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Change 1 Tire?

rgoltsch

Member
Joined
April 15, 2009
Messages
28
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2
City, State
Fairfield, NJ
Year, Model & Trim Level
2006 Explorer XLT V8
My wife called me and told me she got a flat. Turns out she didn't get a flat, she had a blowout. She hit a pothole and blew the tire. So we need to replace the tire. I'd hate to waste a perfectly good tire on the other side if I don't have to. I'd like to buy one, but my dad always told me to repalce tires in pairs......but that was back when tires weren't radials and lasted 15,000 miles.

Here's the details:
2006 Explorer XLT - V8 4X4
P245/65/17 Tires

I replaced all four tires in September of 2010 when the truck had 51,000 miles on it. today, it has 68,000 miles on it....so the tires have 17,000 miles. Yes, the mileage is correct, my wife doesn't drive her Explorer too far. The tires were rotated twice since she had them installed.

I am going to replace either a pair, or just the tire that blew.......what are people's opinions on this? Safe to do? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy a new pair?

I don't want tranny or differential issues down the road.

Thanks in advance,
Ron
 



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The question that needs to be answered is how much tread depth left on the tires. If it is say 8/32 out of 10/32 brand new then replace two and always keep those two on the same axle. It sounds like you have to worry about sidewall deterioration well before the tread depth since you put so few miles on the vehicle. You might also want to check into if the tire is covered under manufacturer warrantee since it has so few miles on it and about three years on the vehicle.
 






I'll have to agree with your Dad on this, as you stated the tires were new in Sept 2010. That was 2 years and 8 months ago, You got good use out of them up till now. Buy 2 new tires and you'll be happy and your wife will be happy and safer also. Not worth worrying about.:D
 






I'm going to go with your dad here too. Either find a used tire that matches what you have, or pick up 2 new ones, and make the good one into a spare.
 






Now here's a funny one.....after seeing some people's responses, I went to our local Goodyear and left the truck with instructions to replace the two tires. I went to Goodyear as they had the same make and model tire that is already on the truck. I came back an hour later when it was promised, and the truck was outside....still with the spare tire.

I was puzzled as I walked to the counter. I figured it was going to be a mix-up, they actually didn't have my tire size in stock, or something like that. I was wrong.

It seems that the manager of that location overruled the sales person and said since my truck was all wheel drive, it is corporate policy that I must replace all four tires. They would not sell me just a pair. Thinking he entered the wrong information for my 4x4, I explained that the Explorer in his parking lot is a part time four wheel drive system, not a full time all wheel drive system.....similar to that on my Ford Freestyle. The manager would not be dissuaded. He explained that he had to be the informed person and he could not in good conscience sell a person with an all wheel drive system a pair of tires.
 






If you have auto 4x4, then he was in the right. Having even one different tire will cause your 4wd computer to be constantly engaging 4wd due to the difference in circumference of the tires. It will very quickly destroy your drivetrain.
 






I did some further research and followed some advice I saw on a few web pages....the same advice I give people every day, RTFM.

So, I pulled out the ol' Ford Explorer manual in the glovebox, and this is what it says...

Remember to replace the wheel valve stems when the road
tires are replaced on your vehicle.
It is recommended that the two front tires or two rear tires generally be
replaced as a pair.


I read it all the way through the sections for the transmission and tires.....there is no other mention of replacing all four at once.
 






There is a TSB out regarding the 06-08 4x4 V8 models and tires of differing diameter so the shop doing the work did not want the liability if something were to happen to your driveline. I know that the user manual says one thing, but even running one tire that is a different diameter at freeway speeds can cause driveline damage on these vehicles. That is why in my first post I was specific in determining how much tread was left on the tires because I believe that the TSB states that if the difference in diameters is greater than 1/2" to replace all tires.
Just because it is not in your manual does not mean that changes in policy/practice have not occurred in order to prevent unnecessary damage to an individuals vehicle.
 






There is a TSB out regarding the 06-08 4x4 V8 models and tires of differing diameter so the shop doing the work did not want the liability if something were to happen to your driveline. I know that the user manual says one thing, but even running one tire that is a different diameter at freeway speeds can cause driveline damage on these vehicles. That is why in my first post I was specific in determining how much tread was left on the tires because I believe that the TSB states that if the difference in diameters is greater than 1/2" to replace all tires.
Just because it is not in your manual does not mean that changes in policy/practice have not occurred in order to prevent unnecessary damage to an individuals vehicle.

I'll check the wear on the pair of tires on the front and compare that to the new tread depth. Thanks for the details on why this is so important.

My wife doesn't put a lot of miles on this truck, which is probably a good thing with the price of gas nowadays. And you were right about the tire sidewall issue versus tread life for her.....we had to replace the tires on her Mountaineer a few years back when I noticed the sidewalls were showing signs of old age before she wore out the treads.

My mom had a similar issue with her Saturn SC2.....she had it for nine years and put 20,000 miles on it. When she gave it to my daughter, the first thing I had to do was replace the tires.

Thanks again,
Ron
 






My wife called me and told me she got a flat. Turns out she didn't get a flat, she had a blowout. She hit a pothole and blew the tire. So we need to replace the tire. I'd hate to waste a perfectly good tire on the other side if I don't have to. I'd like to buy one, but my dad always told me to repalce tires in pairs......but that was back when tires weren't radials and lasted 15,000 miles.

Here's the details:
2006 Explorer XLT - V8 4X4
P245/65/17 Tires

I replaced all four tires in September of 2010 when the truck had 51,000 miles on it. today, it has 68,000 miles on it....so the tires have 17,000 miles. Yes, the mileage is correct, my wife doesn't drive her Explorer too far. The tires were rotated twice since she had them installed.

