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223 Curtis Street, Delaware, OH 43015

Tires & Wheel Service
in Delaware, Ohio

Tires, Alignment, Suspension & Steering in Delaware, Ohio

Four things decide how your car rides and how long a set of tires lasts: the tires themselves, the alignment, the suspension holding the wheels where they belong, and the steering that points them. They are not separate problems. A worn control arm eats a tire; a bad alignment eats two; a pothole in February can cost you all four by August.

We handle the whole system in our own bays — tire sales and installation, computerized four-wheel alignment, balancing, rotation, TPMS sensor service, suspension work on struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints and bushings, and steering repair from tie rods to rack-and-pinion. One inspection, one diagnosis, one shop. ASE-certified technicians, up-front pricing, and Wendell’s Garage has been doing it on Curtis Street since 1986.

What Your Car Is Telling You

Tires and the parts that hold them are the one system you can diagnose a little from the driver’s seat. If any of this sounds familiar, get it looked at before it turns into a set of tires you did not budget for:

  • The car pulls to one side when you loosen your grip on a straight, level road
  • The steering wheel sits crooked when the wheels are pointed straight ahead
  • Vibration at highway speed — through the wheel, the seat, or the floor
  • Uneven wear: one edge going bald, scalloped cupping, or feathered ridges you can feel by running a hand across the tread
  • A tire that keeps going low, or a TPMS light that will not stay off
  • Floating, bouncing, or leaning more than it used to over bumps and through turns
  • Clunks, knocks, or squeaks from underneath on rough pavement
  • Steering that feels loose or vague, or gets heavy at parking-lot speeds
  • Clicking or popping when turning, especially at full lock
  • More than 5,000 to 7,500 miles since the last rotation
  • Low tread. Stand a penny upside down in a groove — if the top of Lincoln’s head shows, you are at or below 2/32″ and the tire is legally worn out
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Why Buy Tires at Wendell’s

  • Dunlop standing offer. Buy 3, Get 1 FREE on select Dunlop Tires when installed with road hazard warranty and alignment. Year-round, no coupon needed.
  • Computerized four-wheel alignment, in our own bays. Set to the manufacturer’s spec, not eyeballed. It is the cheapest thing you can do to make a new set of tires last as long as it should.
  • The whole system, one shop. Tires, alignment, suspension, and steering under one roof — so the shop that sells you tires is the shop that can find out why the last set wore out early.
  • Nationwide NAPA warranty. As a NAPA AutoCare shop, your parts and labor are covered by the nationwide NAPA warranty.
  • ASE-certified technicians, up-front pricing. The tire quote spells out mounting, balancing, valve stems, and disposal before you agree to it.
  • Family-owned in Delaware since 1986. Same shop on Curtis Street, now part of the Alpha Automotive family of shops.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know when I need new tires?

The penny test settles most of it: stand a penny upside down in a tread groove, and if you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, you are at 2/32″ or less and the tire is done. But tread depth is not the only way a tire wears out — sidewall cracks, a bulge, or exposed cords mean replace it now regardless of depth, and rubber hardens with age even on a car that barely gets driven. If the wear is uneven, the tires are a symptom and something else is the cause.

Do you have any tire specials?

Yes. Our standing tire offer is Buy 3, Get 1 FREE on select Dunlop Tires — available for installed service only with road hazard warranty and alignment. Available for most cars and light trucks; some restrictions apply. Not valid with any other discount or offer. Ask us when you check in and we’ll walk you through the eligible tire options.

Why does the tire deal require an alignment?

Because four new tires on a car that is out of alignment is how you buy the same set twice. A bad alignment wears tires unevenly from the first mile, and you usually cannot see it happening until an edge goes bald. Setting the alignment when the tires go on protects what you just paid for.

Do I have to replace all four tires at once?

Not always, but more often than people expect. On all-wheel drive, yes in almost every case — a real difference in tire size between the front and rear makes the drivetrain fight itself, and that is an expensive failure. On front- or rear-wheel drive you can usually replace in pairs, and the new pair goes on the rear no matter which wheels drive the car, because the rear losing grip first is how a car spins. We will tell you which situation you are in.

What is the difference between balancing and alignment?

They fix two different complaints and get confused all the time. Balancing evens out the weight around the wheel and tire — the symptom is vibration, usually in a certain speed range. Alignment sets the angles the wheels sit at — the symptoms are pulling, a crooked steering wheel, and uneven tread wear. A vibration is almost never fixed by an alignment, and a pull is almost never fixed by balancing.

How often should tires be rotated?

Every 5,000 to 7,500 miles, which lands on the same visit as an oil change for most people. Rotation is the cheapest way to make tires last longer: it spreads out the wear that the drive wheels and the front end would otherwise put on just two tires.

How often do I need an alignment?

Once a year or every 12,000 to 15,000 miles as maintenance — and right away after new tires, after any suspension or steering work, and after the pothole that made you say something out loud. Central Ohio winters are hard on alignment. If the car is pulling or the steering wheel is off-center, do not wait for the interval.

Why is my car pulling to one side?

Usually alignment, but not always. Uneven tire pressure side to side will do it, so will uneven wear, a dragging brake caliper, or a worn suspension part letting a wheel wander. It is one of the easier complaints to track down, because one inspection covers all of those.

My TPMS light is on. Is that serious?

Check your tire pressures first — a cold snap alone can drop them enough to set it off, which is why the light comes on the first cold morning every year. If the pressures are right and the light stays on, or it flashes before staying lit, the sensor itself is likely the problem. The batteries in those sensors last roughly seven to ten years and cannot be replaced on their own. We test the sensors, not just the tire pressure.

Is tire and suspension work covered by a warranty?

Yes. As a NAPA AutoCare shop, your parts and labor are covered by the nationwide NAPA warranty, so the coverage goes with you, not just when you are in Delaware. Ask us and we will go over the details for your repair.

How long will it take?

A four-wheel alignment on its own is about an hour. New tires with an alignment usually take one to two hours. Suspension work — struts, shocks, control arms — is usually two to four hours depending on the vehicle and how cooperative the hardware is. Steering repairs depend on what the inspection turns up. You get a time estimate with the quote.

Do I need an appointment?

It is worth it here more than for most services, because tire and alignment work needs dedicated rack time, and the spring and fall changeover rushes fill the schedule. Request a time or call (740) 362-0818.

We sell and service tires for drivers across Delaware and Delaware County — Sunbury, Galena, Ostrander, Radnor, Prospect, Waldo, Richwood, and Marysville. Tires for a work van or a fleet? See our fleet and commercial van page. Everything else we do is on our auto repair services page.

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