Can you buy new tires on Sunday in Memphis?

Can you buy new tires on Sunday?

Yes. Many tire stores in Memphis open on Sunday, though often later in the morning and closing earlier than on weekdays.

Hours change by store and by season, and holiday weekends are different again. The store's own Google listing or website is the best place to check the Sunday hours on the day.

What makes Sunday harder is not finding an open store. It is finding one that has your exact tire in stock.

Which kinds of tire stores open on Sunday?

Large chain auto and tire centers are the most likely to open on Sunday. Small independent shops are more often closed, but some do open.

• Chain tire and auto service centers: often open Sunday, with shorter hours.
• Tire centers inside warehouse or big-box stores: some open Sunday; many need a membership.
• Small local and used-tire shops: hours vary a lot. Some open, many rest.
• Car dealer service departments: usually closed on Sunday.
• Mobile tire services: some work Sundays. Ask about their hours and your size.

Why is your size harder to find on Sunday?

Stores keep the most common sizes on the shelf and order the rest from a supplier. Many supplier warehouses don't deliver on Sunday, so an unusual size may wait until Monday.

Common sizes for popular sedans and small SUVs are the easiest. Low-profile tires, big truck tires and run-flats are harder.

So the most useful thing you can do is call ahead with your exact size. "Do you have 225/65R17 in stock today?" gets a clear yes or no.

What do you need to know before you call?

Your full tire size, and also the load index and speed rating if you can read them. All of it is printed on the side of the tire.

Example: 225/65R17 102H. Here is what each part means:

USTMA says a replacement tire should match the size, load index and speed rating your car maker calls for. The right size is on a label inside the driver's door, in the glove box or in the fuel door, and in the owner's manual.

Take a photo of the sidewall and the door label. It saves reading numbers out over the phone.

Is it OK to drive on the spare until Monday?

It depends on the spare. A full-size matching spare is fine; a small donut is for short, slow trips only, within the limits in your owner's manual.

If Monday means a few short drives around town on a donut, that is often fine. A highway commute or a long trip is not.

Read how long you can drive on a spare before you plan your Sunday and Monday.

What should you do on Saturday night?

Get the car somewhere safe, put the spare on if you can, and look up the size. Then you are ready to call stores when they open on Sunday.

1. Move the car off the road or to a lit, level spot.
2. Put the spare on, or leave the car parked if it is flat too.
3. Photograph the tire sidewall and the door label.
4. Check whether the old tire might be repaired. See a nail in your tire.
5. Make a short list of stores and check their Sunday hours.

If the tire might be repairable, you may not need a new one at all. A nail in the tread is often fixable. A cut in the sidewall is not: see can a sidewall be repaired.

Should you replace one tire or two?

It depends on how worn the other tires are and on your car. USTMA says replacing all four is best, and two new tires go on the rear axle.

• One new tire: USTMA says pair it with the tire that has the deepest tread, and put both on the rear.
• Two new tires: put them on the rear axle for better grip on wet roads.
• All-wheel drive: small size differences can strain the drivetrain. Check your owner's manual before buying just one.

On a Sunday you may only find one tire in your size. Ask the store about the tread on your other tires before you decide.

Is a different brand of tire OK on one corner?

Usually, if the size, load index and speed rating match and the tread type is similar. Avoid mixing very different tires, like an all-terrain next to an all-season, on the same axle.

USTMA advises against mixing tread pattern types on 4WD and AWD cars when the owner's manual gives no other rule. On a front-wheel-drive sedan, a matching size in a different brand is a common Sunday fix.

• Match the size code exactly.
• Never choose a lower load index or speed rating.
• Try to match the tread type of the tire on the other side.
• Plan to match the pair properly at your next tire change.

How do you check a store's Sunday hours?

Look at the store's Google listing or its own website on the day, then call to confirm. Listings are usually right, but holiday weekends and staff shortages change things.

• Search the store name and "Sunday hours" on your phone.
• Check the date of the latest update on the listing.
• Call before you drive there on a spare.
• Ask how late they take a new tire job, not just closing time.
• Ask if they need you to book a slot.

Some stores stop starting new jobs well before closing. Asking "When is your last tire install today?" saves a wasted trip.

What should you check before the new tire goes on?

Check that the size, load index and speed rating match your car, and look at the date code on the new tire. Ask what is included in the price you are quoted.

• Size match: the same code as your door label.
• Load and speed: never lower than your car calls for, says USTMA.
• Date code: the last four digits of the DOT number give the week and year it was made.
• Valve and sensor: ask if the valve stem is new and the pressure sensor is moved over.
• Balancing: ask if the wheel is balanced after mounting.
• Old tire: ask what happens to it, or keep it if you want.

After the fit, check the pressure matches the door label, and look at the lug nuts. If the car shakes at speed afterwards, go back and have the balance checked.

Keep your receipt. Most tire makers' warranties ask for proof of when and where the tire was bought.

Can a mobile tire service help on Sunday?

Sometimes. A mobile tire service brings the tire to where your car is parked, so you don't drive on a weak spare, but only if your size is on hand.

Tire Amigo works this way. Send the size and where the car is, and we check the tire before we give you a price. We confirm the all-in price with you before anyone drives out.

See mobile tire replacement and how it works.

When to contact us: Need a new tire fitted where the car is? Send us your details with the tire size, and we check it before we quote.