Nail in 1 tire --> Told to replace all 4!?!?

[Rob R]

An update - - -
While talking with the tire service center, they mentioned "AWD". Upon further inspection, my Explorer is "4WD" according to the emblem on the liftgate. Reading through these posts, it sounds like 4WD is a bit more forgiving on all the tires having similar diameter/circumference.

I'm going try to plug it. I have the Stop & Go plug kit for my motorcycle. It has the plugs that are self-vulcanizing.
I figure I don't have much to lose. I have faith that the plug will not fail suddenly, nor catastrophically. If it fails, it will simply start leaking. The current tire has a slow air leak that will get worse the more I drive it. If the plug leaks, then I'll look at replacing.

I promise to keep a close eye on the tire pressure.

I'll let you know how it

An update - - -
While talking with the tire service center, they mentioned "AWD". Upon further inspection, my Explorer is "4WD" according to the emblem on the liftgate. Reading through these posts, it sounds like 4WD is a bit more forgiving on all the tires having similar diameter/circumference.

I'm going try to plug it. I have the Stop & Go plug kit for my motorcycle. It has the plugs that are self-vulcanizing.
I figure I don't have much to lose. I have faith that the plug will not fail suddenly, nor catastrophically. If it fails, it will simply start leaking. The current tire has a slow air leak that will get worse the more I drive it. If the plug leaks, then I'll look at replacing.

I promise to keep a close eye on the tire pressure.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Just curious to what climate you are in? Only times I've had a plug leak and go flat is when I'm at work and it's -25 outside!! Always fun to find after a 12-16 hour shift. Worst case is you are just back to where you are now. As someone post previously if you do buy a tire just get a used one. Tread wear will be close to your current tire.

 

[Mbrooks420]

A much more sensible route would be to find a used tire that is at 8/32 - do that on your lunch hour.

Good luck. It’d have to be the same exact model tire, not just a tire with 8/32s tread.

 

[fireftr]

On my 2011 Limited, there is a small nail in the sidewall of 1 tire which is unfixable (I'm told).
The tire center at a local large warehouse store says I need to replace all 4 tires because:
1) it's an AWD vehicle
2) the tread depth on three other tires is about 8/32nds, the new tire will be about 12/32nds. The difference in tire diameter will raise havoc with the AWD.

Is this true?
Do I really need to replace all 4?

Wow, that sucks if true!

 

[Jost]

On my 2011 Limited, there is a small nail in the sidewall of 1 tire which is unfixable (I'm told).
The tire center at a local large warehouse store says I need to replace all 4 tires because:
1) it's an AWD vehicle
2) the tread depth on three other tires is about 8/32nds, the new tire will be about 12/32nds. The difference in tire diameter will raise havoc with the AWD.

Is this true?
Do I really need to replace all 4?

True, but if buying 4 new tires is hard you can buy 1 from the tire rack and they can shave it to match the tread width on the others. God luck!

 

[Chris_A.]

Thanks for all your responses and explanations. Sounds like I better start saving my lunch money for 4 new tires.

For those of you asking for a picture ....
View attachment 329318

I have a tire plugging kit for my motorcycle. Should I try it on this tire?

​

Thanks for all your responses and explanations. Sounds like I better start saving my lunch money for 4 new tires.

For those of you asking for a picture ....

I have a tire plugging kit for my motorcycle. Should I try it on this tire?

Yes, another case of shop don't know. There is a line around the tire (the marking crosses it) where, rimward, no repair may be made. There is a raised line where they meet.
I borrowed your picture and drew a line to point this out. The nail is clearly in the tread.
You are within repair it zone. Most shops do not care to do research to understand their products. It is the same as the claims that it is ok to run a lower than sidewall pressure (manufacturer product labeling) in the tire. What does the manufacturer specify? No, Ford does not count as they do not manufacture the tire.

 

[Larry Compton]

On my 2011 Limited, there is a small nail in the sidewall of 1 tire which is unfixable (I'm told).
The tire center at a local large warehouse store says I need to replace all 4 tires because:
1) it's an AWD vehicle
2) the tread depth on three other tires is about 8/32nds, the new tire will be about 12/32nds. The difference in tire diameter will raise havoc with the AWD.

Is this true?
Do I really need to replace all 4?

Yes, the AWD uses a viscous coupler to run Awd. If the front and rear don't turn the same speed, it will overheat it and then you will have another bill to repair the transfer case.

 

[dogtag114]

An update - - -
While talking with the tire service center, they mentioned "AWD". Upon further inspection, my Explorer is "4WD" according to the emblem on the liftgate. Reading through these posts, it sounds like 4WD is a bit more forgiving on all the tires having similar diameter/circumference.

I'm going try to plug it. I have the Stop & Go plug kit for my motorcycle. It has the plugs that are self-vulcanizing.
I figure I don't have much to lose. I have faith that the plug will not fail suddenly, nor catastrophically. If it fails, it will simply start leaking. The current tire has a slow air leak that will get worse the more I drive it. If the plug leaks, then I'll look at replacing.

