Brakes & Suspension
Pads, rotors, calipers, brake lines, struts, shocks and control arms. We check the whole corner, not just whatever is making the noise.
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We Sell Tires and Duluth Winters Are Why
We sell tires, and we fit them. Pick yours out and have them shipped straight to the shop, or let us order them for you. Hunter Revolution equipment handles the rims most shops will not touch, and we have been doing the seasonal changeover here for more than thirty years.
#1 Nokian Dealer in Minnesota
Nobody in the state sells more of them, and we can normally have a set here next day. Nokian built the world's first winter tire in 1934 and they are still the northernmost tire manufacturer on earth, which in Duluth is not a marketing line so much as the whole point.
- Number one Nokian dealer in Minnesota, usually next day
- The Hakkapeliitta line, named for Finland's winter cavalry
- Aramid Strong Sidewalls for Duluth potholes and curbs
- Arctic Grip Crystals in the compound, for traction on ice
- A $35,000 Hunter Revolution changer for the rims most shops refuse
Thanksgivingand tax day. The two dates to book your changeover around.
Torquespec, not an impact gun
Tire Service in Duluth, MN
On a foreign car there is more to it than swapping four wheels. Most of these makes run TPMS sensors that have to be read, reset or relearned to the car, and a fair number use directional or staggered fitments where the wheels are not interchangeable front to rear. Getting that wrong is how a set of winter tires ends up wearing out in one season.
- Tires sold and fitted here
- TPMS sensor reading, reset and relearn
- Rotation and balancing
- Torque to the manufacturer's specification
- Tread depth and wear-pattern inspection
- Directional and staggered fitments handled correctly
- Other brands too, and a Tire Rack installer since 1993
01
The number one Nokian dealer in Minnesota
We sell more Nokian tires than anybody else in the state, and we can normally get them next day. If you want a set of Hakkapeliittas before the first storm, call and we will tell you what we can have here and when.
02
The Hakkapeliitta line, and where the name comes from
Hakkapeliitta is the Finnish name for that country's 17th century mounted cavalry, elite troops trained to fight through hard winters. Nokian named the line well. It arrived in 1936 and it is still what the company is known for.
03
Winter tires since 1934
Nokian Tyres was founded in 1898 and built the world's first winter tire in 1934. They are the northernmost tire manufacturer in the world, which is not a marketing line so much as a description of the conditions they develop in. Same parent company as Nokia phones, and a plant in Dayton, Ohio.
04
Aramid sidewalls and Arctic Grip Crystals
Two of their more useful recent developments. Aramid Strong Sidewalls hold up to the kind of pothole and curb damage a Duluth spring produces, and Arctic Grip Crystals are built into the compound for traction on ice rather than in snow.
05
Not only winter tires
The Remedy, Surpass, Nordman, Outpost and One lines cover all-season and all-weather driving as well. Nokian is a genuinely environmentally focused manufacturer.
Tire Rack Affiliation
Or Bring Your Own: A Tire Rack Installer Since 1993
Nokians come direct from us, because we are the dealer and Tire Rack does not carry them. For everything else, most customers still just buy the tires from us. If you would rather pick your own, Tire Rack carries one of the largest selections online and we have been a registered installer with them since 1993. We also have a direct contact there we have worked with for years, so when a question comes up about tread life, traction or which tire suits the way a car actually gets driven, we can put it to somebody who works with these tires every day.
It works two ways. The simplest is to let us order them: one call, one price, fitted. Or you can go through Tire Rack yourself and build a tire and wheel package, which lets you see what a set of rims actually looks like on a picture of your own vehicle before you commit to it. Either way it ships straight to the shop and gets fitted here, and our installation pricing is in line with what you would pay anywhere else in town.
