The Tire Shop Guide to Tire Safety

Keeping yourself, your passengers, and other drivers safe while driving should be the highest priority of every driver. Safety on the road starts with a set of tires that are in good condition to help prevent hydroplaning, pulling to one side, or experiencing a dangerous blowout. Tires that are unevenly worn, older, poorly inflated and pressurized, or punctured, can be dangerous to yourself and your family. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to help keep you on the road and make sure your tires are safe to drive on.

When you go to a tire shop, you are not only looking for the best tire deals—you want to make sure that your tires are going to be long-lasting and safe for your vehicle. Worn out tread, age, uneven wear, are all signs that it is time to buy tires from a tire store. Watching for these signs can help keep you safe on the road and prevent an accident while driving. When you need to buy tires, be sure to come to a Driver’s Edge for the best tire deals.

Checking Tire Tread Depth

There are several signs that you can see to let you know it's time to get to a tire store. The most visibly recognizable sign that you may need to buy tires is the level of tread depth on your tires. This can be measured with a tread depth tool to see the exact depth, but you can also check with a small coin to see approximately how deep your tread is. If you check the tread depth using a small coin and can see most of the face of the coin, it is time to stop by a tire store.

Worn out tire tread is also a definite indicator that your tires need replacing as this means the tire is worn down and breaking down from use and age.

Good Tire Rotation & Balance Schedules

Making sure your tires are wearing evenly helps you get the most out of your tires and keeps you on the road longer without a blowout. Because the front of the vehicle is typically much heavier than the back of the vehicle, the front tires are likely to wear down much more quickly than the rear tires. Because of this, regularly rotating your tires improves their longevity and keeps them from getting too worn from being in one position longer than they should be.

When you come to Driver’s Edge for tire rotation, we will also balance your tires to keep them in the proper position within the wheel itself. Keeping tires evenly balanced prevents your tires from wobbling while driving, wearing out unevenly, bursting unexpectedly, or needing to be replaced early. By balancing your tires in the wheels, you ensure that the weight distribution is even across your tires and one tire is not bearing more than it is designed to endure.

Be sure to have a good feel for the way your vehicle drives. It should be a relatively smooth ride if everything is operating as it should. If you are experiencing heavy vibrations, wobbling, or uneven tire wear, it is time to visit the tire shop to have it checked out or buy some new tires.

When you buy tires from Driver’s Edge, we will make sure your tires are properly rotated and balanced so that you can get the most out of them. Proper tire rotation and balancing improves fuel economy, helps you to maintain traction, and can help braking functionality. Not only do we want to offer great tire deals — we also want your tires to last as long as possible through proper maintenance and tire safety. It is our mission to keep you safe on the road with reliable tires that are properly rotated, balanced, and cared for.

How Alignment Fits In

Keeping your wheels correctly aligned is crucial to the safety of driving your vehicle and the longevity of your tires. Aligning your wheels correctly has to do with the direction your vehicle moves as you steer. If you notice a pulling to one side or the other or see some uneven wear on your tires, it is time to have your alignment checked. Poor alignment will cause your tires to wear out on one side of the tire which means you may need to replace them before you should have to. Uneven wear on your tires could potentially cause a sudden blowout and be a danger to you and other drivers.

Some signs to look for to know if your vehicle is not correctly aligned are:

Pulling to the left or the right while driving
Drifting
Rumbling when turning the steering wheel
Uneven steering wheel when you are driving straight ahead

Each of these can mean that your vehicle needs to have the alignment checked out and that your tires could be wearing out unevenly.

When we check your wheel alignment, we use state-of-the-art technology to ensure that we get it just right so that your tires are safe to drive on. Using a computerized alignment system, you can be sure that the tires you get from a Driver’s Edge tire shop are going to be properly rotated, aligned, and maintained to be long lasting and safe.

Proper Tire Pressure and Inflation

Now that your tires are at the appropriate tread depth and are properly rotated, balanced, and aligned, it is time to make sure that your tires are filled to the correct pressure for your vehicle. You want to get the most out of your tires and keeping them at the correct air pressure will help them to last as long as they should.

Each vehicle is going to have a different pressure that the tires need to be filled to in order to keep the vehicle running smoothly and economically. This pressure can typically be found inside the driver’s side door on the Tire Pressure Sticker. This will tell you what size you need when you buy tires, the air pressure to fill them to, and how to fill them in summer and winter. Be sure to fill your tires appropriately according to your vehicle’s needs.

