Well this is going to be an expensive trip to get donuts

[Exterous]

Went to go get donuts and on the way back the tire pressure light came on and the car didn't feel quite right.

Hmm...wonder what the problem could be


AWD so I guess I'm getting 4 new tires

 

[lxskllr]

I'd plug it. Should be <$10 for a complete plug set

 

[snoopy7548]

That'll buff right out.

 

[Exterous]

I'd plug it. Should be <$10 for a complete plug set

I didn't realize you could patch a hole that big.

Also I missed having my breaker bar. Flimsy sandals had to suffice

 

[lxskllr]

How big is it? Scale is hard to tell. I'd do 5mm, no problem. Over that, I'd make a judgment call. If high speed isn't immediately necessary, you could set a plug and see how it goes. I've plugged some fairly big holes, and never had a problem when being reasonable. My only failure was a hole I put 6 plugs in. I hit a piece of rebar or something, but it got me off the side of the road, and back to the office.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

So, you got one of those in each of four tires?

 

[IronWing]

Any donuts left?

 

[GodisanAtheist]

So, you got one of those in each of four tires?

Generally on AWD vehicles if you replace one tire you need to change them all as the larger diameter on the new tire (due to less wear ofc) can play havoc with your drivetrain and traction control etc.

That said looks like there is quite a bit of tread on these tires, might be able to get away with replacing just one.

Better to plug it though.

@Exterous what even is that though? Looks like you drove over a pencil or something, but I feel like that shouldnt be able to do that kind of damage to your tire.

 

[Iron Woode]

Any donuts left?

finally, someone asks the most important question.

 

[lxskllr]

Looks like a driver bit. I've found numerous in the road, but none in my tires so far.

edit:
If it is a driver bit, I'd absolutely plug it.

 

[Captante]

Went to go get donuts and on the way back the tire pressure light came on and the car didn't feel quite right.

Hmm...wonder what the problem could be
View attachment 82179

AWD so I guess I'm getting 4 new tires

If the tires are less than approx 20% worn you might be okay replacing one or just a pair rather than all 4 .... I drove with a "mismatched" tire on my Outback for literally years and over 80k on the odometer... no issues. (of course I stayed on top of my differential fluid changes too!)

Just be sure to keep driving to a bare minimum if you have a donut installed unless you have a way to disable the rear wheels. (older Scoobys had a fuse you put IN to do this)

 

[NutBucket]

I'm all for plugging or patching but that looks pretty close to the sidewall, no?

 

[snoopy7548]

Generally on AWD vehicles if you replace one tire you need to change them all as the larger diameter on the new tire (due to less wear ofc) can play havoc with your drivetrain and traction control etc.

That said looks like there is quite a bit of tread on these tires, might be able to get away with replacing just one.

Better to plug it though.

@Exterous what even is that though? Looks like you drove over a pencil or something, but I feel like that shouldnt be able to do that kind of damage to your tire.

But can't he just inflate the other 3 tires to sidewall so they are the same size as the new one?

 

[Exterous]

We were about 70min from home avoiding highways on the spare. Anyway here's the culprit



1/4 but but with the flange its 1/2 and the flange stretched out the puncture (the tire was gripping the flange itself when it was embedded)

 

[Exterous]

Any donuts left?

One but it's still on the car

 

[Exterous]

That said looks like there is quite a bit of tread on these tires, might be able to get away with replacing just one.

Better to plug it though.

If the tires are less than approx 20% worn you might be okay replacing one or just a pair rather than all 4 .... I drove with a "mismatched" tire on my Outback for literally years and over 80k on the odometer... no issues. (of course I stayed on top of my differential fluid changes too!)

They're the OEMs rated for 50k and we've got ~36k miles on the car. Too lazy to go out and measure the tread depth ATM but that feels like replace range from my gut reaction

 

[Captante]

They're the OEMs rated for 50k and we've got ~36k miles on the car. Too lazy to go out and measure the tread depth ATM but that feels like replace range from my gut reaction

At that level of wear I completely agree ... I replace tires @ approx 2/3rds wear personally anyway. (that's when wet traction really starts to suffer on the highway IME... also tires/brakes are NOT the place to "economize"!)

Btw from the looks of it you're easy on your tires .... good job (seriously) .... mine ALWAYS seem to wear out first on the outer edges for some strange reason despite camber and alignment being near-perfect!

 

[mindless1]

The first pic makes it look like they have plenty of tread left, so unless they are aged out (over 5 yrs old already), I'd just get one new or used tire and have a shop shave it down to same diameter as the others. That's usually about a $20 charge, maybe $25-30 with inflation.

 

[Captante]

But can't he just inflate the other 3 tires to sidewall so they are the same size as the new one?

Negative... the issue is that going around turns the wheels on a 4 wheel vehicle all travel a slightly different distance in all cars anyway and thus they use a mechanical device called a "differential" and "CV-Joints" to compensate for this on the cars drive-wheels. Simple enough when its only front or rear wheels. (2WD) AWD however is a different animal.

When you toss in the added "challenge" of a slightly different diameter wheel due to an unworn/worn tire on an AWD vehicle, it can lead to overheating the lubricating fluid in those critical differentials (AWD cars have several!) sometimes to the point they destroy themselves, especially in extended LOW speed driving on rough/twisty roads.

Some newer AWD vehicles can mitigate this risk by automatically detecting the smaller wheel and compensating (usually by disabling power) but older cars would either burn up or like my old Outback had a manual method of turning the car into a 2WD vehicle.

 

[IronWing]

We were about 70min from home avoiding highways on the spare. Anyway here's the culprit

View attachment 82187

1/4 but but with the flange its 1/2 and the flange stretched out the puncture (the tire was gripping the flange itself when it was embedded)

Oh man, one of those bounced out of my toolbox. Could you mail it to me?

 

[GodisanAtheist]

They're the OEMs rated for 50k and we've got ~36k miles on the car. Too lazy to go out and measure the tread depth ATM but that feels like replace range from my gut reaction

-Yeah, no need to be penny wise pound foolish. If the tires just had a couple K or less (basically brand new) then yeah but at that level of use why try to save a buck now only to spend thousands later in repairs.

 

[lxskllr]

I'd still plug it. Get tires in the fall to prepare for winter. It's like getting a few free months out of them.

 

[Captante]

I'd still plug it. Get tires in the fall to prepare for winter. It's like getting a few free months out of them.

Idk ... if you don't drive on the highway or aggressively maybe but that puncture is right where the bead meets the sidewall. The strength of that tire has been compromised.

I mean if you want to get crazy you can always patch it and throw in a tube!

*(but I still suggest 4 brand new tires!)

 

[lxskllr]

That tire's fine. I've driven fully loaded small trucks on worse. As long as he isn't trying to peel the rubber off the wheels when he leaves lights or something, a plug will last til the cords are showing.

 

[Captante]

That tire's fine. I've driven fully loaded small trucks on worse. As long as he isn't trying to peel the rubber off the wheels when he leaves lights or something, a plug will last til the cords are showing.

Oh so have I (and FAR worse than that!) ... doesn't mean it was a good idea!

Like that old Boars Head meat commercial said lol ... "economize elsewhere".