I found out that I have a nail in one of my tires. If I need to replace the tire, do I have to replace all the tires or can I get away with replacing the one? I have about 13000 miles on the tires right now with some tread left. Thanks.

 

you can replace just one or buy 4new ones and save the other for autocross. I went with the toyo proxes 4 tires and like them

 

You really need to replace all four. You will overwork your transfer case if you have differential grip levels (worn, hard rubber vs. new) and/or tire diameters (thicker tread) at the four corners. Besides, at 13K miles you'll need new rubber anyway.

Emre

 

what about just plugging the tire?
i plugged one on my previous car, but they were SUV tires. I don' t know if it makes a difference.

 

There are several suggestions that have been offered to drivers who are replacing pairs or individual tires on their four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles. Some vehicle manufacturers recommend that all tires maintain the same rolling radius and circumference, while others suggest that all tire circumferences remain within 1/4- to 1/2-inch of each other. Other vehicle manufacturers recommend that all four tires remain within 2/32-, 3/32- or 4/32-inch of each other, or within 30% of each other in relative remaining tread depth.

Regardless of the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations, the least stressful application is when all four tires are the same tire brand, tread design and equivalent tread depth.

Before buying pairs or individual tires for all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles, drivers should read their vehicle's owners manual or contact the dealer's service department for confirmation of their specific vehicle's requirements.

As an example of different tire diameters resulting from tires worn to different tread depths, we'll compare two 225/45R17-sized tires, a new tire with its original tread depth of 10/32-inch and a second tire worn to 8/32-inch of remaining tread depth. The new 225/45R17-sized tire has a calculated diameter of 24.97", a circumference of 78.44" and will roll 835 times each mile. The same tire worn to 8/32-inch of remaining tread depth is calculated to be 1/8" shorter with a diameter of 24.84", have a circumference of 78.04" and will roll 839 times per mile. While the difference of 1/8" in overall diameter doesn't seem excessive, the resulting 4 revolutions per mile difference can place a continuous strain on the tires and vehicle's driveline. Obviously, the greater the difference in the tires' circumferences, the greater the resulting strain

Tire Rack Tech Center

 

with awd cars the best thing to do is to replace the tires on the same axle. i've worked for audi for 5 years in service and thats what we've always told people.