Rim and Wheel Damage and Repair at S&S Tire and Best One

At S&S Tire, our 14 commercial truck tire centers, two tire retreading plants, and multiple 24/7 emergency roadside service crews deal with rim damage and steel wheel damage daily. Their expertise and know-how are invaluable to keeping our long-haul trucking, owner-operator, and fleet management customers operational.

Contrary to popular belief, a scrap tire can be repaired. So, if you’re online looking for “tire repair close to me,” “tire and repair,” or a “tire shop,” we can help. Here are some of the most common causes of rim and wheel damage, along with how S&S Tire can help.

Under or Overinflated Tires

Underinflated tires cause sidewall flexing, reducing the tire’s threads as the sidewall bears more weight and more rubber contacts the road. This increased surface contact leads to high friction/high heat until a blowout occurs. Underinflated tires increase fuel consumption, make steering and handling more difficult, cause bouncing and excessive vibration, and impact the semi-truck’s performance as it tends to sway or pull to one side.

Overinflated tires reduce the tire’s grip while damaging its treads, making it more likely to tear or rip when it encounters obstructions, road debris, or potholes. Not having full contact with the road means overinflated tires can dramatically impact handling and lead to a serious accident. Underinflated and overinflated tires can lead to serious rim and wheel damage if left unchecked.

Selecting the Wrong Tires

Improper tire selection leading to rim damage is an often-overlooked problem and is only exacerbated when trucking companies choose to replace one tire at a time. This invariably leads to an imbalance among the tires. This puts undue stress on the tires, reduces their threads, and leads to extensive wear and tear.

Choosing the right tires comes down to the terrain, environment, and weather the tire will encounter, as well as the type of truck and load it carries. Cold weather environments require higher PSI as tires lose pressure in colder environments. The tire’s width, threads, and diameter are also important considerations. When replacing tires, never replace one at a time, verify the pressurization, and always replace pairs with the same tread and make as the remaining tires.

Misalignment, Road Conditions, Tread Wear, and Lack of Maintenance

An improperly aligned truck leads to tires having uneven contact with the road, leading to excessive tread wear. Not balancing the tires or rotating them when needed reduces the tire’s lifespan. Road conditions are another cause of rim and wheel damage, as debris and everyday road obstructions can quickly puncture tires. Finally, not having a preventative maintenance schedule makes it extremely difficult to capture potential problems like steel wheel damage, tire tread wear, uneven grove depths, or deeply embedded sharp objects within the tire that will eventually lead to a flat or blowout.

S&S Tire’s Solutions

Aside from our 1 million square feet of inventory, S&S Tire has several proactive solutions to help with rim and wheel damage. These are summarized below.

24/7 Emergency and Mobile Roadside Service

Our 24/7 emergency crews stand ready to assist in any emergency. These crews are readily available across all 14 of our commercial truck tire centers and have access to several highly-trained and experienced TIA-certified trainers. These emergency crews can quickly replace/swap out the damaged wheel and tire and get you back on the road. Even if it’s not an emergency, these mobile-optimized crews can come with an immediate replacement wheel matched to what you’re currently using.

Tire Retreading and Rim and Wheel Reconditioning

As a proactive tire shop, we can immediately swap bad rims and wheels from our expansive inventory. Our two retreading locations work round the clock to ensure our customers have immediate access to urgent replacements. Our rim and wheel reconditioning process includes an elaborate set of steps to ensure your rims appear as good as new. While we work to repair wheels and rims, you can focus on the job at hand.

Proactive Fleet Management

For S&S Tire, preventative maintenance goes a long way to saving our customers money and keeping them running. We work with customers to mitigate the incidence of on-road tire damage with regular maintenance and inspection programs that measure your tire’s tread depth, balancing, and air pressure.

S&S Tire – Your Must-Have Partner

Road conditions are rarely, if ever, ideal, and tire blowouts happen. When they do, our team has the capabilities and competencies to get you back on the road. It’s the reason we’ve become a must-have partner for countless companies across 18 states. They know that when they call, we’ll be there.

If you need help dealing with rim and wheel repairs or want to know more about our preventative maintenance programs, contact us now.