One dead tire: Is 2-3/32" difference in tread depth really the max OK?

[pixie]

Hit a pothole wrong with my lightly used year-old snow tires and will have to buy one replacement tire for my 97 Legacy. Poor old girl's a bit of a junker, so I can't see buying four new tires. Advertised to try to find the same brand tire lightly used to about the same tread depth, but no luck with that needle in a haystack...

 

I keep reading 1/4" difference in circumference (which comes out to between 2 and 3 32nds) or 2/32" is the max acceptable difference. Any chance I could push that to a little more?

 

Thanks!

[Gloyale]

Put the new one on the front......it'll be fine.

[pixie]

Thanks, Gloyale. Any other opinions? What if putting the new one on the front and leaving the other tires configured as is would mean putting the new one with the most worn down one?

The difference between my worst tire (they didn't all have identical wear when measured them carefully) and the tread on a new one according to specs is about 3.5/32". The other two still have tread depth much closer to the original measurement of 13.5/32", coming in between 12/32 and 13/32.

So, if it's ok to get a new one at 13.5/32 and have one at 10/32 and two at 12-13/32, how should I arrange them on the car? Seems strange to put the new one with the most worn down one.  

This forum makes me happy!

[Rooster2]

You could put a fuse in the fuse holder slot near the firewall, and drive in 2 wheel drive. Tire size won't matter when driven in 2 wheel drive.

[Gloyale]

Thanks, Gloyale. Any other opinions? What if putting the new one on the front and leaving the other tires configured as is would mean putting the new one with the most worn down one?

The difference between my worst tire (they didn't all have identical wear when measured them carefully) and the tread on a new one according to specs is about 3.5/32". The other two still have tread depth much closer to the original measurement of 13.5/32", coming in between 12/32 and 13/32.

So, if it's ok to get a new one at 13.5/32 and have one at 10/32 and two at 12-13/32, how should I arrange them on the car? Seems strange to put the new one with the most worn down one.  

This forum makes me happy!

 

Arrangeing them like that allows the front differential to take the difference.......and balance out against the pair of less worn ones in the rear....so the overall rotation of the 2 axles is roughly the same.

 

If you have to run 2 pairs of different tires you would put them diagonal to eachother........one of each at each axle so the rotaion is the same front to back.

 

It's not ideal.......wears the diffs.......but that's better than screwing the AWD.

[Fairtax4me]

It'll be fine to run on the front. Match it with the least worn of the other three, and leave it on the front next time you rotate tires.

 

Had to do this on my 96 when I had a belt go bad. Bought two tires, and have left them on the front for the last 10k miles. I normally rotate at 5k, but they still have slightly more tread than the rears so I will leave them and check wear again at 15k.

[johnceggleston]

put the 13.5 on the front.

put the 10 on the rear.

 

the other 2 are close

put the smaller one on the front, call it 12.4

and put the large one on the rear, call it 12.6.

 

so the average size on the front is 13.05,

and the average size on the rear is 11.3.

that is with in the 2/32 allowance.

 

this is not actually how they say to figure it,

but with open diffs, this is how the mechanics will work out.

 

when the time comes to rotate, leave the largest one on the front and the smallest one on the rear untill they even out.

Edited February 27, 2014 by johnceggleston