16

I got 4 new Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires for my 2012 Camry a few months ago. One tire blew out over the weekend, it got a screw in the center of the tread and apparently lost air fast causing the sidewall to blow out. The set of tires has about 15K miles on them, they are warrantied thru 65K.

Am I fine with getting just one new tire or should I get a pair? I will be getting the exact same model tire.

So I ended up getting just the one tire. Don't notice any difference in handling. The Discount Tire rep said it may screw things up with the car long term but I doubt it. They do not offer tire shaving. I initially ordered two tires so I had to pay a $25 restocking fee for the second tire, but that's a lot better than paying $125 for the tire. Also since I bought the four tires from them initially they prorated the cost of the replacement tire, so I only had to pay $35 or so for the new tire which was a pleasant surprise! :)

dhopper
  • 163
  • 1
  • 1
  • 6

4 Answers4

18

Considering that the tires are quite new, I would get just one new tire, if you can find a completely identical one. Of course whether this is a good idea depends on how hard you drive. So see the tread pattern depth on a new tire and on one of your old tires and see if there's much difference. For hard driving, replacing two might be a good idea.

Some all-wheel drive vehicles however may have troubles with replacing just one tire.

If you cannot find a completely identical tire, replace two tires (left+right on the same axle) and from this point on, use a tire rotation pattern that maintains the property that both new tires are on the same axle. So, alternatively on rear axle and front axle. Usually the recommended pattern is to swap front and rear, and on one of those swaps, swap also left and right. Pattern a and c here are such ones:

enter image description here

However, if you have an all-wheel drive vehicle, do read your user's manual. If it says you must not mix new and old tires, don't do so! It may mean you need to replace all 4.

A J
  • 103
  • 1
  • 1
  • 4
juhist
  • 15,535
  • 13
  • 62
  • 104
11

There is a process for this already -- it's called grinding (or shaving). The tire shop will actually shave tread off the brand-new tire to match the wear on your other tires. It feels wasteful, but it is the best way to keep drivetrain wear to a minimum.

Bryan B
  • 340
  • 3
  • 11
4

You could also just get a used tire with a similar but preferably identical tread wear rating (100, 300, 400, etc) and also similar but preferably identical performance level (summer, all season, high performance summer, etc) and run that along with your 3 other used tires so they'll all need to be replaced around the same time.

Of note however is that tread wear ratings are usually only consistent across manufacturer so going with another michelin would be preferred in this case.

Long story short don't forget that people sell used tires. It's an easy and budget-conscious option for this problem until a pair or set of tires are ready to be replaced.

fIwJlxSzApHEZIl
  • 347
  • 1
  • 3
3

May I know your car is it AWD/ FWD/ RWD ? According to this article,http://foreveruncarparts.blogspot.com/2017/11/do-you-need-to-replace-all-4-tires-at.html For FWD/RWD,Usually two at a time is sufficient for FWD/RWD. If you decide to replace only one tire, it should be the same model, size and tread pattern as the others. Hope that helps.

James123NorthCarolina
  • 191
  • 1
  • 5