3 + 1 different tire

Joined
Dec 22, 2002
Messages
720
Location
Ottawa, Ont CANADA
MY F-I-L's 2012 Chev Malibu needs new rubber..
He has in his trunk a new, never installed full size rim/tire as a spare 225/50R17 [ he doesnt believe in donut spares]
Its Goodyear Assurance FuelMax, and GY doesnt make this tire anymore, finding old stock is proving to be rather impossible.

Found a good deal on some Toyo A/S II... hence 3 +1... treads sorta similar...
Any major concerns on this NOT being a good idea..?
TIA
J.
 
Consider a 3-peak all-season tire like the General Altimax 365AW. If you like Toyo, there's the Celsius Sport.

There are often sales and rebates when buying a set of 4, so buy four new tires and keep the spare Goodyear in the trunk. Alternatively, you can just buy 5 new tires :unsure:
 
3 new tires and one 5 year old tire of a different make. I would worry about an emergency situation and how the car would respond which may be to late to find out it didn't respond very well.
 
The spare still has the mold release and protective stuff on the tire right? I think it would be fine to use, especially up front. It may have a bit more or less grip in some situations than the other 3 but the braking bias, chassis tuning, stability control all favor understeer. So it may understeer a fraction more or less when turning at the limit, left or right. Probably not enough to matter.
I would try it for sure, and do some testing on a wet day, see if the old tire grips close to the other 3. If it's not good then pick up the 4th tire, and if its good, carry on.
 
I definitely would not put two different tires on the front of a fwd car. Not for tread reasons but for diameter and rolling resistance differences. They'll be different heights, roll at different resistances and wear different. This has the potential to create drivetrain and braking issues.
 
A 5 year old spare would be fine. But I wouldn't mix the tires on a car. So it's 4 new + 1 old spare in my opinion.

And the time after that it's 5 new tires. Or the alternative (for the time after next) would be to save the best tire as a spare and buy 4 new tires.
 
Is the car used much? You could get away with it....
Your Malibu deserves a new set of rubber.
If your budget allow, go for it.
 
I had 3 different brand tires on the Volt due to needing to use the spare and because of discontinued treads.

I have no issues , burn off as much tread as you can in the summer then replace it.
 
I had 3 different brand tires on the Volt due to needing to use the spare and because of discontinued treads.

I have no issues , burn off as much tread as you can in the summer then replace it.
In my opinion 4 identical tires is what you want. 2 pairs of fairly similar tires (with the same tires on the ends) is sort of okay. I would not go with anything less than that.

You'll only realize it wasn't okay when you accelerate or brake on a slippery road (wet, ice, snow, rain) and spin.
 
I definitely would not put two different tires on the front of a fwd car. Not for tread reasons but for diameter and rolling resistance differences. They'll be different heights, roll at different resistances and wear different. This has the potential to create drivetrain and braking issues.
Something along those reasons, i would be placing the GY on the rear and rotate it between L - R only on the rear
 
The spare still has the mold release and protective stuff on the tire right? I think it would be fine to use, especially up front. It may have a bit more or less grip in some situations than the other 3 but the braking bias, chassis tuning, stability control all favor understeer. So it may understeer a fraction more or less when turning at the limit, left or right. Probably not enough to matter.
I would try it for sure, and do some testing on a wet day, see if the old tire grips close to the other 3. If it's not good then pick up the 4th tire, and if its good, carry on.
Correct... that tire/ rim hasent even seen a speck of sunshine, and minimal heat exposure .... that car has been garaged for most of the last 5 years with the spare in the trunk.
 
Correct... that tire/ rim hasent even seen a speck of sunshine, and minimal heat exposure .... that car has been garaged for most of the last 5 years with the spare in the trunk.
Would you be fine if a tire shop sold you a set of 5 year old tires from their basement?

They degrade over time wether they're used or not. Keep it as a spare and replace 4 or replace it with them and work it into the rotation.
 
Found a good deal on some Toyo A/S II... hence 3 +1... treads sorta similar...
Any major concerns on this NOT being a good idea..?
The 2 new ones should go on the rear since you would have no control if they blow. The 3rd new one and the spare can go on the front just fine. There are some here that will argue about using different brands on the front is no good, but as long as it doesn't pull or wander to one side, you will be fine.
 
Would you be fine if a tire shop sold you a set of 5 year old tires from their basement?

They degrade over time wether they're used or not. Keep it as a spare and replace 4 or replace it with them and work it into the rotation.
indeed.. agreed... i wont accept a 5 YOld tire from a shop and pay full price... not happening
however, again - agreed.. there will some degradation over time... but.. a tire that has been subjected to nothing.. that degradation will be minimal.. it still can roll for a bit.. IMO.
 
indeed.. agreed... i wont accept a 5 YOld tire from a shop and pay full price... not happening
however, again - agreed.. there will some degradation over time... but.. a tire that has been subjected to nothing.. that degradation will be minimal.. it still can roll for a bit.. IMO.
Front Tires on my cobalt are up to year 8, rears year 4. Time to rotate until age out.

All were bought “new” historically I drove more miles however, so age out is new, pandemic year 3 helps less.
 
The 2 new ones should go on the rear since you would have no control if they blow. The 3rd new one and the spare can go on the front just fine. There are some here that will argue about using different brands on the front is no good, but as long as it doesn't pull or wander to one side, you will be fine.
ok.. i get your angle... -if they blow out..- cant see 2 tires blowing out at the same time unless law enforcement is trying to stop me LOL
I did have a rear right blow out on my old Chevy trailblazer in the middle of winter... i took me 3 clicks to figure something was wrong.. tire was done..
since the business end is all on the front.. i am thinking equal tires would be better service in front... yes..??
 
Back
Top