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Category: Tire Service

What really happens when your tire is in the shop. What’s road-force balancing? Insider tire shop talk. Find out what we’re talking about, trying out, & working on in the tire shop.

Hunter road-force elite balance

Can’t Fix a Shimmy? Try Road-Force Optimize

spencer51966@gmail.comInternet Tire Installations, Road-Force Balance, Tire Insider, Tire Service

If you have an annoying shimmy or shake in your car that no-one can seem to fix, we can diagnose and road-force optimize them.

Every tire and wheel has a high and low spot. 

A standard high-speed, dynamic wheel balance, is where we put weights on the inside and outside of the wheel to correct a shimmy at highway speeds.

There is no measurement for the wheel-hop and this can be annoying at all speeds.

Our Hunter Road-Force Elite wheel balancer goes the extra step.

While checking the dynamic, high-speed balance, a roller comes down on the tire and using 1000lbs of force measures the wheel-hop.

Road-force is measured in lbs and in my shop, anything over 20lbs of road force gets optimized.

Road-force optimization involves spinning the tire’s rotation on the wheel, then re-balancing, something we will do on every new tire we install, including customer-supplied installations.

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customer supplied tire installation equipment

Customer-Supplied Tire Installations

spencer51966@gmail.comInternet Tire Installations, My Tire Advice, Tire Service, What's New?

Would you buy tires online and bring them to a tire shop for installation? 

Internet tire stores make it easy and cheap to buy tires, so if you’re a little curious and comfortable buying a coffee maker on Amazon, then buying tires online should be no problem. 

But most tire shops don’t like installing the tires you supply. That’s because in the tire business today, the profits are razor-thin, that they need to sell you the tires to collect the volume bonuses and make a profit. 

Of course, I would love to sell you tires, but I also understand that you might want to buy your own. 

If you’re buying tires online, here are a few tips:

  • Physically check the size, twice! Don’t just rely on the catalogs because there are probably 2 or 3 potential sizes available for your vehicle. 
  • If you’re reading reviews, make sure they live where you do. What does a reviewer from Texas know about snow traction?
  • Forget the “recommended installers”, they’re mostly the chain stores using a $9.95 tire installation like a $9.95 oil change, needing the upsell to break even and beyond.

At Kenwood Tire we’ve been perfecting the customer-supplied tire install since online tire stores began using Corghi tire machines for touch-free tire installations and Hunter Elite wheel balancing equipment with road-force optimization for a smooth ride.

Most customer-supplied tire installations cost $30-40 each, including hand-torquing the wheel nuts and resetting the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

Click here to schedule an appointment.

 

internet tire installation

Internet Tire Installation Made Easy

spencer51966@gmail.comInternet Tire Installations, My Tire Advice, Tire Insider, Tire Service

The Internet makes buying tires easy if you know what you’re looking for. 

With a little research, online tire stores like TireRack, TireBuyer, TireAmerica, and SimpleTire can help you can make a good tire choice, and save you money.

Tire Rack recommended internet tire installer near me
 TireRack’s recommended tire installers near me are mostly chain stores!

The problem with buying tires online is that you need to find someone to install them for you.

At Kenwood Tire and Auto Service, we welcome internet tire installations, no matter where you buy them.

But other tire stores will do their best to make you regret buying your tires online.

How do you think Tire Rack’s “recommended installers”, who are the chain stores and franchises like Pep Boys that you were probably trying to avoid in the first place, will treat you when you show up with your own tires?

The best way to find a professional tire installer near you is to call around, read reviews, and ask for a recommendation.

I also recommend checking out the TireBuyer installers in your area, because they partner with local independent internet tire installers like us.

At Kenwood Tire & Auto Service we’ll professionally install your tires no matter where you buy them. 

Our customer-supplied tire installation includes replacing the tire, high-speed balancing including road-force optimizer, hand-torquing the wheel nuts, and resetting the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) 

For most vehicles, we charge $30-40 per tire for internet tire installation. 

Stay safe and let me know if you have any questions or comments about customer-supplied and internet tire installation. 

Spencer.

Tire Damage from Poholes

Potholes and Your Tires

spencer51966@gmail.comTire Service

It’s pothole season!

If you’ve had a chance encounter with one and your car doesn’t feel right, check out these common symptoms of tire damage and their solutions.

  • A bulge or bubble on the side of your tire means the sidewall cords are broken. The slightest of impacts could cause the tire to blow at any time. You need a new tire asap!
  • A vibration on the highway usually means you need a wheel balance. The wheel weights used to balance your tires could have come off on impact and a basic high-speed balance might fix it.
  • A shake at all speeds could mean you need a new wheel or the wheel needs to be straightened. This takes a day and costs $150 for most wheels.

Need tires, or just some advice? I’m here as your resource for everything tire, wheel, and car related.

Call me with any of your tire questions at (508) 583 5031.