My snow tires are from my Trailblazer, which were fitted to my MDX.. they are getting to close to 8 years old.. [General altimax winters}
And they can still handle what ever my Canadian winter can throw at me... they kick ash....
3 + 1 different tire
- Thread starter 2K2AcuraTL
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And they can still handle what ever my Canadian winter can throw at me... they kick ash....
Yes but… a fwd drive car with too much tread up front can move under steer to oversteer.
I’ve never had any issue correcting either but many can’t handle it.
Let's understand this situation. You've been asked to buy tires for someone else, presumably an older gentleman. This is not for your own vehicle.
He lives in a city that has prominent winter conditions with considerable ice and snow.
You're considering something less than best practice.
I would not put 3 new tires and an older mismatched spare on my own vehicle, let along my father-in-laws. And neither should you.
He lives in a city that has prominent winter conditions with considerable ice and snow.
You're considering something less than best practice.
I would not put 3 new tires and an older mismatched spare on my own vehicle, let along my father-in-laws. And neither should you.
hmmm to much tread...?? all 4 tires will be in new condition... no worn tires will be rolling..
Sorry Sir.. an over assumption here.. sorry if ive mislead.. but that wasnt in my original post.. the plan is this car will be stored over the winter...
under normal driving conditions is all im asking..
gents.. before we all go off on different tangents...
My biggest concern .. is .. will different tread pattern really affect driving conditions.. as in different rolling conditions..
lets take as a given that tires of the same size MAY have slightly different rolling aspects, as mentioned above..
but woudlnt logic put the same tire on the front for FWD and keep the variants on the rear where both wheels roll independently what ever the conditions..??
My biggest concern .. is .. will different tread pattern really affect driving conditions.. as in different rolling conditions..
lets take as a given that tires of the same size MAY have slightly different rolling aspects, as mentioned above..
but woudlnt logic put the same tire on the front for FWD and keep the variants on the rear where both wheels roll independently what ever the conditions..??
In the case all tires are basically the same and safe, except age you want to keep the oldest tire(s) up front so they wear out as quickly as possible limiting rotations.
In your case the “old tire” hasn’t been driven on which naturally drives the antioxidants to the tires surface, extra caution run it in the rear 3-5000 miles to break it in then rotate up front and leave it.
Tires that are weather checked and dangerous you keep on the rear so if you have a blowout it has less affect on steering.
I’ve had many blowouts on the rear axle during my towing days and all were a nothing burger of firmly pull over and carefully slow.
I never was driving 90mph though or trying to do high speed maneuvers
Depending on the brand 5 years is when you start getting sidewall blowouts more often, I’ve ran them to the tire manufacturers old recommendations which used to be up to 10 years
If your car is a lighter vehicle (not like a truck or van) age is less of a concern , heavier vehicles age can be more of a problem since the sidewalls flex more and blow out more anyway.
Old tires you will want to doubly keep properly inflated, if the manual calls for something stupid like 20-28 psi don’t do that and keep it around its rating (usually 32psi+)
If the tire survives breakin the antioxidants wiill be able to get to the surface and the tire should last a normal amount of time.
Traction and wear on older “hard” tires may not be as good but it depends on what compound the brand used. Once it wears in it shouldn’t be any different than any other 5 year old tire.
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I personally find the best tact with a FWD vehicle is to put the rear tyres on the front when the fronts wear out and put new tyres on the back.
That way I need to put a pair of tyres on the car every 15k or so and I get 30k out of a tyre which I think is reasonable.
Having the best tyres on the back means the car always has a tendency to understeer which is easily controllable.
That way I need to put a pair of tyres on the car every 15k or so and I get 30k out of a tyre which I think is reasonable.
Having the best tyres on the back means the car always has a tendency to understeer which is easily controllable.
Depends on how your FIL drives and how he uses his car. If he is a responsible driver, he can easily get away with 3 other similar tires. However, there are usually deals/rebates/B3B1(whatever), etc. when he buys 4 new tires.
My daughter bought a brand new 2022 Honda Civic and had a sidewall blowout on one tire. Now she has 3 OE Hankooks and 1 Cooper.
My daughter bought a brand new 2022 Honda Civic and had a sidewall blowout on one tire. Now she has 3 OE Hankooks and 1 Cooper.
In emergency maneuvers, vehicles tend to pivot around odd tires - and the more different the tire, the stronger that tendency - and this is about as bad as it gets.
I think you would do your FIL a disservice if you didn't do 4 tires.
I think you would do your FIL a disservice if you didn't do 4 tires.
OP - Were you looking for validation of your plan? Or actual feedback?
Because you keep arguing.
Your plan leaves your FIL with an inferior handling vehicle.
