why do you replace all 4 tires on a 4 wheel drive when only one tire is blown?

Answer 1

if you are worried about matching them, buy one used one to match the rest :)

Answer 2

I love answering this question.... There are SO many opinions out there that they so often get confusing. Tires, lets use LT235/75/15 a very comon 4X4 tire on smaller trucks and suv's, come with a certain tread depth lets say for instance 15/32. under normal driving your tires wear and if not properly maintained wear unevenly. tread is mesured with a gauge at 3 spots across the tire outside, middle and inside for example on a new tire: 15/32 , 15/32 , 15/32 lets say your flat tire is half worn and has slight inner wear 7/32 , 7/32 , 6/32 . the rest measure evenly at 7/32 all over.. now if you were to get one tire although it is a LT235/75/15 it is actually 8/32 larger than the rest of the tires.
Because of this most places will not replace just one tire because of the potential risk of damage to the vehicles drive train and other sensors. Most Vehicles that are not Full time 4X4 can have 2 tires replace on the same axle instead of all 4 but again there are certain criteria. Most generally that the tire is the same brand and tread design and that the tire is no more than manufatures specified wear which varies by vehicle.... Check your owners manual for the specifics on whether you can replace 2 or must do all 4.... Hope this Helps

Answer 3

4 Wheel Drive Tires

Answer 4

Mark F. has the right answer hands down. Being in the business myself it isn't a matter of selling the four tires it is a matter of what is right for the drive train in the long run and a case of what vehicle manufactures recommend. In some cases if a used tire can properly be matched to the other three tires, a one tire replacement is possible. Question remains is that a "good" tire you are putting on? Generally no warranty or anything of that sort comes with a used tire either. Another situation that is may be permissible to put one tire on (and this would be a new tire) is if the other three tires are new enough that they match up in overall diameter with the new one. So why not get new one(s) and have the tire manufacturer and the tire shop put it all on the line in insuring you that your vehicle will operate properly when the proper tires are installed.

Answer 5

I work for a tire store chain. Right now one of our stores is being sued because a customer insisted they put just one tire on his 4x4 Dodge truck even though they told him he needed to do all four. The salesman at the store finally caved and did what the customer wanted. The truck only made it halfway home before the transfer case burned out.

The owner of said truck is now suing the store for doing exactly what they told him to do and he is going to win. The store knew better but they did it anyway, even though the customer insisted.

Similarly, last year we had a customer come in with a Jeep Cherokee in which he had just driven about 50 miles on the highway on his doughnut spare. When we got it in the air the rear differential (spare was on the rear axle) was so hot we coldn't stand near it!

And that was with the jeep approved spare.

With AWD vehicles if there is more than 20% wear on the 3 surviving tires and/or if we can not find a tire that is an identical match we will not replace just one tire. I would rather lose the sale (and I have, several times) then put the owner of the vehicle in a situation where they could cause major damage to the vehicle - damage that I would ultimately be responsible for.

4WD vehicles will have different recommendations depending on the nature of the system. We always go with the manufacturers recommendations regarding the replacement of just one tire.

Answer 6

4hrs left I'll give it a shot. AWD and 4WD behave close to the same. When you wear off 4 to 5/32'' of tread the circumference of your tire is significantly different compares to a "new tire". If the new tire turns 1000 times in a mile the used one could turn 1100 times(10% difference). The axle will match the tire and must meet the other side in the differential where the gearing is "fixed". The differential(s) meets the transmission in a similarly fixed manner. Most cars in most instances should replace tires at least in pairs; but, all at once is ideal.
In 4WD and especially AWD vehicles it is more important to be conscience of cost only decisions.

Answer 7

Maybe not all four but anytime you replace a tire on any vehicle it is always to replace the same one on the other side as well for safety's sake. This keeps the tread wear at the same level for both sides on the front and rear sets. This also makes it easier to identify alignment or balance issues as you can always notice changes in wear patterns, for instance if you replace one and the other only has 50% tread after wearing for some time it may lead mechanics to believe that your frame is off or you have excessive weight on one side. There are a lot more reasons that I cant think of right now. It's not necessary but if you can afford it I would recommend replacing 2 at a time.

Answer 8

The only reason I can think of is that you are dealing with performance oriented tires, in which case the car's handling may not be ideal with differing grip level at one corner (depending on the wear and state of the other tires). But this would not be a matter of drive wheels, but rather the tire compounds. Can't think of any other reason.

Answer 9

the reason is probably so that all of the tires will have about the same amount of life in them, instead of changing 3 at one time and then changing the fourth when it needs changed

Answer 10

Only if I trusted the tire guys-which I do not.

Answer 11

i don't i only replace the bad ones and ignore th RIP off pitches the tire sales people pitch to you