Who knew?

[Queen]

Just spent my lunch hour plus some getting two new tires on the Subaru thanks to a screw in one of them... did you know with all wheel drive you have to replace two tires at a time??  Is that a real thing a scam?

Oh well, I didn't need that $253 in my checking account this month.[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]  :s[/font]

 

[minimotos95]

Well, you are actually supposed to replace all 4 tires for the health of the drivetrain but 2 is a lot better than just 1. if it's an automatic subaru wtih computer controlled all wheel drive replacing just 2 isn't as bad for the drivetrain as it is on a full time 50/50 split like older manual trans subarus, pre AWC mitsubishis and many other all wheel drive systems too.

 

[Oopslala]

I used to work in a tire and battery dept. and was surprised when I learned it as well. You don't HAVE to but it is highly recommended for the reasons minimotos said as well as keep tread wear even on all the tires, especially for when it comes to rotation time. You might want to consider getting an alignment as well.

 

[Queen]

Yeah, it's a 2014 Forester with an automatic. I know little about the newer cars so I'm at the mercy of the guy at the tire shop. Glad it wasn't a ripoff.

I will say, yay for cheap tires! I've owned trucks and vans most of my life and a $96 tire is not usually available.

 

[mockturtle]

I should have thought it could have been repaired.

 

[highdesertranger]

it's true. actually you should replace all 4. also when you get a flat you should use a spare with the same wear as the other 3, which is real hard to do. this is one of the many reasons I don't like AWD. highdesertranger

 

[Queen]

I should have thought it could have been repaired.

Screw was through the sidewall, guess they aren't supposed to plug those.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I should have thought it could have been repaired.

You can repair punctures in the tread area, it's not legal to repair punctures in the sidewall.

 

[Queen]

it's true. actually you should replace all 4. also when you get a flat you should use a spare with the same wear as the other 3, which is real hard to do. this is one of the many reasons I don't like AWD. highdesertranger

That is what I'm reading on the internet. I'll call the Subie dealer on Monday and see if I should replace the other two now.

I really liked the AWD back in IL, it was a big help in all the ice and snow, down here in FL it just seems like overkill.

 

[rvpopeye]

I worked in a service station back when I got out of high school. (1971)
The rep that sold us materials used to demonstrate his tubeless plugs by poking holes in his own tires with an awl and plugging them on the spot. The things looked like porcupines ,,,, and he never had a failure ! Speed limits were 70 too.
Guess back then it was before they did all those safety rules they have now ????
Maybe it was also before they figured how to build the things to the bare minimum to make profits the total maximum ,.........

 

[Wanderer]

Just spent my lunch hour plus some getting two new tires on the Subaru thanks to a screw in one of them... did you know with all wheel drive you have to replace two tires at a time??  Is that a real thing a scam?

Oh well, I didn't need that $253 in my checking account this month.[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]  :s[/font]

That's what I learned from my sister, I "Loaned" them $300 to help them buy 4 new tires some time ago....They were stunned at this. That's why I see AWD..................... I R.U.N!


Yes, the funny thing there's a "Tire Sealant" (Slime) that's on the market and in the UK you can repair a sidewall leak with it.....I tried it on an air mattress and it worked great....Tire? I have the other stuff....

 

[LeeRevell]

I recently replaced all four on my GC minivan.  Rears were old - maybe originals to this 2005.  Tread had life left but dry rotting cracks were forming.  Fronts were a few years old, and one was already slow leaking.  Good tread again, but neither set did well in rainy conditions.
New tires are Bridgestone Duelers, light truck/SUV tires.  Tougher, better traction, much better on wet pavement, and better load bearing.  Whenever replacing original tires, I like to trade up to a better type.
I always replace both on one side, to keep wear and aging even.

 

[mockturtle]

Screw was through the sidewall, guess they aren't supposed to plug those.

I didn't know it was the sidewall.

 

[Oopslala]

That slime you're talking about is really frowned upon by tire techs. It's a quick solution but will normally fail eventually, and make the proper repair process a hell of a lot longer. Also, if you do use the slime and then get the tire repaired, let the tech know. If it's a slow leaker and still pressurized, when the break the bead that slime can spray EVERYWHERE, and is very harmful if it gets into your eyes.

 

[highdesertranger]

a couple of points here. I plug my own tires, yes it is illegal to repair a sidewall in anyway, plug, patch, or tube. however I have I plugged my side walls a couple of times to get out of the backcountry and get somewhere to buy a tire. I would never consider a sidewall repair anything more than an emergency repair and would keep speed below 45mph. 2nd point the quickest way to piss off a tire shop is to show up with slime in your tires. although I do run slime in my ATV tires. highdesertranger

 

[ZoNiE]

If you have a new tire on one side and a worn one on the other, the computer will think one is slipping an kick you into AWD unnecessarily. If you have an AWD explorer, it does it all the time for the hell of it...:dodgy:

 

[Queen]

I told my wife this will be our last AWD, we don't need it anymore and I don't want to get hit for 2-4 new tires every time something goes wrong, it's not only horrible for the environment, it's ridiculously expensive as we're trying to retire early.

I'm wondering what's up with the new tires and mpg... we got 42 mpg yesterday, we've never gotten better than 34 in the past. Weird.

 

[Lafnbug]

Hey Highdesertranger,

I have been considering an AWD Chevy Express; care to expound on why you hate AWD? I value your opinions.

 

[Oopslala]

A lot of it could be the tire itself. Though I've never heard of a 8mpg increase before unless you had horribly uneven tread and wasn't aligned right, even then that's a lot.  Out of curiously what were your old tires, and what were the new ones you got?

 

[Queen]

Old ones were OEM Yokahomas, new ones are Coopers. Mileage seems to have settled back to normal today, hope it was a fluke, better mileage would be nice, but that was alarming.