The reasons to buy new rims are numerous, whether it’s due to general wear and tear or you want to upgrade your vehicle. Regardless of why you need them, one burning question is likely on your mind: “Should I buy my new rims with or without tires?”
It’s a valid question, but the answer isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. That’s why we’ve put together this blog post. In it, we’ll cover the main considerations you should make when deciding to get a new set of tires with your new rims, along with some other helpful info you should know.
Things To Consider
Since the answer to this question isn’t a simple yes or no, it’s ultimately up to you to decide whether you should buy new tires. Don’t worry—we’re here to help. If you keep these things in mind during your purchasing process, you can rest easy knowing you made an informed decision.
The Age of Your Current Tires
Easily, one of the most important points to consider when buying a new set of rims is the age of your current tires. You can reasonably expect to get up to 80,000 miles out of a standard set of tires. Therefore, most tires can last anywhere from 5 to 10 years. This range is due to a variety of factors, including driving behaviors and weather conditions. However, you can maximize the lifespan of your tires if you drive responsibly and avoid leaving your car outside in extreme heat or cold.
Regardless of the type of tires you have, most rims tend to last 6 to 10 years. As you can see, this number lines up with many of the expected lifespans of tires. Therefore, many decide to replace their rims and tires simultaneously. Doing so saves them the hassle of needing to come back a few years after their last wheel replacement to do their tires.
However, this process is only beneficial if the timelines line up. Sometimes, tires don’t even last five years due to various circumstances. Therefore, you’ll need to replace them before replacing your rims, meaning that when your wheels inevitably reach the end of their lifespan, your tires could still have a lot of life left in them. In these types of cases, it wouldn’t be worth investing in new tires during this time.
The Reason for Needing New Rims
As we briefly mentioned, there are a variety of reasons to buy new wheels. That means there might also be a good reason to change your tires at the same time. For example, your rims might experience some irreversible damage if one of your tires recently popped due to an accident or a deep pothole. In these cases, you’ll almost certainly need to get a new rim and tire.
Even if there is no accident involved, you may still be experiencing some performance issues with your current set of rims. Maybe your tires are wobbling or the wheels are affecting the pressure of your tires. Regardless of the reason, these types of issues can affect the wear of your tires if you don’t address the damage quickly enough. If it gets bad enough, you’ll want to replace your tires once you buy a new set of rims.
The Difficulty of Installation
Even if you only plan to change your rims once throughout your vehicle’s lifespan, the ease of installation is something worth considering. It’s unusual for most drivers to have the equipment and skills to remove their old tires from their current rims and put the new ones on themselves. But changing out one wheel and tire set with another set can be much easier, and most cars come with everything you need to do this.
Either way, we highly recommend trusting a professional with these types of changes for the best and safest results. Unless you have prior knowledge of working with cars, you should take your vehicle to the shop for these kinds of replacements. If you decide to do this, you might not need to worry about the difficulty of installing a new set of rims without also replacing the tires.
The Budget You’re Working With
Always establish your budget before deciding whether to buy rims with or without tires. It’s not a secret that the price of rims can add up quickly when you’re adding tires to that purchase. Even though you can’t put a price on safety, it might be worth waiting until the next time you need new rims if your tires still have plenty of life in them.
If getting new rims and tires right now is a must, then be sure to shop around wisely. Search for car tires online to see if you can find a good deal. Then, see if the seller can bundle them with your new rims to save some cash. Bundles and deals are the best way to make sure you get a quality set of tires and rims that you can comfortably afford.
The Desire for New Tires
At the end of the day, even if you don’t need new tires, you might want a new set. Maybe your stock tires just aren’t cutting it for your needs, or you simply don’t like their performance. Getting a new set of tires with your new rims is certainly a possibility worth considering if doing so aligns with your budget.
Determining Whether You Should Get New Tires
Now, it’s time to sit down and determine which points are most important to you. Maybe safety concerns you, but you don’t want to break the bank. Shopping around will be in your best interest, especially as tires come in a wide range of price points. On the other hand, money may not be an issue—you just want a new set of tires with your rims. If that’s the case, go for it!
Of course, passing on new tires for now is always a possibility. Just keep an eye on them in the coming years to ensure their quality and longevity. If you’re ever unsure, ask your mechanic next time you take your car in for a tune-up. No matter which choice you make, with this information in hand, you can make a well-informed decision for you and your vehicle.