I am going to replace either a pair, or just the tire that blew.......what are people's opinions on this? Safe to do? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy a new pair?

I don't want tranny or differential issues down the road.

Thanks in advance,
Ron

If it were me, I'd buy two new tires and use the 2 year old as the spare and ditch the original spare tire. I replaced the 15 year old tires on my Fiat Spider a couple of years ago because even though the car is garage kept and were not dry rotted or cracked, the rubber eventually became hard and was OK on dry pavement but a bit squirly on wet roads.

The guy at the tire store who was changing them said, "Man these still have 10K miles of tread left, I think I'll stick these on my Honda". I'm like, "Go for it dude!".

I'm not a tire expert but I don't buy into the "replace the tires every 6 years" otherwise you will risk a blowout. I think that's bollocks. I've never heard of a 6 year old tire blowing out. If I had to say 99% of the time a blowout is caused when people run a tire down to the cords.

But eventually the tire will become rock hard and that does make it a safety issue.
 






There is a TSB out regarding the 06-08 4x4 V8 models and tires of differing diameter so the shop doing the work did not want the liability if something were to happen to your driveline. I know that the user manual says one thing, but even running one tire that is a different diameter at freeway speeds can cause driveline damage on these vehicles. That is why in my first post I was specific in determining how much tread was left on the tires because I believe that the TSB states that if the difference in diameters is greater than 1/2" to replace all tires.
Just because it is not in your manual does not mean that changes in policy/practice have not occurred in order to prevent unnecessary damage to an individuals vehicle.


This maybe comparing apples to oranges but my Subaru owner's manual says if you run the space saver, to remove the fuse that controls the AWD system to avoid damage. Is there a fuse on the Explorer that disables the AWD system?

As of right now the front tires on my '06 have less thread than the rears (but they are all within tread depth spec). They are all the same brand so I assume they were replaced at the same time. Should I replace them to avoid damaging the AWD system? Or just measure the tread depth on the rears and fronts, and subtract the front depth from the rear depth and if less than 1/2" I'm OK?

The tires on my Subaru seem to wear evenly for some reason. I haven't rotated them in maybe 10,000 miles and I measured the tread depth on all four of them and they are the same.
 






This maybe comparing apples to oranges but my Subaru owner's manual says if you run the space saver, to remove the fuse that controls the AWD system to avoid damage. Is there a fuse on the Explorer that disables the AWD system?

As of right now the front tires on my '06 have less thread than the rears (but they are all within tread depth spec). They are all the same brand so I assume they were replaced at the same time. Should I replace them to avoid damaging the AWD system? Or just measure the tread depth on the rears and fronts, and subtract the front depth from the rear depth and if less than 1/2" I'm OK?

The tires on my Subaru seem to wear evenly for some reason. I haven't rotated them in maybe 10,000 miles and I measured the tread depth on all four of them and they are the same.

Two different power management systems (one is auto 4x4 and the other is an AWD) made by two different companies so therein lies the answer to the tire wear difference. Also, don't forget how much heavier the front end is on the Explorer since it has about a 2x larger (cast iron not aluminum) motor in it.
I am assuming that your tread depth question is regarding a V8 Explorer and not a Subaru and my answer to that is to look up the TSB and read what it says. The TSB is very detailed and outlines exactly how to go about checking the tire diameters.
 






If I read the TSB correctly (TSB 08-21-11), if the tires are within a 1/2 inch of the same circumference front to rear, or side to side for that matter, they are OK for the TSB. That translates to between 2 and 3 32nds of tread depth (Note it is NOT a 1/2" of tread depth - it is the circumference).

So two things here: 1: The owners manual specifies replacement in pairs 2: The TSB suggests IF (and only IF) there is a shudder on acceleration/deceleration/binding in slow turns, then this is the first place to check.

It isn't a hard and fast rule or requirement - only if those problems pop up.

Based on the mileage you reported on your last set of tires, I'd guess at worst you are at the limits of the TSB (2 to 3 32nds of treadwear for this tire size). If you are dead set on using this goodyear dealership, print out the TSB (many libraries have access to Alldata and can get them) and bring it in, and ask to see documentation your tires when replaced in pairs won't meet it.

Me, I'd go elsewhere, and bring the truck back afterwards and point out what blanket policies like that do - send customers elsewhere. It easy to say a Ford says such and such. When you call them on it, do they have an answer?
 






An interesting twist is the engine. The V6 Explorers from '06-'10 had an AWD (Auto 4x4) which had some torque going to both axles at all times, and pushing more up front as needed. For this system, I would tend to agree that all 4 tires need to be close to the same circumference.

However, the V8 AWD (Auto 4x4) system (like on my '06 Mounty) is/was an electronic on-demand system. Normal driving has zero torque going to the front wheels. Torque is only pushed forward when needed. In this case, there should be no problem when simply cruising down the highway.

That won't change the opinion of this tire shop manager, especially if he's standing on a TSB.

If I have to change all 4 tires for a single blowout, I probably should not have bought Discount Tire's replacement certificates. The would likely tell me I had to replace all 4, but only cover 1 because only 1 of them blew.

If this truely is the case, I think the OEMs are crazy for designing a system that would require ditching 3 perfectly good tires.

Can a new tire be ground down to a smaller diameter?
 






Only the V6 mountaineer had a different system. All 4th gen explorers and the V8 Mountaineer share the same transfer case and controls (though the mountaineer does not have a low range). The same problems can still arise on the all electrically controlled torque on demand system as the various sensors detect different wheel speeds.

And yes, it is possible to have a tire shaved down to match. The trick is finding a shop equipped and willing to do so.
 






Tire Rack does tire shaving. Be aware though, it voids tread life warranties.
 












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