So I know it is not recommended to have different tires, or even the same type of tires but with different tread depths on an AWD vehicle as it would add extra wear and tear on the drivetrain....my Hankook V12's have ~20-24,000 miles on them and one of rear tires got a bubble on the sidewall after driving around on the fantastic roads in NYC. The front 2 tires are in a very good shape with alot of tread left...you guys think it'd be alright if i just replace the rear 2 with 2 of the same brand new Hankook tires?

 

I wouldn't.

Can you drive on the current set until you can replace all 4?

 

The difference in size is very minimal in the grand scheme of what the system is designed to deal with it. You'll be fine.

 

No, when there is a bubble popping up on the tire sidewall it means the inner layer of the tire is ripped and beyond repairable. If I keep on driving the car with the bad tire it's just a matter of time before it's gonna pop and leave me stranded at a place I probably wouldnt want to stuck at.
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And to Struc, yeah I fgure the drivetrain is designed to withstand some sort of abuse. I guess either way I wouldn't find out the effect of just replacing 2 tires until long after....

 

Do it.

The reason you don't want to mix n' match different brands (assuming exact same tire size) is a handling hazard is introduced.

By staying to the same size and replacing BOTH front or BOTH rear even with a different brand (while not preferred) is 'okay'.

So yes, you are fine. The difference in circumference between a new and worn tire tire isn't that great (but why risk swapping only one). The difference bewteen f/r won't be significant. The car is designed for such a situation. The fronts never wear at the exact same rate as the rears...

Keep the other 'good tire' as a ready spare

 

as long it's the same size, the awd system should be fine.
I have tried to use 1 winter tire (different size) in summer when I got a flat. An "AWD Maintenance Required" came up after 2 min of diving.

Of course I didnt stay long like that =)

 

Find the depth of the tire, new. Then measure your tires now. See if the difference is major.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=51

Using the quarter or penny check. I need to replace one tire and I'm going get the tire shaved so they are equal depth.

 

thanks for the link....

browsing around the tirerack articles I found the pro answer to my own question if you guys are interested:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...currentpage=52
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Does this mean that if you get a flat and put on the tiny spare you can get an AWD error?

 

not 100% but most likely... anyone knows the tire diameter of the spare??
Anyway, a spare is only meant to be driving a short period of time... I guess in that sense it's "OK" to have different sized tires.

Not sure what kind of disaster would happen if you ignore the AWD Maintenance message tho....

 

The 1 time I had the spare on (rear passenger tire) for about 10 miles I did (the message came up after only a minute or two of driving).

 

That's right. Depending on how much tread is left on the other rear tire you have 2 options, really.

1) Buy 1 tire and have it shaved to match the other tire on the same axle (good if the other tire is still in good shape)
2) Buy 2 tires and have them shaved to within 2/32" of the 2 good tires on the front (better if the other rear tire you have is very worn and will merit replacing soon, anyway)

 

so...i ended up just replacing only the rear 2 tires...when I was at the shop the guy measure the tread depths on the front 2 tires and he said they need to be replaced too....but they had to put in an order for us.....I drove around for ~2 months with 2 brand new tires in the back and 2 worn in the front...ended up getting the ACD system service required light....so I got the front 2 tires replaced 2 days ago, thinking the light will not come on again....but it did today...any idea if the light needs to be reset by the dealer or something?
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I thought the only light that needs to be reset by the dealer was the SRS, because it requires a different type of tool than the typical OBD2

 

I hope nothing serious happens. Just like chitownz said, mitsubishi's spec for tire difference is supposed to be within 2/32". Anything outside that is not worth risking.