I promise to keep a close eye on the tire pressure.

I'll let you know how it goes.

That is easily plugged. I do them myself.
For context, I also track cars and know tires fairly well. For a track car, I would replace it due to speeds and pushing tires to the limit.
For an SUV, this is not stressed where this puncture is and a easy plug.

 

[Michael Blackburn]

From the owners manual:

Major dissimilar tire
sizes between the front and rear axles
could cause the 4WD system to stop
functioning and default to front-wheel
drive or damage the 4WD system.

No specification on what a "major dissimilar" size is. I don't consider 4/32 to be major, Ford may otherwise.
I recommend a plug and monitor with the TPMS.

 

[J_C]

Yes, another case of shop don't know. There is a line around the tire (the marking crosses it) where, rimward, no repair may be made. There is a raised line where they meet.
I borrowed your picture and drew a line to point this out. The nail is clearly in the tread.
You are within repair it zone. Most shops do not care to do research to understand their products. It is the same as the claims that it is ok to run a lower than sidewall pressure (manufacturer product labeling) in the tire. What does the manufacturer specify? No, Ford does not count as they do not manufacture the tire.

View attachment 329366

This is not correct information. The puncture is outside the industry standard safe zone for patching, but if someone wants to put their own cost savings above their safety, I just hope they aren't around me "if" it fails, but in this case, it would tend to be a slow pressure loss type failure, unless the tires are never checked and low pressure causes a blowout at speed. I can understand someone wanting to patch this, but I wouldn't tell them "save yourself some money and do that", when it's not my money or safety at risk.

Further, no about the tire manufacturer sidewall labeled pressure. That is only a MAXIMUM pressure needed to reach the load rating of the tire while the correct tire pressure for the vehicle it is on, depends on the load that vehicle puts on the tire. Generally, if running the same size tire that was stock from the factory, inflating up to the max on the tire sidewall can be reasonable and achieve a little better fuel economy, but usually at the expense of traction, unless again you have enough load to flatten down the footprint the tire has on the road.

Ford is known to have under-spec'd tire pressure on 2nd generation explorers, perhaps to smooth out the ride a bit, but otherwise, with more modern generations, if using the same size that the vehicle came with, you should use the inflation pressure on the door sticker, not the max inflation stated on the tire itself. This includes if you are using replacement LT tires of the same size, should not inflate them to the max pressure listed, unless loading the vehicle to nearer their max per tire. PSI is always about tire size versus expected load, how much air pressure it takes to support the weight and keep the tread flat on pavement.

Granted there is some gray area, there are green minded fools out there that are fine with everyone having to replace their tire more often by overinflating them to get 1MPG more because they can't focus on more than one variable at a time and it's your money not theirs.

At the same time I'd rather be slightly overinflated than under because under makes the handling so sloppy, but that's choosing between worst cases instead of just the appropriate PSI as indicated on the door sticker and adjusting for higher than average load.

 

[Chris_A.]

This is not correct information. The puncture is outside the industry standard safe zone for patching, but if someone wants to put their own cost savings above their safety, I just hope they aren't around me "if" it fails, but in this case, it would tend to be a slow pressure loss type failure, unless the tires are never checked and low pressure causes a blowout at speed. I can understand someone wanting to patch this, but I wouldn't tell them "save yourself some money and do that", when it's not my money or safety at risk.

Further, no about the tire manufacturer sidewall labeled pressure. That is only a MAXIMUM pressure needed to reach the load rating of the tire while the correct tire pressure for the vehicle it is on, depends on the load that vehicle puts on the tire. Generally, if running the same size tire that was stock from the factory, inflating up to the max on the tire sidewall can be reasonable and achieve a little better fuel economy, but usually at the expense of traction, unless again you have enough load to flatten down the footprint the tire has on the road.

Ford is known to have under-spec'd tire pressure on 2nd generation explorers, perhaps to smooth out the ride a bit, but otherwise, with more modern generations, if using the same size that the vehicle came with, you should use the inflation pressure on the door sticker, not the max inflation stated on the tire itself. This includes if you are using replacement LT tires of the same size, should not inflate them to the max pressure listed, unless loading the vehicle to nearer their max per tire. PSI is always about tire size versus expected load, how much air pressure it takes to support the weight and keep the tread flat on pavement.

Granted there is some gray area, there are green minded fools out there that are fine with everyone having to replace their tire more often by overinflating them to get 1MPG more because they can't focus on more than one variable at a time and it's your money not theirs.

At the same time I'd rather be slightly overinflated than under because under makes the handling so sloppy, but that's choosing between worst cases instead of just the appropriate PSI as indicated on the door sticker and adjusting for higher than average load.

