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OK to replace just 2 tires..??

9K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  davenay67 
#1 ·
My wife picked up a nail in the sidewall of her TB tire (rear) this morning. Tires are still fairly well endowed as far as tread is concerned, I would guess 7/32 is left.

My question is whether I can just replace both rear tires, or do I need to replace all 4. We use AWD only in bad weather, and never use 4WD.

I don't want to dump $$$ into tires, but I don't want to overly stress the TB diffs either.


Dave. :)
 
#2 ·
My advice is yes, but always put newer tires in the front. rotate when the wear is fairly even or front are more worn. the fronts usually wear faster (except SS's :crackup:) and they will "catch-up" with the wear on the rears over time.

Another fun fact is that the least worn tires on the front can lead to less hydroplaning.

my :m2:
 
#8 ·
false. new tires should always be placed in the rear even in a front wheel drive vehicle. you do this to avoid hyrdoplaning in wet or snow weather traction. harder to compensate for over steer when the back end looses control then it is the front.

as far as the 2 or 4. always best to get 4 but since your truck isnt awd just 4awd and your other tread has less then a 4/32 difference it wont make a difference or do any damage to a transfer case as it would like a suburu or audi thats allwheel drive ALL the time.

my :m2:from yours truly Discount Tire Co. Supervisor! B.R.Tank
:coffee
 
#5 ·
Actually, new tires should ALWAYS go on the rear of any vehicle, even if you've got a front wheel drive car. Most tire places won't put new tires only on the front or will make you sign a waiver. The reason for this is to prevent fishtailing during braking or cornering in low traction conditions. Here is a link to the subject at tire rack. You can also find the same information at popular mechanics, rubber manufacturer's association, etc.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=52
 
#9 ·
As the noted philosopher Elmer Fudd used to say, "Be Vewy, Vewy Carefuw" (Be very very careful) doing this.

What people need to understand is - just because you replace a Michelin "ALL TERRAIN" (P245/75R16) tire on your truck with a Goodyear or MOTO tire that has the same size "P245/75R16" on it there may be a measureable difference in the actual tire size.

Even with the same tire manufacturer, two different tire models may also be marked as the same size but may actually be different sizes.

When I looked for tires I thought people were pulling my leg about this so I went into SAM's Club (Where you can actually look at the tires you buy) with a measuring tape and found as much as a 1/2" differencee in tire height.

Differences in tire heights can cause a myriad of issues with the newer cars/trucks with all the new computer controlled items.

Unless you're replacing all 4 at once, make sure you replace a Uniroyal "Tiger Paw" with a Uniroyal Tiger Paw, etc...
 
#10 ·
i agree but only to a certain degree.

ok obviously if you replace an AT with a regular street tire in the same size theres gonna be a difference in size. only because the m/t come with 14 to 16/32 in which a highway tread probably start with 12/32. furthermore, when buying tires your always for the most part gonna stick in the same catagory as far as quality. an entrylevel 205/65/15 is going to be smaller then a premium quality michelin in the same size.... why? more ingredients in the tire. reinforced sidewalls, stronger beads. 12/32 instead of 8/32. integrated tread sipe, stronger steel belts, and other different features and benefits. so when saying you get what you pay for.... with tires thats really how it is. so do your homework before buying. and many tire shops are more then willing to show you their inventory on request.
 
#13 ·
Yes it is fine to replace just two tires, but you need to match the same brand and model of tire. Tires will always wear faster from the main drive axle (be it front or rear), if you're wearing out front tires faster on a RWD vehicle you either are not rotating your tires or you're not getting your alignment checked (or both). For best traction new tires should be on the rear and you should probably start there anyway and then rotate them from there.
 
#15 ·
I do understand the difference, which is why I thought (but wanted to check to be certain) that replacing just the 2 tires would be an OK thing to do. I know that Suby's need a 4 tire replacement because of their type of AWD system.

Turns out that the wife bought the hazard warranty when she bought the tires, so the damaged tire will cost next to nothing to repace. The OTD cost is literally just for 1 new tire and the associated costs of replacing 2 tires (fitting, balancing, valves, disposal, etc).

BTW, the shop is fitting the exact same tires; BF Goodrich Rugged Trail's.

Thanks for all the advice folks. :D


Dave.
 
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