Mobile Wheel Alignment and 4 New Tyres in Shrewsbury

Hometyre Shropshire were called out to a repeat customer in Shrewsbury earlier this week to fit 4 new Matador MP47 tyres in a 225/50R17 to a Volvo V70. When we say this was an existing customer, the last time we went out to him was back in January 2012!

We had previously fitted a full set of tyres to this vehicle so when we arrived on site we checked the DOT codes on the tyres and they showed [4011] which means they were manufactured in the 40^th week of 2011. We recommend replacing your tyres at around 5 years, leaving them a maximum of 7 years after they were manufactured.

These particular tyres were just over 8 years old, the customer was calling them because he thought they were looking a little worn but we explained to him the dangers of driving on old tyres whether they have a good amount of tread left or not! For information on how to check your tyres, click here.

Just like us, age can be hard on a tyre! Once it reaches around 5 years in age it starts to deteriorate, this does not mean that as soon as it reaches 5 years you need to replace it immediately, you just need to check your tyres regularly! With increased age comes increased risk of tyre failure, there are a couple of tell-tale signs your tyres are deteriorating.

• Cracks begin to appear in the side wall of the tyre and also in between the tread grooves
• The quality of the ride will worsen, older tyres will not perform as well as newer tyres
• The tyre may become distorted

Once we had fitted and balanced the new tyres, we cleaned the wheels and then carried out a Mobile Wheel Alignment. This is not a service many companies offer, it is not because Mobile Wheel Alignment is impossible. It is mostly due to the time and money that needs to be invested into getting the specialist equipment and training needed to carry it out.

Wheel Alignment is an essential part of the maintenance of your vehicle, to put it simply it is when the angles of the wheels are corrected back to the manufacturer's specification. When tracking is done at a static site the car is put onto a set of ramps and a machine is used to calculate which wheels need to be corrected.

When we carry out tracking we attach alignment gauges to the wheel and use sensitive lasers to calculate if there is any movement away from the manufacturer's settings. This followed by a little bit of clever maths helps us to work out the exact correction that is needed.

Do you need wheel alignment carried out at your home or place of work in Shropshire? Call us today to book an appointment on 0333 444 5454!