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3208 International St, Fairbanks, AK   |   (907) 312-1447

Tires, Wheels and Brakes

What service are you looking for?

At METRO, we take pride in being an unusual Tire Shop

Go ahead and plan your day, because Metro Garage has renovated the tire shopping experience. If you are here, we are working on your car because we install the tires we sell by appointment. All new-tire installs come with a brake-life inspection. This means you are out of here with new tires and brakes fully inspected, all in under an hour! Our waiting room is clean and pretty and our bathroom gets five-star reviews!

We also test tires! Personally. Rigorously.

On a lake behind the airport or on lonely icy roads around Fairbanks, we can be found with a tape and GPS, slamming on the brakes or throwing cars into slides. If we sell it, we have driven it. This is the only way we can feel comfortable making recommendations to our clients and neighbors about such an important subject.

tires and tracks

Tire Replacement Fairbanks, AK

The Right Tires for The Right Season

It is a nice idea——that one tire is all you need to be safe in all four seasons. But when the rubber meets the road, the idea actually has no practical application! It’s a fantasy. Let’s face it Fairbanks, our new climate has made interior Alaska the Anchorage of driving: Intersections and highways caked with ice. We literally spend half the year driving around on sheets of glass.

While we are getting real about dangerous driving, let’s talk about windshield time: Fairbanks isn’t big on public transportation which leaves us on our own to get around. At minimum, the majority of us spend one hour per day commuting. Now let’s say this hour is spent with the anxiety of a white-knuckle grip because you really don’t know if you will slide through the next intersection? This adds up to a winter’s worth of angst.

Come to METRO. Let us eliminate this winter worry! For a few hundred dollars per year, you can spend that hour or two a day feeling relaxed and in control on Fairbanks’ icy roads. It is possible. In fact, with Nokian’s one-month, money-back guarantee, we have never had a customer return their tires.

Do you need new tires?
  • Uneven tread wear
  • Sliding through intersections
  • Slow acceleration from intersections
  • Unpredictable braking
  • Persistent flats

Wheel Alignment Fairbanks, AK

Why does a firm ride matter for road trips in Alaska? Lolling through the frost heaves seems to work fine? A firm ride does matter. Let us tell you why.

Alignment and suspension components that are fatigued result in vehicles with compromised handling abilities. When we unexpectedly encounter a moose or icy patch, we cannot control the lateral movement of the car body with the steering wheel. This is what “losing control” looks like. Proper alignment requires tight suspension because these parts are a system on modern vehicles. Alignment and secure maneuverability go hand in hand.

Proper wheel alignment in modern cars is a wonder when compared to even a decade ago. Adjustments to both front and rear wheel alignment are precise and and can be fine-tuned to get the smoothest and longest-lasting result. Our commitment to excellence demands that we upgrade equipment as often as vehicle manufacturers do. This is what makes METRO a full-service wheel alignment shop. Front and rear wheel alignment, including visual inspections of the underbody and brake components are routine at our garage.

When Do you Need An Alignment?
  • Following strut replacement
  • Following ball-joint replacement
  • Following steering linkage replacement
  • After hitting potholes or road debris
  • After sliding into the ditch

Tire and Rim Swaps Fairbanks, AK

As you can tell, we love tires! After all, tires are the only things keeping you and your 5,000 pound rocket sticking to the ground. Tire change-overs are a fact of life for safe driving. At METRO we help our clients plan by offering same-day tire swaps. If your summer/winter tires are already on rims, drop them off ahead of time. We will balance them and have them ready to swap out while you wait. We love to see our clients safe which is why we innovate in order to make tire-changeover season pleasant..

What Comes With a METRO Tire-Swap?
  • Measure and mark tread depth
  • Rotate tires
  • Inspect brakes
  • Inspect for uneven wear or damage
  • Thoroughly clean rims
  • Balance rims and tires
  • Hand-torque all lug nuts to spec.

Brake Repair Fairbanks, AK

It’s hard to say which safety feature is most important on a car. For us, next to tires, it’s brakes. Car and truck brakes wear at entirely unpredictable rates. Driving habits alone determine wear. These habits result in drastically different rates of decay in brake components. Charging intersections, erratic fluctuations in speed, hauling heavy loads over elevated terrain—these are examples of driving behaviors which wear brakes quickly. Once we have seen a vehicle twice we can begin to identify a pattern and predict service intervals.

Brake services include measuring the hydroscopic action of water in brake fluid, inspecting pads, rotors, shoes, drums and calipers. Brake hoses, brake lines and brake master cylinders are routine stops during inspections.

Brake Symptoms?
  • Pulsing brake pedal vibration
  • Soft, spongy brake pedal
  • Grinding feel in pedal or noise
  • Brake dash light on
  • Vehicle pulls to one side when braking

Contact Our Brake, Wheel, and Tire Service Experts

We love making people happy. It’s what we do!

Part of making people happy is taking the anxiety out of winter driving by testing tires and supplying Fairbanks with the stickiest tread on Earth! Part of making people happy is also putting them into Summer tires that can handle Blast Rock on the Haul Road and the weight in three coolers of Chitina Salmon—all without a flat. Part of making people happy is taking care of them and letting them know when their brakes are due and when it’s time for an alignment. Get on the schedule and let one of our mechanics become your mechanic!

Call or fill out a contact form now to schedule an appointment with our friendly and talented team of Fairbanks tire, wheel, and brake specialists!