- Other brands too, and a Tire Rack installer since 1993
- A direct contact at Tire Rack for tire selection questions
- We can order for you, or you can order it yourself
- See what a set of rims looks like on your own vehicle before you buy
- Tires and wheel packages shipped direct to the shop for fitting
- Installation pricing published on our Tire Rack listing
- Top Rated installer on the Tire Rack network
01
Hunter Revolution tire changer
A $35,000 machine, and the reason we can take on rims a lot of shops will not touch. GM and Ford use the same changer to fit tires on Corvettes and Mustangs.
02
Coats balancer and changers
Alongside the Hunter we run a Coats 150 balancer and Coats 9024 E and 20/20 changers.
03
Autel TPMS programming
We run Autel TPMS computers and can read, reset or relearn 99% of the systems that come through the door, rather than handing the car back with a light on the dash.
Tire Service at Foreign Affairs
01
The first cold snap is forecast
This is the one to book early. Thanksgiving is the date to have the winter set on by, and tax day is the marker for putting the summer set back on. The week the first real snow lands is the week everybody in Duluth calls at once, and there is only so much a single shop can get through in a day.
02
The car wanders or pulls on Highway 61
Usually alignment rather than the tires, and bad alignment will eat a new set faster than anything else. Worth checking before you fit tires, not after.
03
Uneven wear across the tread
Feathering, one-sided wear or cupping each point at something different — alignment, a worn bushing, or a shock that has stopped controlling the wheel. The tire is the symptom.
04
Vibration that changes with speed
Often a balance issue, sometimes a bent wheel from a pothole, occasionally a bearing. It is worth telling us at exactly what speed it appears.
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The TPMS light is on and stays on
Either a genuinely low tire or a sensor that has failed or lost its relearn. Both are worth sorting rather than living with, because once the light is on it cannot warn you about the next one.
06
Tread is down near the wear bars
In this city that matters earlier than the legal minimum. Tread is what you have when a hill turns to ice, and there is no substitute for it.
What Tire Service Costs, and What Changes It
A straight seasonal changeover on wheels you already own is one of the cheapest visits you will make here, and the single best value on this list of services. Call to book it in and we will price it for your car.
Anything beyond that depends on the car. TPMS sensors that need replacing, a wheel that turns out to be bent, or a staggered fitment that takes longer to work through all move the figure. You will hear an exact price before any of it happens.
- Whether the tires are already on wheelsA set on their own rims is a straight swap. Loose tires have to come off and go back onto the same wheels, which takes longer.
- TPMSSome sensors relearn in minutes. Some have to be programmed to the car, and a sensor at the end of its battery life will need replacing whatever we do.
- Wheel size and fitmentLarger wheels, low-profile tires and staggered setups all take more time and more care.
- Time of yearThe changeover season is the busiest stretch of our year. Aim to have the winter set on by Thanksgiving and the summer set back on around tax day. Booking a couple of weeks ahead of either one costs nothing and saves the wait.
- What we find underneathThe wheels being off is the best look anyone gets at your brakes and suspension. If something is worth telling you about, we will tell you then.
Tire Service in Duluth, MN, Neighborhood by Neighborhood
Tire service in Duluth, MN is not the same job it is in a flat city. Drivers coming down off the hill from Piedmont, Woodland or Hermantown are braking on a grade every day, and tread depth is what decides how that goes once the road ices over.
The changeover rush is a local event. From the East Hillside to Lakeside, Congdon and across the bay in Superior, everybody books in the same fortnight, and customers drive in from Proctor, Cloquet and Two Harbors as well. Calling ahead of the first snow is the whole trick.
Service areas
Ashland, WICloquet, MNDuluth, MNFargo, NDGrand Marais, MNGrand Rapids, MNHermantown, MNHibbing, MNInternational Falls, MNLutsen, MNMoose Lake, MNProctor, MNSandstone, MNSilver Bay, MNSuperior, WIThunder Bay, ONTwo Harbors, MNVirginia, MN
Booked by phone, Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 5:00. Call (218) 722-2246.
Foreign Affairs, the Dealership, and the Quick-Lube Chain
Same car, three very different afternoons. Here is the honest version, including the row where we are not the right answer.
