Getting new tires typically takes about 1 to 1.5 hours at a professional tire shop for all four tires, including mounting, balancing, and installation. If you’re only replacing one tire, the process can be completed in 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the shop’s workload and any additional services needed.
What determines how long it will take to get new tires on your car? Most people think it’s a quick task, but the answer isn’t that simple. The type of tires, the type of car, and the shop’s workload all play a big role in determining how long the job will take. In some cases, the job takes only 30 minutes, while other jobs may take several hours.
In this article, we will examine in detail how long it takes to get new tires and how we can make the job more efficient and faster. If you get one tire or all four tires, you will learn in this article what to expect in terms of time and how the job works.
Contents
What Steps are Taken to Get New Tires?
To understand your wait time for new tires, let’s investigate the steps taken to get new tires. Different shops with different procedures may lead to a different wait time, but in general, you will get this cycle completed:
1. Removing the Old Tires
The first step to installing new tires is removing the old tires. For this part of the process, the car is lifted, the lug nuts holding the tires in are removed, then the tires are taken off. This step does not usually take long, but it could take longer if there are issues with rusted lug nuts or with the tire removal.
2. Mounting the New Tires
As the first step is removing the old tires, the next step (after the new tires are bought) is mounting the new tires onto the wheels. This tires step is usually fairly quick for most vehicles, especially with the use of automated machines by the technicians. However, if the tires are low-profile or are performance tires, or if the vehicle is a large truck or other heavy-duty vehicle, this step could take longer.
3. Balancing the Tires
The last step is balancing the tires to ensure that the weight of the tire is evenly distributed. Unsteady tires lead to a bunch of problems (bad-handling, poor vibration control, quick wear), but this step takes the most amount of time. Generally, it takes the most to balance for all four tires, as measures must be taken with extra precision.
4. Inflating the Tires
After the tires have been mounted and balanced, the technician needs to inflating to the correct pressure. This step is crucial since safety concerns such as poor fuel economy, wearing tires, and potential blowout can stem from over or under-inflating a tire.
5. Installing the Tires on the Vehicle
After the tires have been mounted and balanced, the next step is to install the tires back on the vehicle. The technician will tighten the lug nuts and make sure each tire is firmly seated. This step usually does not take long, however, to make sure the task is completed to the high standards of the shop, the technician might double check everything.
6. Alignment and Additional Checks
Certain tire replacements will require an alignment to ensure the wheels are correctly lined up. Poor alignment can cause the tires to wear out unevenly and can have a negative effect on the handling of the vehicle. If an alignment is required, it will take extra time. Also, if you are replacing a tire with a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), it may have to be recalibrated, which will increase the time for this step.
7. Road Test and Final Inspection
Some shops might perform a final inspection or road test as a way to ensure everything is working correctly. This step is to ensure that there are no problems with the installation, alignment, or tire pressure.
How Long to Get New Tires?
Now that you’ve figured out the various steps that will go hand in hand with the process of getting new tires, let’s go ahead and try to time every step of the process and try to get an overall time and figure out how long this will all take. The answer will depend on some variables that we will analyze below.
General time Units for getting New Tires
The process of getting new tires can take some time, and this is going to be relative to different variables such as the number of tires getting replaced and whether any extra services will be needed. In this part, we will analyze the average time estimates for several different cases of tire replacements.
All Four Tires
At a tire shop, when getting four new tires installed, it typically takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to finish. In this timeframe, it includes removing the old tires, mounting and balancing the new tires, putting the tires on the car, and setting the tire pressure. If there’s a more complex task to do, such as getting an alignment as well, then it can take about 2 hours to do everything. (Mavis Tire)
For One Tire
Getting a single tire replaced takes much less time, and if there are no added services, such as balancing or getting an alignment, it takes about 15 to 30 minutes to do a single tire (tire shop) replacement as a professional. Especially, if the wheel is already off or if a spare is to be used, this process speeds up more.
For DIY Tire Changes
For DIY tire changes, when doing it by yourself, it takes more time than if a professional were to do it. Generally, it can take 20-30 minutes per tire if working on a single tire, and this is assuming the proper tools and knowhow are present. A full set of four tires can take generally about 1.5 to 2 hours, however, this can vary crossing experience and the tools available to you.
Factors That Affect How Long It Takes to Get New Tires
There are several variables to consider when trying to determine how long it will take to get your new tires. Here are the most important factors to consider:
Vehicle Type
The specific vehicle you will be getting new tires for will be the most important variable that impacts how long the service will take. If you are coming in for a larger vehicle, such as a truck or SUV, it may take a little longer due to the size of the tires and the more complicated mounting process.
- Passenger Vehicle: If your vehicle is a small or standard-sized car, such as a sedan, hatchback, or compact car, and does not have unusually oversized tires, then the service will likely go a little faster compared to that of larger vehicles. You can expect the servicing to take on average anywhere from 1-1.5 hours.
- SUV, Truck, or Other Off-Road Type Vehicle: These vehicles will usually have larger tires and take a little more time to service due to more work being required to remove and install the tires. You will likely expect to wait around 1.5 to 2 hours to have all four tires serviced and replaced.
