Got Flat tire - Replace all 4 required??
 

I got a flat on the RF on the way to work this morning.
I noticed the past few days it was pulling to the right... so I was gonna stop and check the tire pressure before I went into work today. Well... I no more that thought that in my head and then heard the RF tire thumping.
I am gonna guess that the inside sidewall is chewed up from running flat.
The outside sidewall looks OK.... its the inside I am worried about.

I know on AWD they want you to replace all 4..... but isnt only if the tread differs a certain % in tread depth??
I think I read on the forum before that the tread has to be 3/32 of each other.
My other 3 tires at least 50%.
I hate to have to buy 4 freaking tires when these are still good.

Do you think it would hurt to buy 2 new for the front??

If the tire shops had a set of winter treads.... i would just buy all 4 and then in summer get a set of custom wheels/tires.

What are your thoughts on 2 vs. 4 tires? And if I can get just 2 .... do I put them on the front or rear?

I need to know ASAP... Your Help is appreciated.

You can do one...

But if you want to do it with the least amount of future tire buying, do two on the front. Run them for about 3K then rotate.

Depending on your driving habits, the backs @ 50% may last you a couple rotation cycles, allowing you to save for two more tires, or a custom set...

I was expecting to have to buy at least 2 anyway.

Do you still think that 2 new tires on the front with 50% rears will NOT harm the AWD?

If you don't want to risk it, why not find a used identical tire with similar wear?

Easier said than done.

I've already looked at ebay...and found nothing.

Tirerack will shave tires, but the Goodyear tire alone is $140 + $25-35 to shave..... I'd probably be better of buying a pair of tires.

However, I dont want to buy a pair at the expense of my AWD.

AFAIK, the MS6 awd is really not all-the-time. It's more 90% Front // 10% Rear unless you launch, or the car sends more power to the rear. I can't imagine it hurting anything.

Plus, most awd system damage comes from running unequal sized tires on left to right.. the differential gets all chewed up sending power to the smaller, used tire all the time to keep up with the brand new opposite side tire.

Thanks for the replies.
I think I am gonna replaced 2 and put them on the front.

I'm gonna go with the Goodyear Eagle GT's. 215/45 18

The rears are Goodyear Eagle F1 ASC's that I really liked.

Search, and you'll find your answer. The rear tires are the only ones that matter

wouldnt it be alot easier just to simply reply "the rears are the only ones that matter" than being a :asshole: and telling me to search.

I did search.... this site, google, mazdas247, etc.

Dont assume I didnt....

I know I am a newbie on this site, but this isnt the first forum i've ever joined. I was an avid member of Probetalk.com Forums before I bought my MS6 and know how to search before creating a thread.

Thanks for the info regardless.

The front diff is open, the rear diff is limited slip.. If you don't replace all four just make sure the new tires go on the rear..

Two new on the rear as long as the two others are similar in wear.

The front tires and the rears wear differently. Therefore a responsible car owner should re-balance and rotate font with rears every 3-5-7k miles, depending on the driving style, road conditions, and so on.

If you've got a flat tire you can buy a new one of the same model and specs with the other tire on the same axle. If the other tire is worn significantly more then you should replace both and just keep the spare one until you will need it again, most probably at that time the other ones will be worn pretty much as the ditched one.

I'd also add that you shouldn't mix tire brand and/or model from front to rear. It can lead to unpredictable handling characteristics.

Don't mix the GTs with the F1s. Just get two F1s.

I ended up getting the Goodyear Eagle GT's.
It was all I could find locally.
I had them installed on the front.....
from what I am reading... should I move them to the rear?

I plan on buying 2 more GT's in the spring.

I would move them to the back and buy the other two ASAP. Eagle GTs wear FAST FAST FAST on this car. I got a whopping...uh....15 months out of mine before they were bald.