops in the area.
Tire technicians remove the tire from the rim to inspect the inside of the tire around the repair area. A simple nail in a tire may cause more serious damage inside the tire. Repairs done without removing the tire aren’t sufficient; if done on the rim, they should be considered a temporary fix only. A puncture properly repaired means the tire can continue to be used for many more miles.
Shopping for Tires
Tires do have a limited life, even with the best care. When you need to buy tires, T.O. Haas is ready to help you to find the right tires for your vehicle and your needs. We can also help you get the best tire deals from a top selection of Bridgestone, Firestone, Cooper, Hankook, and Yokohama tires. Our tire store has over 100,000 tires available to you to accommodate performance, touring, personal preference, and SUV needs. Our goal is to help you find the best tires for your vehicle at the best price.
