Tire change and balancing

On rims or off rims

The two posted prices cover two different jobs, and it helps to know which one you need when you book.

• Tire change on rims, $75. You own two full sets of wheels, each with its tires already mounted. We take one set off, put the other set on and torque the wheel nuts. This is the usual spring and fall swap.
• Tire change off rims, $140. You have one set of rims and two sets of tires. The tires coming off are dismounted, the other tires are mounted onto the same rims, and each wheel is balanced before it goes back on.

Both are before tax. If your car has tire pressure sensors inside the wheels, they stay with the rims. A second set of rims costs money up front, but every swap after that is cheaper and the tire beads are not stretched over a rim twice a year.

When to put winter tires on in Ottawa

The usual rule is to fit winter tires once daytime temperatures stay around 7 degrees. In Ottawa that tends to fall in late October or the first half of November. The rubber compound in all season tires stiffens below that point and grips poorly, before any snow has fallen.

Everyone remembers their winter tires the morning of the first snowfall, and every shop in the city fills up at once. Booking a week or two ahead is the easiest way around it. In spring, the swap back usually happens in April, though Ottawa has had snow later than that, so there is no prize for being first.

Ontario requires insurers to offer a discount for winter tires. Look for the mountain and snowflake symbol on the sidewall.

What we check while the wheels are off

A swap is a good moment to look at things you cannot see with the wheels on:

• Tread depth across each tire, since the inside edge often wears first.
• Sidewall bulges and cuts from potholes and curbs.
• The age of the tire, from the last four digits of the DOT code, which give the week and year it was made.
• Brake pads and rotors, now visible through the open hub.

Winter tires lose much of their snow grip long before they reach the legal minimum of 2/32 of an inch. If a set is getting close, you will hear it at the spring swap so you have the summer to shop around. If the pads look thin, our brake repair page explains what comes next, and doing both on the same visit saves taking the wheels off twice.

Balancing, and the shake on the 417

A wheel out of balance usually shows up as a shake through the steering wheel somewhere between 90 and 110 km/h, then fades as you go faster or slower. Ottawa potholes knock balance weights off and can bend a rim enough that no amount of weight will fix it.

In winter, slush packs into the inside of the wheel and freezes, and the car shakes until it melts. If the shake comes only under braking, that points at the rotors instead. A clunk, or a car that wanders in its lane, is more likely a suspension and steering part.

Wheel nuts, hubs and stuck wheels

Wheel nuts are run down and then finished with a torque wrench to the manufacturer’s figure, in a star pattern. Overtightening with an impact gun stretches the studs and can distort the rotor.

Alloy wheels on salted roads also corrode onto the steel hub, which is why some wheels have to be knocked loose. We clean the hub face so the next swap is easier and the wheel sits flat. If your car has locking wheel nuts, leave the key in the cup holder or glovebox.

Flats and punctures

A nail in the tread can usually be fixed with a patch and plug from inside the tire. A puncture in the sidewall or the shoulder cannot be safely repaired.

Booking a swap

2 and 1/2 Mechanics is at 1345 Marchand St in Cyrville, Ottawa, ON. We are open Saturday from 8am to 3pm, which is often the only day people can get to a swap. Drop the car and the other set of wheels off by 9am, then walk four minutes to Cyrville O-Train station. If you want the rest of the car looked at while it is in, our preventive maintenance visit covers what your manual calls for. Book a tire change online at any hour.

Questions