How to Know You Need New Tires

When you step into a tire shop, you are looking for the best tire deals and want to know that your tires are going to be reliable and safe. As a trusted name in the auto service industry, Driver’s Edge is the place to start. But how do you know when you need to consider buying some new tires?

Here are some signs that your tires need replacing:

You notice your tread is wearing thin and lacks depth
You feel a vibration or wobble while driving
You hear a thumping noise while driving
Your vehicle has poor traction
You notice uneven wear on your tires
There is a puncture in your tires
Your tires keep losing pressure

Getting New Tires From Driver’s Edge Tire Shop

Driver’s Edge has the expertise, tire selection, and tire deals you are looking for. Contact us today to get started buying your new set of tires.

Need more than just tires? We offer a range of services for your vehicle to meet your car maintenance and service needs. From preventative maintenance to air conditioning and brake service, we have got you covered with professional service at a reasonable price.

Tire Shop Safety FAQs

Should you repair a tire or replace it?

When most people in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, ask questions like this, they’re looking for a definitive, one-size-fits-all answer. The thing is, tire repair and tire replacement are both valuable services—and the service you’ll want depends entirely on your own situation. So while we can’t let you know what type of tire work you need without more information, we can help you understand the differences between these crucial tire services.

Has your tire recently been punctured? If so, you might assume you need a replacement tire immediately—but that may not be the case. Sometimes, a wheel with a puncture smaller than a quarter-inch in diameter can benefit from tire repair. If tire repair is a possibility in your case, it can help you save money and get more use out of your current tires.

If your puncture is larger than a quarter-inch, there’s a good chance that you’ll need a tire replacement. That will also be the case if your puncture is smaller than a quarter-inch but is abnormally long or uniquely shaped. When you buy new tires at Driver’s Edge Complete Tire & Auto Service, you’ll get high-quality wheels from trusted brands at a reasonable price! (Plus, you can save even more on tires with our online coupons.)

Does a car drive better after a tire rotation?

When you use any set of tires for too long, they start to wear out and deliver less traction than you need. While that’s something most drivers understand intuitively, you might not know that the rate at which tires wear out can vary. Your car’s driven wheels generally work harder—and wear down faster—than its undriven tires.

Making matters worse, uneven tire wear can have a tangible impact on your car’s ability to do its job. If your tires have had a chance to wear unevenly, you could find it harder to steer and stop your vehicle. Far from being a mild inconvenience, this form of tread wear could make it harder for you to stay safe on the road. Plus, this isn’t the kind of issue tire repair can resolve. If your wheels have uneven tread wear, you’ll probably need to invest in a set of replacement tires.

You may wonder if there’s anything you can do to prevent uneven tread wear. Fortunately, avoiding this situation is as simple as scheduling an appointment for a tire rotation service at Driver’s Edge! We’ll move each of your tires to a different position on your vehicle, following the tire rotation pattern that’s right for you in the process. Even if you don’t notice any differences in your vehicle’s performance, you can rest easy knowing you’re taking steps to prevent it from developing serious tire problems in the future.

Is tire balancing the same as tire alignment?

Tire balancing and tire alignment sound similar, and both of these services can help prevent inefficient fuel usage, steering wheel vibrations, and uneven tread wear. That said, these are two entirely different jobs.

When you schedule a tire balancing appointment, our ASE-certified mechanics will use specialized equipment to determine how much your tires weigh. If some weigh more than others, they’ll install small weights on the lighter tires to bring everything into balance.

Tire alignment also focuses on keeping your tires in good shape but deals with the angles at which your wheels hit the road. When you need this service, our mechanics will adjust your suspension to ensure your tires make contact with the ground at the right angle.

In either case, knowing the warning signs indicating you need a wheel alignment or wheel balancing is wise. You may be overdue for the former service if you notice:

Your vehicle pulling to one side
An uneven steering wheel
Abnormal/rapid tire wear
Squealing sounds from your tires
Noises while you steer

On the other hand, you might need tire balancing work if you spot:

Unusual tire wear
Vibrations in your steering wheel
Your car veering left or right
Lower gas mileage

Since some of these symptoms overlap, it can be challenging to determine whether you need wheel balancing or tire alignment without help. Visit our Dallas-Fort Worth auto shop to find out what’s wrong with your tires and get the tire repair services you need immediately!