Tires
Replacement
Tires are what keep your car on the road, and in Wisconsin it’s essential to have good tread. We can install a wide variety of tires on your vehicle, but our preference are Continental and General tires. We have state of the art tire mounting and balancing equipment and can do up to a 24-inch wheel. We will clean up any excessive corrosion on your wheels and make sure your tire pressure monitoring system is working properly. Wheels are torqued to factory specs and a final test drive is done to verify our repairs.
Rotations
Tire rotation is a service that seems simple but can have a big effect if not done regularly. Depending on how you drive and what vehicle you have we recommend rotating your tires every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. The goal is to keep your tire tread relatively equal on all four wheels. This is especially important on vehicles that are all wheel drive. As tires wear the circumference gets smaller which means they will roll at different speeds. If too far off this can put a strain on your drive train. Keeping your tires rotated will also reduce irregular wear, road noise and give you the longest life possible.
Balancing
The most common indication that you need your wheels balanced is a vibration, usually felt in the steering wheel at higher speeds or even in the “seat of your pants”. Wheels that are out of balance can put an extra strain on your steering and suspension system but also cause your tires to wear uneven. This will shorten their projected life and can cause excessive road noise. The best time to balance your wheels is before they cause a vibration. At American Imports we recommend balancing your wheels every other tire rotation (about 15,000 miles). We have a modern computerized balancing machine that will keep your wheels spinning vibration free.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Since 2007 all vehicles manufactured were required by Federal law to have a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) in place. Although it’s a great safety feature to make sure you’re not driving on underinflated tires that TPMS light always seems to be coming on. In Wisconsin we deal with such severe temperature swings throughout our seasons (100+ degrees or more) that the natural expansion and contraction of the air will make your TPMS system set a warning light. Most of the time just adding or reducing the air pressure to factory specs will solve the problem…but not always.
If you find your light is on we can take care of that for you! Whether it is just an air pressure adjustment or if there is an actual problem with the system we have the diagnostic tools and trained staff to accurately pinpoint the problem. We can do any needed repairs and programing to get you back on the road worry free.