At Matt’s Automotive Service Center we offer inexpensive tire repair and sell new tires.  But, we are frequently asked the same following questions in regards to tires at both our locations of Moorhead, MN & Fargo, ND.

• How do you know when you need new tires?
• Can’t I just buy tires at discount stores?
• What are good brands of tires?
• How long should tires last?
• How do you make tires last longer?

We wanted to provide clarity to these tire questions, along with letting you know that when we quote tires at Matt’s Auto we are providing the price of the old tire disposal, along with the mounting and balancing of the tires when you receive a price from us.  Many places, like discount stores will have supposedly cheaper prices.  But they are just quoting you the price of the used or new tire with all the other costs being determined by you.  The disposal of the tires, having the tires mounted and balanced and a wheel alignment.  Which a wheel alignment is recommended with new tires, or you will just wear out your new tires faster without one.  We make it simple and easy for you to get back on the road again with just one-stop.  We are an authorized Cooper Tire dealer, but offer many other trustworthy and quality brands for tires and with the purchase of a set of four tires at Matt’s Automotive we will rotate your tires free for the life of the tires.  We can also offer you a nationwide road hazard plan, that covers your tires anywhere in the U.S. with features like a free tire replacement for the first one-third of the tread (prorated after the one-third wear and tear), free flat repair for the life of the tire and more coverage.  Contact us at Matt’s for more details about the nationwide road hazard plan and tires.

How Long Do Tires Last?

The life of your tires depends on how you drive, how often your tires are rotated, proper tire inflation is kept, and the quality of the tires you purchase. As with most things, quality products are more likely to last longer but do tend to cost more upfront. Peeling out and breaking quickly is not the best way to drive if you want a long life from your tires. If your tire pressure light comes on, fill it up right away! Then call us at Matt’s Auto to inspect the tire and if it is needed fix your tire for you. Another aspect to consider – if you buy cheap tires, you’ll get what you pay for and have to buy them more often as the quality is lower and the tires wear down faster.

How Do You Know If You Need New Tires?

Well, a short tire tread is the most common indication. The 2 most common measurements are in 32nds and millimeters. The picture posted is of a tire tread gauge – they’re really easy to use and will tell you how much tread you have left on your tires. Most car tires have between 10-13 32nds when they’re new, and most truck tires have between 13-17 32nds. When your tires have about 3-4 32nds left, you should start looking, then when you have around 2-3 32nds left get new tires installed. If your tires are below that tread depth, buy new tires ASAP!  It’s dangerous to drive on tires past this amount of tread as the tires can become unstable and may even ‘blow-out’ on you, leaving you stranded or worst yet causing a bad accident.

What is My Tire Size?

If you’re shopping for tires, you’ll need to know your tire size. Where can you find it? If you look on the side of your tire, you’ll see some numbers on it that read something like “R225/60R 216.” These numbers might appear irrelevant and might absolutely mean nothing to you, unless you know what all those numbers mean. We have provided a diagram to help visually understand what each number means on the tire as well.  Please know that these numbers are applicable for all vehicles like car tires and truck tires.

First of all, the measurements are in millimeters. The first number is for the width of the tires, the second number is the distance from the edge of where the rim will be and where the curved part stops, and the third number is the diameter of where the rim goes. Also, that first number you can play with a little bit – you can get skinnier or wider tires. Skinny ones are good in snow, but wide ones are better for gas mileage on dry roads.

Contact Matt’s Automotive Service Center

That should have hopefully helped you answer those questions to tires.  If you still have any questions in regards to tires, please contact us as we would love to answer any tire or automotive questions you may have for us.