You're hereForeign Affairs
The dealership
A quick-lube chain
Best for
Keeping a foreign car healthy past 100,000 miles without dealer pricing.
Warranty claims, recalls and anything still covered by the manufacturer.
An oil change when you have 20 minutes and nothing is wrong.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column →
Yes Sometimes No
We left the row we lose on right in the chart. If your car is still under factory warranty for the repair you need, we will tell you to go to the dealership. We would rather say it here than after you have driven over.
Common Questions
Yes, and we have been selling them for more than thirty years. There are two ways to go about it. We can source the tires for you: call with your year, make and model and how the car actually gets driven, and we will tell you what we can get and what it costs fitted. Or you can pick your own on Tire Rack, where you can see a set against a photo of your own vehicle and build a tire and wheel package, choose Foreign Affairs of Duluth as your installer at checkout, and have them shipped straight to the shop. We have been a registered Tire Rack installer since 1993 and we have a direct contact there for questions about tread life and traction. Either way the fitting happens here on the Hunter Revolution, which is what lets us take on the rims most shops will not touch. TPMS sensors get read, reset and relearned to the car, directional and staggered fitments go on the correct corners, and every wheel goes back on to the manufacturer torque spec with a torque wrench rather than an impact gun. Call (218) 722-2246 and tell us what you drive.
Yes. Plenty of customers buy their own and bring them in on wheels or loose, and that is a perfectly sensible way to do it.
Before the forecast turns. Late October into early November is sensible in Duluth, and the week of the first real snow is the week the phone does not stop. Booking early costs nothing.
On Duluth hills, in a city that salts the roads for 6 months, a proper winter tire is a genuinely different thing from an all-season. If you are only going to spend money on one upgrade to how your car handles the winter, this is the one.
Yes, as part of the job. We read them, reset or relearn them to the car, and tell you if one has failed rather than leaving you with a light on the dash.
Call and ask about your car. What we will always do is tell you when the wear pattern on your tires says the alignment is the real problem, because fitting new tires to a car that is out of alignment is money thrown away.
Yes, and we have been a registered Tire Rack installer since 1993. Order on tirerack.com, choose Foreign Affairs of Duluth as your installer, and the tires ship straight to the shop. One thing worth knowing: Tire Rack does not carry Nokian. We are the Nokian dealer, so those come direct from us. One thing worth knowing: Tire Rack does not carry Nokian. We are the Nokian dealer, so those come direct from us. One thing worth knowing: Tire Rack does not carry Nokian. We are the Nokian dealer, so those come direct from us. One thing worth knowing: Tire Rack does not carry Nokian. We are the Nokian dealer, so those come direct from us. One thing worth knowing: Tire Rack does not carry Nokian. We are the Nokian dealer, so those come direct from us. One thing worth knowing: Tire Rack does not carry Nokian. We are the Nokian dealer, so those come direct from us. You can also build a tire and wheel package there and preview it against a photo of your own vehicle. Installation pricing is listed on our Tire Rack page before you order.
Preventive Maintenance
Factory-interval maintenance done with the right oil and the right fluids, plus an honest list of what can wait until next time.
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General Auto Repair
Exhaust, heating and air conditioning, steering, drive axles, seasonal tire changeovers and the everyday jobs that keep a car on the road.
Learn moreVisit Our Duluth Auto Shop on East Ninth Street
Address
722 E Ninth St
Duluth, MN 55805
Phone
Shop Hours
Monday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed
Parking and Drop-Off
We are in the East Hillside neighborhood, a few minutes up from downtown Duluth and an easy run from Lakeside, Congdon, Woodland and Piedmont. Parking is free on site. If you need to leave the car before we open, call ahead and we will sort out the key.
Appointments are made by phone, not online. Call during shop hours and you will talk to someone who can tell you when we can actually get the car in.
Foreign Affairs 722 E Ninth St
Duluth, MN 55805 Get directions →
Duluth, MN 55805 Get directions →
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