There might come a time when a single tire on your vehicle is beyond repair for some reason. While it makes the most sense to a vehicle owner to simply purchase a single tire to replace it, we are here to tell you why that’s rarely a good idea. If you drive an all-wheel-drive vehicle, the systems in the vehicle work much more efficiently when the tires have the same wear and tear on them. Here are some of the things that can happen to your vehicle if you only replace a single tire on your car.
New tires typically come with 10/32” of tread. Most mechanics will recommend replacing your tires if the tread gets down to about 4/32”. So a half-worn tire might have somewhere around 7/32” of tread, which doesn’t seem like a lot but it adds up when you consider that amount is spread all around the tire. Depending on the size of your tires, the little bit of tread thickness around the tire can significantly throw off the gear ratio.
DeBoer’s Auto always recommends buying all new tires even though only one might need to be replaced. We understand the expense of buying four tires compared to one can be significant, but the potential cost of the resulting damage to the internal components of your vehicle by only buying one tire will be much more expensive. It’s well worth it to spend a little more upfront for your tires so you can avoid costly expenses in the future.
We hope this information helps you understand why we recommend replacing all four tires on your all-wheel-drive vehicle. If you have any questions or concerns, contact us and we would be happy to help.