Changing ONE tire, is it ok?
 

My front passenger tire was slashed a week ago so obviously have to replace it. I have 10,500 miles on my car right now. Do you guys think it's ok to replace just that one tire given the mileage? The guy at the tire place measured the tread and he said it should be ok. What do u guys think?

I would rather just change the one tire since the tires are about $215 a piece and given the fact that the other tires are still fairly new.

At 10,500 miles personally i would not risk my life or my car for $200 odd dollars for the extra tyre , uneven tire wear equates to lousy handling not safe IMHO.

cheers
michael

change both tires... the front will be uneven and u'll have problem going in a stright direction... and it will be dangerous.... so just spend another 200+ for another new tire is better than damaging ur car... OR if u want u can put the newly bought tires on the rear and put the rear tires at the front...

DON'T put the new one on the rear. Put it on the front. The front are free wheeling and are independent of each other, whereas the rears are connected by a LSD. You want to be sure the rear two are equal, not the fronts. I've had a few flats on various RWD cars and have had unevenly sized tires in the front and it was fine. No steering issues at all. Go for it.

At worst, if you're feeling paranoid about it, go to a race shop and get your new tire shaved to match the other front.

But DON'T put uneven tires on the rear. It's a BAD idea!

~ Matt

Maybe it's the way I drive but my right front tire has worn down faster than my left front. It even has more curvature on the edge, possibly because I push through left turns harder.

If this is a general pattern, maybe you could put the new tire on the RIGHT front and wear it down on purpose with hard LEFT TURNS.

Agreed. Having unequal diameter tires on the driving wheels is undesirable. For each revolution, the larger tire is going to be attempting to push the car further than the smaller (unequal thrust).

Actually, I've had a new tire on my 8 for a while. It's in the rear, and I've noticed no change in ride or handling. I had about 22,000 miles on the others when I put it on. The track is the only place where you'd notice it.

if the tire place said one was ok be sure to get it in writing. i am sure if it wasn't he would be trying to make a sale so i would take his word on it but make sure the reciept makes note of the shops advice.

If the two tires are really close in wear (and therefore diameter), then it shouldn't make a difference. The concern is that your LSD will be working all the time trying to make up for the unequal diameters. Depending on the difference, it could affect the life of your LSD.

Or so I've heard.

~ Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

I can confirm that putting one new tire on a rear wheel after 7000km will cause the DSC to throw a fault and disengage (DSC light comes on and stays on). The problem went away when the dealer did the tire rotation and moved the new tire to the front

there are places that "shave" the tires to make it more even? i don't think i would do that but where and how do u get that done? and how much, just out of curiosity.

When I've ordered Kuhmo Victoracers from Tire Rack, shaving them (for better performance in the dry) was an option. I'd bet if you called any race shops in the area, they would be able to help. Maybe Tire Rack, too. I think that the tire has to be new, too.

Also, Tire Rack will heat cycle race tires for you. Very convenient!

~ Matt

are you getting OE-identical replacement or another brand? not all tires are created equal and different brands have different grip characteristics. If you're using a different brand for replacement I suggest change one more and put the new pair in the rear.