Tires are part of the regular maintenance of your vehicle. Since proper tire rotations, balancing, alignment and inflation will help you get the full life out of your tires, we recommend purchasing tires at the shop you use for regular maintenance. That way they can take care of your tire maintenance and repair while taking care of your vehicle’s other needs.
Buying tires from a repair facility that is familiar with your driving habits will also help choose the right tires for your needs. For example, If you drive your vehicle 10,000 miles per year or less, in five years you will have no more than 50,000 miles on your tires. If you had bought 80,000 mile tires, in five years you would be left with tires that still had a large percentage of usable tread left, but it would be too old for us to recommend using.
Another thing to consider is the level of expertise of the company installing the tires. Most big box stores do not inspect your vehicle's suspension for safety and wear before installing new tires. Chances are the person installing the tires does not know how to do that. Big box retailers also do not align vehicles, they do not trust their staff nor do they want to invest in the expensive equipment. ALL vehicles should be aligned with every set of new tires. Worn suspension components and mis-aligned vehicles not only will shorten the life of your tires, your vehicle may have a safety concern that should have been brought to your attention.
Another thing to consider when buying tires is the value added with those tires. At Tim’s our Tire Protection Plan can give you peace of mind on the road. Let the pros at Tim’s help you find the best tire for your vehicle and keep you fully informed!