Buying New Tires: Your Reference To New Tires and Maintenance
Your car or truck relies on numerous components while doing its job, but few parts of your vehicle work harder than its tires. Since your wheels deal with friction day in and day out, it should be no surprise to learn that even the best tires can’t last forever.
Knowing how to buy tires and maintain them is something responsible motorists can’t afford to ignore. Of course, you won’t have to go through this process alone if you choose a reputable Tulsa tire shop. Read on for more information about getting the right tires for your vehicle and keeping them in good shape for years to come.
What To Know When You Buy Tires in Tulsa
While good tire shops in Tulsa won’t overcharge for their products, buying new tires is still a significant investment. Before you purchase new tires, be sure to consider these factors:
Your Tire Budget
You can’t make an informed decision on new tires if you don’t have a budget for this purchase. Take a close, realistic look at your overall financial situation, and set a limit for how much you can spend on wheels. Qualified tire shop mechanics will be able to help you find excellent tires in any price range, especially if the shop they work for makes a point of offering the best tire deals possible.
Your Recommended Tires
Not every tire in a shop’s inventory will fit your vehicle’s needs. Ask the people working there for advice on the tire brands and varieties best suited to your car.
Your Tire Diameter
No driver can buy new tires without knowing their car’s required tire diameter. To find this information, just check the sticker on your vehicle’s driver-side door (or the numbers on your current tires’ sidewalls, for that matter).
Your Willingness To Upgrade
When your current tires are wearing out, you might face a crucial question: should you buy another set of your current tires or invest in an upgrade? Either way, getting tires from a shop that understands your situation is a must.
What Are the Top Tire Varieties?
Understanding the primary tire varieties on the market right now is an essential step in the tire-buying process. Doing some at-home research on this subject will help you get an idea of what tires your car needs before you visit your local tire shop.
Some of the main tire varieties that Northeast Oklahoma drivers need to know include:
All-Season Tires
All-season tires are one of the best general-use tire options available today. Whether you plan to drive on wet or dry pavement, these tires can deliver the top-notch handling you’re looking for. However, they aren’t a great choice for driving in winter weather.
Snow Tires
While Oklahoma doesn’t get the harshest winters in the country, this region is no stranger to snow. Snow tires are ideal for wintery conditions — they’re made from a special type of rubber specifically designed to deal with below-freezing temperatures. If you plan to drive on icy or snow-covered roads, you’ll want to consider this tire variety.
Summer Tires
At the opposite end of the seasonal spectrum, summer tires are built to withstand hot weather. Compared to all-season tires, these wheels provide better traction and perform exceedingly well on wet pavement. But the rubber these tires are made from can have trouble when the weather gets cold, making them a poor choice for driving during the winter months.
High-Performance Tires
Are you fortunate enough to drive a luxury vehicle? If so, you’ll want to invest in equally high-quality tires — and high-performance tires can do the trick. These tires have shorter sidewalls and a greater width than the average set of wheels. But while they can effectively grip the road at high speeds like racing tires do, the performance they provide is mitigated by their fast wear rate.
Touring Tires
If your tire priorities include a smooth driving experience, minimal road noise, and best-in-class handling, give touring tires a chance. These tires deliver all of these perks while offering strong reliability and an excellent tread lifespan. But despite all of their advantages, they aren’t suitable for cold-weather conditions.
Mud Tires
Let’s say you primarily drive your vehicle in off-road settings. In that case, you shouldn’t bother with all-season tires or any other tire primarily designed for pavement. Instead, pick mud tires — they have incredibly deep treads perfect for driving on mud and similar types of terrain.
All-Terrain Tires
If you drive a truck or an SUV but mostly stick to the road, you might think you need to switch between mud tires and regular tires to go off-roading. Fortunately, you can split the difference by purchasing all-terrain tires. These wheels are equally effective at dealing with mud, sand, and pavement.
Tire Balancing and Rotation: The Foundation of Tire Maintenance
No matter how great your new tires are, they won’t stay that way for very long without professional attention. Tire maintenance is a big part of protecting your wheels, and two of the most critical maintenance services for your tires are tire rotation and tire balancing.
Tire Rotation In Tulsa
It’s easy to assume that a tire’s location on your vehicle doesn’t affect its wear rate — but you’d be wrong to think that. The fact is, a tire’s position can have a major impact on how quickly its treads wear down. And uneven tread wear can cause serious issues for your car, potentially interfering with your ability to drive safely.
Tire rotation is a simple, effective solution to this problem. If you make a point of rotating your tires on a regular basis, you’ll allow them to wear as evenly as possible. That way, you’ll give your tires a longer lifespan while maximizing your safety on the road.
The catch is that tire rotation isn’t as simple as you might assume. Depending on the type of car you drive and a few other factors, you’ll need to follow one of many tire rotation patterns. Because of that, it’s best to let a professional auto shop in Tulsa take care of this vital service for you.
Tire Balancing Service in Tulsa
While tire rotation is undoubtedly an excellent place to start your vehicle’s tire maintenance needs, it’s not the only service your tires can benefit from. Even if your tires are rotated regularly, they might have other issues. For example, one of your tires could weigh a tiny bit more than the others. That might cause vibrations in your steering wheel, floorboard, and seats, among other problems.
If you notice vibrations like these in your vehicle, there’s a good chance that you’re overdue for wheel balancing. When you visit a Tulsa tire shop for this service, professional mechanics will remove the tires and use specialized equipment to weigh them. Then, they will attach small weights to your wheels to correct any imbalances they find.
How To Schedule Tire Services
To maximize the benefits of tire rotation and balancing, it’s wise to take care of these services regularly. Of course, that advice might not be all that helpful on its own if you’re new to the field of tire maintenance. Keep reading for a closer look at tire balancing and rotation scheduling.
It’s in your best interest to handle tire rotation at the 5,000-mile mark. Since new tire treads wear down faster than used treads, make a point of rotating your tires again every 6,000 to 8,000 miles after the first rotation. If this schedule seems difficult to remember, don’t fret — just get your tires rotated whenever you’re due for an oil change.
Knowing when you need tire balancing can be a bit trickier, but it’s far from impossible. While vibrations are a telltale sign of unbalanced tires, you might also need this service if you:
- Find yourself dealing with reduced gas mileage
- Have recently taken care of a flat tire repair
- Often drive on rough or unpaved roads
- Suspect you have uneven tire wear
- Just had new tires installed
- Notice that a weight has fallen off a rim
These factors can make it easy to tell when you’re ready for tire balancing work. And if you haven’t had your tires balanced in the past 24 months or so, be sure to call one of our stores to make an appointment for this service ASAP.
Get Great Tires (and Great Tire Service) at Tate Boys
If you don’t already know what it’s like to buy tires, this process might seem confusing, if not overwhelming. But by following the advice included in this article and finding a reliable tire shop in the area, you’ll be well on your way to purchasing a new set of tires that fits your needs perfectly.
For the best tires in Oklahoma, stop by your closest Tate Boys location! We don’t just sell exceptional tires — our ASE-certified mechanics also provide vital tire maintenance services. And no matter what products or services you’re looking for, you can get the best tire deals around with our online coupons and financing opportunities.
Are you ready to discover why Northeast Oklahoma residents trust Tate Boys more than any other auto shop? Get started by requesting a quote for tire service today!