A 10 year old mismatched tire to save a hundred bucks over buying four new tires is a truly bad idea.
Because you keep arguing.
Your plan leaves your FIL with an inferior handling vehicle.
A 10 year old mismatched tire to save a hundred bucks over buying four new tires is a truly bad idea.
Not noticeably or significantly even if the two different tires are on the front. As long as they are of the same construction, radial, and not more than one size in width difference, don't worry about it.
They will roll along just fine.
But brake quickly, turn sharply, or both at the same time, particularly in the rain or on slippery roads, then the difference will be significant and could cause a loss of control.
As much as I'm not an advocate for mismatched tyres (and I won't have mismatched on any of my cars), if they were as dangerous as you're making it out to be then it wouldn't be allowed. I'd estimate at least 50% of cars on the roads in the UK have different tyres on one axle.
If you're comparing say snow tires with deep lugs and a performance tire with a lot of rubber on the road, sure, the amount of available grip will be different and it could pull to one side when braking hard, but ABS would alleviate much of that. And I'm not aware of any state inspection that requires identical tires on all wheels, as long as they are of the same construction, and within one size on the same axle.
I said, “could”, not “will” cause a loss of control. Testing shows that.
But there are guys on here who use silicone to repair exhaust systems and say it’s good enough, when all they’ve accomplished is to hold crap together long enough to flip the car, not properly fix it.
Just because people do stupid, cheap fixes to their cars, and don’t get hurt - does not mean I can recommend or condone those stupid cheap fixes.
The tire engineer says don’t mix tires on the same axle. The tire companies say don’t do it. The car companies say don’t do it.
I’ve had to dodge deer on a back road, or move aggressively to avoid a crash. I was glad I had four, quality, identical tires on the car when I did.
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Agree, a spare is temporary and often never used. But my preference is to get 4 new tires. We all get it, it's about cost. But that's what I would do.
Put me in the I’d get (atleast) four camp. The spare is probably fine for spare service until the next set, but I would not run it in regular service.
I do agree it’s degraded much less than it would have on the car, but still.
As for how differing tread patterns come into play, I defer to capri racer on that one.
I do agree it’s degraded much less than it would have on the car, but still.
As for how differing tread patterns come into play, I defer to capri racer on that one.
A spare tire story from many years ago...
I was the Deputy Commander of a Maritime Security Squadron, and my 1990 4 Runner, with a rear-mounted spare on a carrier, was always parked in front of the HQ building. Sailors knew the old truck, knew it was mine (the parking spot had my name and billet on it), and one day a sailor happened to mention to me that the spare tire was over ten years old, and unsafe.
It was an unused Bridgestone Dueler, with zero miles, but he was correct, that tire had been on there since about 2001, when the previous "over ten year old" spare had been replaced.
I had four 31x10.5 15" BFG All Terrain TAs on the truck. Relatively new. Good, even tread depth across the set.
I made an appointment for that afternoon at a local tire store and had a brand new 31x10.5 BFG All Terrain TA mounted on the spare wheel on the back.
My decision was based largely on the example I set as a senior officer in the Squadron. I needed to acknowledge what the sailor had observed. I needed to set a good example in my personal life for safety concerns. Frankly, I wanted that young man to know that I had listened. I also wanted a good spare, as the truck was taken off road frequently, and use of a spare was likely.
I probably doubled the value of the truck with that new tire, and it was more than I had budgeted that month.
But it was totally worth it.
I was the Deputy Commander of a Maritime Security Squadron, and my 1990 4 Runner, with a rear-mounted spare on a carrier, was always parked in front of the HQ building. Sailors knew the old truck, knew it was mine (the parking spot had my name and billet on it), and one day a sailor happened to mention to me that the spare tire was over ten years old, and unsafe.
It was an unused Bridgestone Dueler, with zero miles, but he was correct, that tire had been on there since about 2001, when the previous "over ten year old" spare had been replaced.
I had four 31x10.5 15" BFG All Terrain TAs on the truck. Relatively new. Good, even tread depth across the set.
I made an appointment for that afternoon at a local tire store and had a brand new 31x10.5 BFG All Terrain TA mounted on the spare wheel on the back.
My decision was based largely on the example I set as a senior officer in the Squadron. I needed to acknowledge what the sailor had observed. I needed to set a good example in my personal life for safety concerns. Frankly, I wanted that young man to know that I had listened. I also wanted a good spare, as the truck was taken off road frequently, and use of a spare was likely.
I probably doubled the value of the truck with that new tire, and it was more than I had budgeted that month.
But it was totally worth it.
He's not asking about putting different tires on the front and rear (which though not ideal would be fairly okay). He's asking about putting 3 identical tires and an older mismatched tire - on someone else's vehicle.