Was it OK to get just one new tire

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by southjerseycraig, Apr 10, 2014.

  1. southjerseycraig

    southjerseycraig Active Member

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    I went into Toyota today for my 10,000 mile service plus recall. The tech adviser told me there was a tear in the sidewall of my left front tire, and that I should deal with it right away before the tire started losing air. My normal custom is to buy two tires when there's a need to replace one, but the tech adviser and the servicer thought it was OK to buy only one. The front tires were replaced about a year ago (probably roughly 10,000 miles ago). Was it OK to buy just one, or should I have asked for both to be replaced? I wasn't inclined to argue because, in my experience, dealers are hardly shy about recommending a lot of work. But did I do the right thing, or should I go back and insist on buying a second tire?
     
    #1 southjerseycraig, Apr 10, 2014
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I think you'll be fine with that 1 tire. You should keep the new tire in the back, don't want the slightly thicker thread to interfere with your steering/balance.
     
    #2 JC91006, Apr 10, 2014
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  3. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    Since you had only 10,000 miles on the tire I would say just replacing the one tire is okay providing it is like the tires you have on your car. If it is a different tire with a different tread pattern my preference would be to replace the other for a match. I don't think there will be enough tread wear on the tire to make a difference in the driving or steering characteristics of the car.
     
    #3 Okinawa, Apr 10, 2014
  4. Easy Rider

    Easy Rider Active Member

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    One will be fine........but I can't help but wonder how big the "tear" actually IS.

    You can scrape off a small patch of rubber, maybe the size and thickness of a nickel without really compromising the tires integrity any.
     
    #4 Easy Rider, Apr 10, 2014
  5. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

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    Well the tire was 1/2 used, now things are ajigle
    Did they put the new tire on the front or move it to the rear;)

    Worst case scenario, you replace all 4 with one of them 1/2 worn in a year or two.
     
    #5 ursle, Apr 10, 2014
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  6. southjerseycraig

    southjerseycraig Active Member

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    I believe they put the new tire on the front.
     
    #6 southjerseycraig, Apr 10, 2014
  7. Seanzky

    Seanzky Member

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    Are the tires in the Prius directional (I haven't checked)? If not, I would personally put mine front left, if it were me in your situation. Since our exit ramps here mostly force us to turn right, the left tire tends to wear out a little faster. If you put it there, with enough exits on the highways it might even catch up. Lol. :ROFLMAO:
     
    #7 Seanzky, Apr 10, 2014
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  8. Sierra Mark

    Sierra Mark Junior Member

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    If the new tire is identical (same brand and model) you should be OK. I had to replace one Yokohama Avid when my rear suspension got harpooned by a metal bar on the freeway and the dealer had to replace a cracked rear axle. I have kept the new tire on the rear so the somewhat uneven tire size is not on the drive wheels.
     
    #8 Sierra Mark, Apr 10, 2014
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  9. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    I hit some debris on the freeway and sustained a blowout and rim damage to my front passenger side wheel a while back. I replaced 2 tires. At the time, I only had 5k miles on the tires.

    The replacement tires were different brand/tread pattern, and though they were the same size technically, I swear they looked like they were a slightly different diameter than the oem tires.

    SCH-I535
     
    #9 xliderider, Apr 10, 2014
  10. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    It'll be absolutely fine.
     
    #10 GrumpyCabbie, Apr 11, 2014
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  11. KennyGS

    KennyGS Senior Member

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    Since you have one new tire up front, you may notice the steering pulling to one side, especially when applying the accelerator or brakes. If so, that can be remedied by swapping the front/rear tires.
     
    #11 KennyGS, Apr 11, 2014
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