I would ask you to do some research on you opinion. I am not being obtuse or wrong. The addional question you have to ask yourself is there a difference between "plugging" a tire and "patching" a tire? The answer is yes. A plug is the correct repair for a tubeless tire. A patch is the correct repair for a tubed tire. A patch can be used where there is no significant amount of movement (flex) between the patch and the tire. This only occurs in the section of the tire that you are referring to and only at proper inflation. There is significantly more flex to this area when the pressures are lower. At a improper inflation to weight, the tire can actually bow upward and become concave. This is when tire delamination occurs. However, for his issue a plug is the correct repair and is safe (not my opinion - proven over time). Rimward of the line, no repair is authorized because of the normal flexibility of the sidewall and minimal tire reinforcements (none can be damaged and still retain safety). As far as inflation, read the federal law you see it listed on some controlled items. The "sidewall" pressure is always correct for that tire. Any other pressure is questionable. A lower pressure does not improve safety, handling, tire wear, or fuel economy. It improves comfort at the cost of all of the above to different degrees. If you want to play at pressure guessing, please, feel free to tell everyone that you check and fix the tire pressure every time that the load in your vehicle changes. It would be really nice if some one would be kind enough to post the pressure to weight chart. Ford didn't.

 

[J_C]

^ I'm not stating opinion, rather fact. I am also of the opinion that it might not have any problems from a plug, but no reputable shop plugs outside the belt area.

https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-repair

The sidewall pressure on a tire is listed as "max". Again, fact, and if you inflate a tire to max and do not put enough load on it, the tread center wears out faster.

It's not guessing at all to use the door sticker pressure. That's why it's there but for the 2nd gen exception already mentioned.

Here is more info and some examples of sizes vs PSI vs load limits. These tables wouldn't exist, nor would the tire itself read "max" if the max # was the right # for every application.

https://www.toyotires.com/media/2125/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20170203.pdf

In fact yes, I do check and top off pressure in my tires when I haul loads over 500lbs. The issue becomes far more significant with trucks/SUVs/vans than passenger cars, in not only the larger variance in load potential but also, tires that have a higher max PSI rating. You usually won't need over 40 PSI for same or larger size tires if not hauling a load despite that or higher being the sidwall max rating for some P, let alone LT, SUV tires.

Higher than correct pressure compromises not just uneven wear but also handling, including braking, especially on wet or icy pavement.

If you want to calculate out what the correct pressure is, do so. And check tire pressure not just with differing load but also different temperature from winter vs summer, or again, use the tire sticker on the door. That's why it's there.

I Overinflated My Tires. Is That Bad?

Maybe youve heard that overinflated tires lead to better gas mileage. But have you heard about the risks? Learn what happens when tires are overinflated.

blog.firestonecompleteautocare.com

 

[Pbleiler]

This AWD/4WD/A4WD has been a topic of discussion in both the 5th and 6th gen Forums. How capable is our 4WD system?

Peter

I have a 4wd terrain system screwed, cause...1 tire, all same brand and age, over time, one was 5/32 different than rest, destroyed management system,
I'm confused here, originally said mail was in sidewall, now somebody says tread, WHERE IS THIS NAIL!!! LMAO,
TWO DIFFERENT AREAS,
TWO DIFFERENT ANSWERS !!!! WOW

 

[Pbleiler]

I wouldn’t plug that. Some all wheel drive vehicles say in the manual that you can replace 2. The shop has a blanket policy that AWD vehicles have to replace 4 if the difference is more than 2/32nds. Check the manual.

4x4 you can change 2 at a time, AWD, YOU CAN NOT!!!

 

[Mbrooks420]

I have a 4wd terrain system screwed, cause...1 tire, all same brand and age, over time, one was 5/32 different than rest, destroyed management system,
I'm confused here, originally said mail was in sidewall, now somebody says tread, WHERE IS THIS NAIL!!! LMAO,
TWO DIFFERENT AREAS,
TWO DIFFERENT ANSWERS !!!! WOW

Or, it just failed for other reasons....

The “management system” isn’t going to be hurt by this, potentially the transfer case.

If you followed the entire thread you’d have seen the pic of the tire in question.

 

[The jim]

On my 2011 Limited, there is a small nail in the sidewall of 1 tire which is unfixable (I'm told).
The tire center at a local large warehouse store says I need to replace all 4 tires because:
1) it's an AWD vehicle
2) the tread depth on three other tires is about 8/32nds, the new tire will be about 12/32nds. The difference in tire diameter will raise havoc with the AWD.

Is this true?
Do I really need to replace all 4?

No , unless they have dry rot" alot of cracks on the side walls " but anything in the sidewall can not be repaired

 

[The jim]

No , unless they have dry rot" alot of cracks on the side walls " but anything in the sidewall can not be repaired

Also no it will not raise havoc on your vehicle

 

[BKennedy]

I have never seen three pages of different opinions about tires on this forum before.

 

[Blackhawkxx]

I have never seen three pages of different opinions about tires on this forum before.

Clear as mud.

 

[94Eddie]

I have never seen three pages of different opinions about tires on this forum before.

It is evidently a high pressure topic to discuss here that has a long tread life.

 

[BKennedy]

It is evidently a high pressure topic to discuss here that has a long tread life.