replace one tire or both?

E

E300Diesel

New member
Question for you folks regarding replacing tire(s). This evening I get a call from my significant other that she felt a pulling to the left, she ended up pulling over and the left front tire was flat.



Now... the vehicle is a '03 Corolla, in great mechanical condition. One year prior we had purchased 4 new tires, Yokohoma AVID TRZ, 80,000 tread warranty, etc.... This past Saturday we had the tires balanced and an alignment performed as we hadn't done this previously (and I was noticing slightly irregular tire wire, nothing excessive).



I pulled up to the scene and looked the tire over and there was no nail, object stuck in the tread or sign of puncture. I reach for the valve stem, bent it to the side and notice it is cracked/broken in half and can hear some air escape, so the valve stem appears to be the culprit.



Question is, do I replace the front two tires or just the one. As stated we have traveling just under 20k on these new tires without any rotation. I don't want any issues with the transmission in the future if the sizes are off, etc... and the remaining tires look good. I don't know how to properly determine if replacing that one tire with the same type and kind is wise/safe?



Thoughts folks?
 
why replace any of the tires if it is just a bad valve stem?





that is a $5 fix don't make it more then it needs to be
 
She did travel some sort of a distance with the tire essentially flat. So there is wear on the sidewalls. It's safe to say the tire is no longer safely driveable. At least I wouldn't drive on it. Don't want to risk my sweetness's safety either.
 
Get the same replacement tire. I would also check the other 3 valve stems and check them every few months. Dealer that sold you those tires probably used the old valve stems.
 
I had a valve stem fail in the same way earlier this year.



Apparently, there may be millions of defective valve stems in use (made in China...)
 
I once had the same problem. The tire looked good so I thought I could still use it, filled it up and drove away. But when I drove a bit faster the car started to shake violently. The tire was damaged on the inside from being driven on when flat. So definitely replace it, and if it's that new I think you can find the same tire. I don't think a FWD car suffers from having one tire that is a bit more worn. And the better tires should always be on the rear wheels anyway so take one of the rear wheels and put it in the front and the new tire in the back.
 
Mark77 said:
And the better tires should always be on the rear wheels anyway so take one of the rear wheels and put it in the front and the new tire in the back.
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why would you want the better tires on the back of a FWD car?:think:
 
BigJimZ28 said:
why would you want the better tires on the back of a FWD car?:think:
Click to expand...



In wet weather conditions, if your front tires had more grip than the rear / better contact surface your rear tires could hydroplane before the fronts would, causing instability in the vehicle with the rear end fishtaling, etc.... wouldn't be a pretty sight.
 
michakaveli said:
In wet weather conditions, if your front tires had more grip than the rear / better contact surface your rear tires could hydroplane before the fronts would, causing instability in the vehicle with the rear end fishtaling, etc.... wouldn't be a pretty sight.
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so it would be better for the front tires to hydroplane?



it not like they do most of the stopping, all of the stearing, and all of the driving





sorry still don't see it
 
BigJimZ28 said:
so it would be better for the front tires to hydroplane?



it not like they do most of the stopping, all of the stearing, and all of the driving





sorry still don't see it
Click to expand...





if your front tires on a front wheel drive vehicle are hydroplaning, there is a chance for correction abilities as they are the drive / steering implements. If the rear is hydroplaning, there isn't much that can be done to correct or at least attempt if the rear end has broke loose from traction.
 
michakaveli said:
if your front tires on a front wheel drive vehicle are hydroplaning, there is a chance for correction abilities as they are the drive / steering implements. If the rear is hydroplaning, there isn't much that can be done to correct or at least attempt if the rear end has broke loose from traction.
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true



and this could very well be true(about the tires on the rear) I just don't understand FWD cars
 
Ideally you want to replace the two front tires.



If you just replace the one tire then move the other front tire to the back and replace it with one from the rear. The rear tires wear down less so it will be a better match to the new front tire.
 
According to Michelin:



Where do I install new tires if I only buy two?

If you're replacing only two tires, be sure to have them installed on your vehicle's rear axle. New tires will provide better grip than your half-worn tires and when they are installed on the rear that helps reduce the potential for your vehicle to fishtail or hydroplane in wet conditions.
 
salty said:
According to Michelin:



Where do I install new tires if I only buy two?

If you're replacing only two tires, be sure to have them installed on your vehicle's rear axle. New tires will provide better grip than your half-worn tires and when they are installed on the rear that helps reduce the potential for your vehicle to fishtail or hydroplane in wet conditions.
Click to expand...





This is for rear wheel drive vehicles only. If you're replacing 2 tires on a FWD vehicle, put them in the front. Where traction is most important.



I've never heard of a FWD vehicle loosing control by the rear tires hydroplaning. This only happens on RWD vehicles.
 
before you go spending money buying a new tire that may not need replaced take it to a tire shop and have them dismount the tire and inspect it first. even if you see a small groove on the outside it could be completely safe. the rule of thumb is if you cant see the cord/belts you're alright. ive worked in a tire shop longer than i care to admit and have seen this plenty. and as far as rotating goes you do want the best in the rear. lets say youre taking on on ramp on a day when there is rain or snow, do you think it would be easier to correct if the rear tires give out or the front. it applies to all vehicles. that doesnt mean dont rotate your tires though, you want them to wear evenly. also if it has been 20k and no rotates make sure you cross the rears when you rotate them to the front as they are probably feathered and crossing them helps to fix/prevent that. they say its always best to cross the non drive axle when rotating so for a fwd the right rear goes to left front left rear to right front and the drive axle wheels straight back. obviosly the opposite for rwd. awd cars you do the same as rwd rotates, cross fronts to the rears and rears straight up.
 
The fronts wear faster, so I'd put the newer ones on the front. Keep them there until the wear evens out, then start rotating again.
 
The rear end on FWD cars can loose traction also, doesn't really have anything to do with which wheels are driving. And when it happens it usually does it very suddenly and without warning.
 
I am also guilty of putting new tires on the front (FWD) but I have been behind the wheel of a slow downhill corner in the winter and my car started to fishtail, you can't power out of it so you have to do some creative steering and choice swearing.



Michelin | New Rear Tires You need QuickTime to view.
 
Mark77 said:
The rear end on FWD cars can loose traction also, doesn't really have anything to do with which wheels are driving. And when it happens it usually does it very suddenly and without warning.
Click to expand...



Amen.



If you're only replacing two tires, the new tires should go on the rear axle *regardless of the drivetrain layout* (FWD/RWD), for the exact reasons you've described. I've heard of people with FWD cars trying to get away with only putting two snow tires on the front. Talk about a recipe for disaster . . . snap oversteer just waiting to happen.



It's all about braking and weight transfer; physics doesn't really care whether your car is FWD or RWD.



Tort
 
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