- Luxury and Performance Vehicles: High-end cars or sports cars with low-profile or performance tires may also require more time, especially if the tires need to be balanced more precisely.
2. Different Type and Sizes of Tires
When getting tires installed, the size and type of tires can impact the time it takes for the installation. Specialty and performance tires usually take longer to mount and balance than regular tires.
Standard Tires: Regular tires are easy and quick to install and usually stay within the time range of 1.5 hours.
Specialty Tires: Specialty tires, including low-profile, run-flat, and off-road tires, take longer to install and balance because of how more complex they are to mount.
Custom Wheels or Rims: The installation process can take longer if extra care needs to be taken when mounting custom wheels or rims. The installation time in these cases, can take an extra 30 to 60 minutes.
3. Balancing and Alignment
Balancing is an important step in the installation of tires because it helps ensure the tires wear in an even and optimal fashion. While balancing takes time to complete and is included in the installation fees, it is crucial to the process.
Balancing: The balancing process takes between 10-15 minutes per tire and is critical to perform to avoid driving vibrations.
If all four tires need replacing, expect balancing to take an additional 40-60 minutes.
Alignment: If your vehicle needs an alignment, this will take 30 to 45 minutes. If alignment is not necessary, the process will be faster.
4. Other Services
Many shops offer extra add-on services to be performed while tires are being replaced. Services like wheel alignment and tire balancing, and TPMS recalibration all take extra time, and significantly enhance the safety and performance of your vehicle.
1. TPMS: If your vehicle is newer, it will be equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). This system notifies the driver if tire pressure is low. When replacing tires equipped with TPMS, it may need to be recalibrated, which takes 10-15 minutes extra to perform.
2. Valve Stem Replacement: Replacing the valve stems will add an extra 5-10 minutes per tire.
3. Letting Places Dispose of Old Tires: A lot of places will offer to dispose of your old tires for a small fee. This does add a couple of minutes, but is usually not very time consuming unless there are a lot of tires to dispose of.
DIY Tire Changes vs Professional Installation
How long it takes to get new tires also depends on if you go to a tire shop professionally, or if you tackle the job yourself. Let’s compare these.
DIY Tire Change
If you have the needed tools like a jack, tire iron, and an air compressor, they may be able to change a tire.
- Time Required for DIY Tire Change: It usually takes around 20 to 30 minutes per tire, and around at least an hour to an hour and a half for a complete set of 4 tires.
- Pros of DIY: The biggest advantage is saving money that you would have to give to a professional for labor. Additionally, you are able to do it at your own pace and own time.
- Cons of DIY: The biggest con is that it will probably take a long time compared to if you go to a professional, especially if you have little experience.
Getting Your Tires Installed by a Pro
There are some benefits to going to a professional shop. They have the right tools and the staff will be able to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
- Time for Professional Installations: Replacing all four tires and balancing will usually take about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Advantages: Professional installation will save you time and the hassle of doing the job yourself. The staff will balance the tires, check the pressure, and do other things to ensure safety and help the tires last longer.
- Disadvantages: Professional installation can be quite costly, especially with alignment, tire disposal, TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) and other things.
How to Get the Job Done Faster
Here are some things you can do to get the job done quicker:
1. Make An Appointment: If you are replacing tires, book an appointment to avoid waiting for a long time. Some shops will let you book an appointment for an express tire change that will help you to spend less time waiting.
2. Come Early: If you can’t make an appointment, come to the shop right when they open. They will be able to help you faster and you will be the next customer.
3. Bring Pre-Mounted Tires or Rims: If you’ve already purchased your new tires or rims separately, bringing them in pre-mounted will cut down the amount of time needed to mount the tires.
4. Don’t Add Extra Services: If you’re in a rush, keep it to basic tire installation, and skip the extra services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about how long does getting new tires take
1. How long does it take to replace just one tire at the tire shop?
Depending on how much tire balancing and other services are needed, it usually takes just 15 to 30 minutes to replace one tire.
2. Is it possible to get all four new tires installed in less than an hour?
In an ideal world with no problems, yes. However, with things like balancing and inflation included, most tire shops take 1 to 1.5 hours on average.
3. How long does it take to change tires on trucks or SUVs?
Trucks and SUVs will typically take longer to change tires due to the larger size of the tires weighing more. It’s an additional 1.5 to 2 hours.
4. Is installing tires yourself to save time possible?
Yes. However, expect it to take longer with 30 minutes to 1 hour per tire needed. Specialized tools and experience with tire changing are needed.
5. Are you just adding time to the process if balancing is needed for the tire?
Yes, balancing is an important step for smooth driving and to ensure the tires wear evenly. In the end, it’s time well spent because it takes 10 to 15 minutes for each tire.
Conclusion
Typically, it does take around 1 to 1 and a half hours to get a new full set of tires replaced, mounted, and balanced at a professional tire shop. This time can change based on the amount of work that the shop has, what type of tires you have, and extra services you might want, like alignment or TPMS.
If you choose to do the work on your own, it will likely take 30 min to 1 hour to get each tire done, so for all 4, get ready to set a good chunk of time to the project. Either way, make sure to get a good idea of the overall tire replacement process to help you set a time limit for the project.
