After buying new wheels at a tire shop in North Richland Hills, TX, drivers in the area should do whatever they can to protect their investment. To that end, you'll want to take tire maintenance seriously — and that process should start before you leave the shop with your new tires.

Wheel alignment is one of the most critical tire maintenance tasks out there, and taking care of this work as soon as possible is the key to getting your new tires off to a good start. This is true whether or not your car was aligned before you bought new wheels — that alignment work was done with your old tires in mind, and your new tires might have different alignment needs. Instead of taking chances with your wheel alignment, it's wise to let the ASE-certified mechanics at Parra Car Care take care of this service as soon as you buy new tires from our shop.

On average, a new set of tires should give you three to five years of usage before needing to be replaced. But that isn't always true in practice — sometimes, tires can wear out ahead of schedule. Because of that, it's never a bad idea to check how your wheels are doing.

Drivers often need to buy new tires because their old wheels don't have treads deep enough to provide sufficient traction. The “penny test” is a straightforward way to check your tread depth — to perform this test, you'll just need a regular U.S. penny. Put this coin into your tire groove with the head facing down; if you can see the top of Lincoln's head, it's time to replace your tires.

Naturally, this isn't the only indicator that your tires are ready for replacement. If you spot any of the following problems, it may be time to visit a North Richland Hills tire shop for new wheels:

• Tread wear bars even with your tire tread
• Cracks in your tires' rubber
• Uneven tread wear
• Bulges in your sidewalls
• Trouble maintaining tire pressure

Your ideal service schedule for tire rotation will depend on how you drive — and the drivetrain your car uses. If your vehicle has front-wheel or rear-wheel drive, you'll probably need tire rotation every 5,000-7,500 miles. Since all-wheel drive puts extra demand on a vehicle's wheels, it's best to take care of this service every 3,000-5,000 miles if your car has this drivetrain.

However, your drivetrain won't just affect your tire rotation schedule. It will also determine what pattern your mechanics will follow while providing this service:

• The x-pattern, which involves moving every tire on your vehicle diagonally, is commonly used on cars with all-wheel/four-wheel drive.
• The forward cross focuses on moving the front tires to their matching spots on the rear axle and moving the rear tires forward diagonally. This pattern is typically associated with cars using front-wheel drive.
• The rearward cross is a “reversed” version of the forward cross, in which the rear tires move up to their corresponding spots on the front axle while the front tires move diagonally backward. If your vehicle has rear-wheel drive, your mechanics will likely use this rotation pattern.

Since it can be challenging to keep track of tire rotation patterns and scheduling, most drivers in North Richland Hills shouldn't take care of this process by themselves. Instead, you'll want to visit a qualified tire shop in the area for this work.

If you've noticed that one of your tires has developed severe problems, it's easy to see why that wheel needs to be replaced. On the other hand, you might not think you'll have to replace any other tires at the same time — especially if these wheels seem to be in decent shape. Even so, your auto shop may encourage you to replace two or even four tires when one of your wheels develops issues.

When a trustworthy tire shop encourages customers to buy multiple new tires at once, it isn't because they're attempting to squeeze extra money out of them. Instead, it is due to the fact that matching tires provide the best possible performance. Ideally, your tires will be nearly identical in terms of their manufacturer, size, tread pattern, and load index — and buying a set of new tires is the easiest way to ensure your wheels match.

That said, there are situations where North Richland Hills can safely use different types of tires on the same vehicle. To do that, you'll need to ensure the tires on each axle share the same tread type and brand. And if your tires don't have the same level of tread wear, put your older wheels on the front of your car and the newer tires on the rear. This can help you maximize traction and reduce your risk of oversteering.

As you might expect, the short answer to this question is “It depends.” Tires can sustain many different forms of damage on the road, and their service needs will vary based on the type of damage they receive, their condition before getting damaged, and a number of other factors.

Take puncture damage, for example — while it may be easy to assume you'll have to buy new tires in this situation, that might actually not be the case. Instead, punctures less than a quarter-inch in diameter can often be repaired without difficulty. Despite this, oddly shaped or extra-long punctures may still require you to replace your tire(s), even if these punctures would otherwise be small enough to qualify for tire repair work.

While it can be tricky to determine whether your tires should be repaired or replaced, the good news is that you won't be responsible for making that decision. The knowledgeable mechanics working at Parra Car Care will have no trouble inspecting your wheels and providing whatever services they need.

Countless red flags can let you know when it's time to visit a tire shop in North Richland Hills, TX. However, four of the most common factors associated with tire issues include:

1. Abnormal treadwear. Are your tire treads wearing out faster than you'd expect, or does your tread wear look unusual? In either case, you'll need to schedule tire services at a local tire shop to prevent issues such as these from getting worse.
2. Bubbling and bulging. This form of damage can seriously reduce a tire's integrity. Because bulges and bubbles act as “weak spots” in a tire, wheels suffering from these problems need to be replaced immediately.
3. Cracks and cuts. Given enough time, the rubber in your tires can begin to dry out and develop cracks. However, ensuring your wheels have the right level of tire pressure and are well maintained can temporarily keep this issue at bay.
4. Unusual vibrations. Is your vehicle shaking while you're on the road? If so, your tires could be poorly balanced, misaligned, or dealing with another problem — and the team at Parra Car Care can set things right.

Wheel alignment and tire balancing may have similar names but are two entirely different services. Wheel alignment is a service that makes subtle adjustments to your vehicle's suspension so your tires can meet the road at the correct angle. On the other hand, tire balancing focuses on ensuring all four of your tires weigh the same amount.

Wheel alignment and tire balancing do have one thing in common — these services won't provide their intended benefits if they aren't handled with absolute precision. Because of that, you'll need to visit a trustworthy auto shop such as Parra Car Care for tire repair and maintenance in North Richland Hills.

Broadly speaking, you can expect your tires to last about 50,000 miles before needing to be replaced. That said, the actual lifespan of your tires can vary significantly based on factors such as:

• How you drive. If you have severe driving habits, you should know that these habits can put added strain on your wheels. That, in turn, could shorten their service life.
• What type of tires you use. Certain tire styles may have a shorter or longer lifespan than average. For example, high-performance tires will usually wear out more quickly than all-season tires.
• Where you drive. The surfaces your tires travel on can also affect their lifespan. If you regularly drive on dirt roads, when it's raining, or in hilly areas, you may need to consider tire replacement earlier than you would otherwise.
• Your vehicle's drivetrain. All-wheel, front-wheel, and rear-wheel drivetrains can all affect tire wear in different ways.
• Your tires' treadwear rating. Your tires come with a treadwear rating, giving you a more accurate estimate of their average lifespan. Of course, other factors can affect this rating's accuracy.

If you're like many drivers in the area, you might think buying tires at a national chain will give you the best possible deal. However, that's not the case — instead, you'll almost certainly be able to save money by shopping at a local tire shop in North Richland Hills.

Since reputable local shops care about their customers, they'll go out of their way to charge fair rates for their tires and tire repair services. Along with that, choosing a local shop will ensure you get excellent customer service, access to a wide selection of tires, and money-saving online coupons.