Tire Center
Welcome to the Red McCombs Toyota Tire Service web portal. From here, you have all the tools necessary to get new tires or have your existing ones replaced. Our factory-certified technicians stand ready to help. Unfortunately, many drivers pay little attention to their tires until something unfortunate occurs.
We recommend you take a proactive approach and have a qualified mechanic inspect your tires routinely. Doing so will not only prolong the life of your tires but also improve safety and efficiency. Fortunately, Red McCombs Toyota’s service center in San Antonio, Texas, offers a full array of tire services, and we work on all makes and models, not just Toyota vehicles. So, whether you need maintenance or repairs, we can help.
Red McCombs Tire Service
2012_01_18_tacomas 2435_HDR by Todd Shoemake is licensed with CC BY 2.0
As the only part of your car that contacts the road, your tires play an essential role in safe vehicle operations. Tires provide traction not only on dry pavement but also in rain and snow. And if you go off-road, you must rely on them to perform in the sand, mud, and gravel. They must steer and stop your vehicle safely on all these surfaces and conditions. In addition, they must be effective at stopping in routine driving and emergencies. As a result, you may need one or more of the following services to keep your tires in tip-top shape.
Regular Tire Inspections
Tire inspections are your first line of defense in protecting your tires. We suggest you visually inspect them weekly; you may find that your fuel stops are the ideal time and place to inspect. Then, while fueling, you can walk around your car and check for signs of wear, low pressure, and perhaps damage.
Most drivers can’t tell if a tire is inflated correctly with a visual inspection. That’s why we recommend you purchase a tire gauge. You can find one for $10 that stows neatly in your glove box. And checking your tire pressure at a gas station allows you to add air immediately if necessary.
You might not detect every possible issue, even with a weekly visual inspection. So, we recommend that a tire professional check your tires at every oil change. Our service center technicians can inspect your tires while we change your oil without adding time to your visit. And if we find a problem, we can fix it fast. Should you need a replacement, our Tire Department stocks an expansive inventory of tires that lets us find an exact match for your car.
Tire Rotations
Your tires work under various loads and operating conditions between the axles. For example, the tires on a front-wheel-drive Toyota Camry provide traction when steering, accelerating, and braking, while the rear tires provide traction during braking and driving. The opposite occurs in a rear-wheel-drive vehicle. The front tires must steer and brake, while the rear tires provide traction for accelerating and braking.
These variances result in your tires wearing at different rates. By rotating them, you spread out that wear more evenly over time. As a result, you prolong your tires’ lives and improve vehicle safety. We recommend a tire rotation every 10,000 miles or every other oil change.
Wheel Alignments
Rotating your tires isn’t all you can do to protect them. Aligning your wheels also helps keep your tires in peak condition. Toyota designed your car’s tires to fit precisely within your steering and suspension systems for optimal performance. However, wheels move out of position over time; sometimes, a single jarring incident can cause a misalignment.
In either case, you might notice your car drifts to either side when driving straight, and you might feel a looseness, hear unusual noises, or sense vibrations when steering. These are all signs you might need an alignment, and they could indicate a severe problem with your steering, suspension, or brake systems. If you experience these symptoms, you should have our service center inspect your vehicle to determine the cause.
Tires wear unevenly as a result of poor wheel alignment. Our technicians recommend that you have your wheels aligned yearly. However, whenever you put a new tire on a wheel, you should perform a wheel alignment. Our state-of-the-art service center uses cutting-edge equipment to align your wheels properly.
Purchasing New Tires
Depending on the tire, it could last between 20,000-60,000 miles or more. Eventually, the friction of the road wears the rubber down. Driving habits also impact the wear rate, as do weather and road surfaces. So, if you like leaning into corners at high speeds or driving over dirt and gravel roads often, you could wear out your tires faster.
Our Tire Department has an expansive inventory of Toyota tires, so we can quickly match and replace them if necessary. If you want a different type of tire, such as a winter, sport, or all-terrain tire, we have those in stock too.
Installing New Tires
It requires multiple steps to install new tires. First, we remove the old tires, mount new ones, and inflate them. Then, we balance them, a vital part of ensuring optimal performance and preventing premature uneven wear. Balancing a tire requires us to attach a small weight to the rim, which smooths out any wobble as the wheel spins, which causes uneven wear.
Lastly, we align your wheels, further protecting against premature wear. Wheel alignments also help improve your steering control. While you don’t have to align your wheels or balance your tires when you replace them, ignoring these steps will lead to premature and uneven wear. Ultimately, you’ll end up having to replace them much sooner. An alignment costs $100-$125, and balancing a tire costs $10-$15. Replacing a single tire costs anywhere from $100-$300 or more per tire, so it’s more cost-effective to perform these services.
Tire Service in San Antonio, Texas
You can count on Red McCombs Toyota for all your service and repair needs, including tire service. Whether you need a simple tire rotation or it’s time to replace all four tires, we can help. Our technicians have the knowledge and experience to handle all your tire needs. In addition, you can schedule service online or stop by at your convenience for assistance.