Wheel & Tire FAQs

As you drive, tires are constantly being worn down. They should be regularly inspected and replaced when it is time to do so. Tires will wear down at different speeds for different people, based on vehicle type and how and where the vehicle is driven (speed, driving conditions, maintenance, driving habits, temperature, etc.).

A tire is considered “worn out”, or “illegal to use” when the tread wears down to a recommended minimum indicated by a “wear bar” (you can actually see a solid bar of rubber across the width of the tread). However in most cases to maintain best traction and stability in both dry and wet conditions tires should be replaced before reaching that point due to their significant performance fall-off past 50% of remaining tread depth. Consult your tire professional for more information.

At Tirehaus, we advise you to check the pressure of your tires at least once a month. Make sure you measure the pressure when the tires are cold, before you start driving. If you have to drive to a gas station to add air to your tires, make notes of your tire pressures before you leave the house and then after you arrive at the gas station. Fill up the tires to the recommended pressure compensating for the difference in pressure readings before and after.

Tires with different size designations, constructions, and amounts of wear may affect vehicle handling and stability. For best all-around performance, we generally do not recommend mixing sizes and types of tires on a vehicle. Doing so will negatively affect handling. Please note: Some vehicles come from the factory with different tire sizes on front and rear of the vehicle – please consult your Owner’s Manual for recommended tire types or speak to the specialists at Tirehaus.

Tire Rotation describes a process of changing a tire’s position on a car eg. from “front left” to “front right”, or from “front left” to “rear left”. Due to the way vehicles are constructed, each of your tires is actually supporting a different weight. This means that each tire is wearing at a different rate. Rotating tires means equalizing the wear of each tire and thus extending the lifecycle of your tires. Check  your vehicle’s Owner’s Manual for rotation recommendations – your tires may need to be rotated in a specific pattern.

It’s important that you check your tires for wear on a regular basis. You should be looking for some of these typical symptoms:

• Sawtooth appearance on the edges of the tire
• Faster wear on the outer edges than in the middle
• Faster wear in the middle than on the outer edges of the tire
• Excessive wear of front or excessive wear or rear tires
• Excessive wear on one side of the tire
• Dips in the tread

There could be a number of reasons why tires are wearing out improperly, a few of the most common ones are:

• Your tires are not properly inflated or balanced
• Your wheels need alignment
• Your shock absorbers are worn out
• Your vehicle has worn-out or damaged suspension parts

A staggered fitment describes putting larger (wider) wheels on the back of your vehicle than on the front of your vehicle. This specification comes from the vehicle’s manufacturer, and is mostly designed to improve performance on vehicles  with rear-wheel-drive. Please note:  if a staggered fitment is used on a vehicle that did not come setup that way from the factory, there is a possibility that your anti-lock brakes, speedometer and stability control system may not work properly. Some manufacturers have already tested and approved multiple wheel diameters and widths for use with their vehicles, so consult your vehicle specifications or ask a Tirehaus specialist for tire and rim sizing recommendations.

The one potential benefit from running pure nitrogen in tires is the increased air retention (slower loss of air out of the tires over time). A tire that is properly installed and normally maintained with the proper air pressure will perform exactly like a tire with a pure nitrogen fill. If you can get a pure nitrogen fill for free, there is no harm in doing so but very little (if any) benefit from it. Click this link to read more about Facts and Myths of inflating tires with Nitrogen