Slime a good "investment" for AWD cars?

[LTC8K6]

Mixing tires of different types, sizes or degrees of wear can result in damage to the vehicle's power train.

http://www.subaru.com/owners/resour...sts/04082011_0000/&tq=posts/vehicle-care-tips

 

[herm0016]

http://www.michelintweel.com/aboutTweel.html

tweel?

seriously though, don't use slime. you knew the issues going in and you have to deal with them.

 

[jagec]

You can if it has the FWD (Front Wheel Drive) spot in the fuse box. If you put a fuse in there, it disables the AWD.

Interesting. Does that improve the fuel mileage? Can you leave it in FWD mode most of the time if you so desire?

(Yes, I know that this would defeat the entire purpose of buying a Subaru in the first place, but I'm curious if it's possible)

 

[fralexandr]

those tweels weigh a lot

 

[JEDIYoda]

Not the same circumference as the other three tires. You'll still have to get all 4 tires replaced on an AWD car.

I just keep a level in the car and deflate my spare tire to where the car is level.....works!

 

[tortillasoup]

Slime is completely out of the question if the car has TPMS sensors. If you have any sort of tire pressure monitoring system, you CANNOT use slime, PERIOD.

 

[yoda5]

I'm going to be the opposing voice here somewhat and say that the absolute necessity of four matching tires has merit but is also "lawyer speak" and "sell more tires" and "excuses to not honor our warranty" speak. There are so many other variables at play that can cause strain on your drive train.

 

[michal1980]

the Subaru xv comes with a compact spare, its obvious that for some period of time its ok to drive on a smaller tire.

Given that compact spares last between 50-70 miles. In most cases you'd be ok to wait to get a shaved tire as a replacement. If you are going to be driving where its impossible to get a shaved tire in that period of time, then rotate in a full size spare.

 

[Jumpem]

If the 2 pairs are close enough in wear, why not?

It's not like a tiny difference in wear is going to screw up your AWD system. Of course, if you're running 2 shot tires and 2 new ones, then that's a bad idea even on a 2WD car.

2/32 tread difference is the limit.

 

[michal1980]

2/32 tread difference is the limit.

for daily use, yes. But there is no way the compact spare is within 2/32 of the regular wheels

 

[LTC8K6]

Interesting. Does that improve the fuel mileage? Can you leave it in FWD mode most of the time if you so desire?

(Yes, I know that this would defeat the entire purpose of buying a Subaru in the first place, but I'm curious if it's possible)

I don't know. I can see arguments both ways.

 

[Zorba]

for daily use, yes. But there is no way the compact spare is within 2/32 of the regular wheels

At least on some Subarus you have to put the car into 2WD mode when running the spare and the spare has to go on a specific axle. This how it is on my '14 Forester. My '06 Legacy has a full diameter spare, so it is fine to drive it around a little bit with the AWD (at least I think, only driven about 5 miles on it).

Fuzzy: I understand what you trying to accomplish, but I think any hole big enough to deflate your tire that fast on the highway would be too big for the slime to fill. I run slime in my MTB tubes, and you do have to make sure the valve it on the top of the wheel when you let air out or it will clog up the valve.

Remember that you can get a shaved tire from Tire Rack sent directly to a shop and it seems most shops are in the system. If you are in a pinch, you could get a used tire to run for awhile. Remember mismatched tire sizes put extra wear on the AWD drive system, but so does turning, different tire pressures, etc so a few hundred miles on a slightly different diameter tire won't ruin the tranny. You can also try to make up the difference with different air pressures.

Edit: Something else to remember is that the 2/32 rule has been around forever and in that time tire diameter has grown a lot, so as a percentage the 2/32 has gotten smaller. For example, in a '95 Legacy used a 185/70R14, Diameter of 23.5", therefore a 2/32 difference in tread results in a 0.003% of the circumference. A '14 Forester uses a 225/60R17, diameter of 27.6", making a 2/32 difference in tread a 0.002% of the circumference. My point? The 2/32 is probably a little squishy especially if you have a larger tire.

 

[michal1980]

At least on some Subarus you have to put the car into 2WD mode when running the spare and the spare has to go on a specific axle. This how it is on my '14 Forester. My '06 Legacy has a full diameter spare, so it is fine to drive it around a little bit with the AWD (at least I think, only driven about 5 miles on it).

Fuzzy: I understand what you trying to accomplish, but I think any hole big enough to deflate your tire that fast on the highway would be too big for the slime to fill. I run slime in my MTB tubes, and you do have to make sure the valve it on the top of the wheel when you let air out or it will clog up the valve.

Remember that you can get a shaved tire from Tire Rack sent directly to a shop and it seems most shops are in the system. If you are in a pinch, you could get a used tire to run for awhile. Remember mismatched tire sizes put extra wear on the AWD drive system, but so does turning, different tire pressures, etc so a few hundred miles on a slightly different diameter tire won't ruin the tranny. You can also try to make up the difference with different air pressures.

Edit: Something else to remember is that the 2/32 rule has been around forever and in that time tire diameter has grown a lot, so as a percentage the 2/32 has gotten smaller. For example, in a '95 Legacy used a 185/70R14, Diameter of 23.5", therefore a 2/32 difference in tread results in a 0.003% of the circumference. A '14 Forester uses a 225/60R17, diameter of 27.6", making a 2/32 difference in tread a 0.002% of the circumference. My point? The 2/32 is probably a little squishy especially if you have a larger tire.

The point I was trying to make, is that spare is only the same diameter as your other wheels when both are new. Over time the spare will get larger.

The bigger point I was making, is that theres enough tolerance built into the system that for ~50miles, driving with one tire a slightly different size wont hurt.

 

[Zorba]

The point I was trying to make, is that spare is only the same diameter as your other wheels when both are new. Over time the spare will get larger.

The bigger point I was making, is that theres enough tolerance built into the system that for ~50miles, driving with one tire a slightly different size wont hurt.

I think I was agreeing with you

 

[Meghan54]

I'd also be aware that once you Slime a tire, it'll be darned near impossible to clean the inside of the tire well enough to patch and a lot of tire shops won't work on a tire with fix-a-flat or slime inside.

 

[Pulsar]

I just keep a level in the car and deflate my spare tire to where the car is level.....works!

Really? So what surface in the car do you consider "level"? Have you insured the surface you're on is level? Because any driveway or garage is likely to have a drainage grade to it. Have you checked your shocks and struts to verify they are all at equal amounts of extension?

Your posts make my head hurt enough in Off Topic with their... creativity. For goodness sake, don't bring it here.