Got a non-repairable flat on the rear tire of an Impreza Outback. The tires have at least ~2 years left in them. Can I get a new tire and have it ground to the right diameter? Also, how frequently do dealers claim tires that can be repaired being "non-repairable"? I might try another mechaninc.
Go to a speed shop and have them do it.
Al
all speed shops I called say they don't do tires, and tire shops don't do grinding (they would rather sell you 4 new tires, obviously, why bother). The only place is apparently Tire Rack.
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com scribbled:
You could also try to find a used tire of the same brand/dimension at a scrap yard or on ebay...
I finally found a place that shaves tires - Tyre Treads in Hayward (for those who come across this thread later). $100 for a new tire plus $50 for installation, shaving and balancing. Not cheap, but still better than $500 for 4 new tires.
When I was kid many moon ago, they used to do this as a routine. Some of my pals had it done. Maybe today they are afraid of law suits afterward if there is a blowout. Then again, maybe it's not feasible on radial tires like it was on the bias plys. Here is a place you can buy a tire grinding disk....if you want to do it yourself.
Why bother? Unless the old tires are bald you will have no problem.. Or instead of paying $$ for new tire + shaving just buy two tires. Then you only have to buy two in the future. Do the math --- 2 new tires M&B can be had for ~$200. Buy one tire for $100 pay $150 for shaving and mounting and you have a nearly worn out "new" tire and three worn whilef or less money you have two new tires. On the same axle is fine Whenwinter comes rotate to front and you have two newtires forsnow ice and rain instead of 4 worn ones!!! Some people are penny wise and pound foolish!
Sure, I would've replaced only two tires on one axle. IF i had a two- wheel drive car. But they do recommend changing all 4 tires on AWD. I have no background in car engineering, so, I can't access the importance of this. I can not access by how much the chances of my drivetrain going bad increase when I have tires in the back and in the front having a difference in diameter of 1/8 inch. And I know that rebuilding the drivetrain will cost me much more than the $30 for the shaving.
What I also know for sure is that I am going back to front-wheel drive when the Subie dies. No offense, great car, but the money spent on gas and having to worry about things like in the OP far outweighs having to drive in snow once in a while. BTW I found that the type of tires one istalls is at least as imporant as having AWD. I have Yokohama Avids, and with them the subie is just as bad (or good?) in the snow as my wife's Miata with snow tires.
Does it ever rain where you are? Around here, when it rains, the roads get very slick (not just wet - the accumulated drippings from thousands of cars really get the roads slick). I'm very happy that my
17-year old son has an AWD car, in those situations.Dan D '99 Impreza RS2.5 (son's) Central NJ USA
In NJ I will never go without 4wd/AWD on my primary vehicle. After taking an 3500 mile R/T this summer I was sure glad to have the Subie AWD in the rain in the VA and TN mountains especially with my family along. I got 29 MPG so cant complain. In the snow I find my Outback to be as good or better than most 4wd's. I would replace two tires before worrying shaving and possibly damaging one new tire, They will be on the same axle and I'm sure the system can compensate.
If you have open diffs - actually putting the new tires on one SIDE of the vehicle is better at relieving stress on the center diff. Also, one obviously controversial approach is to run the new tire at a lower pressure than the other 3.
Since I have purchased these Subarus and read so much about this issue. I think one thing I have learned is to buy 'cheap' tires. Not necesarily 'bad' tires - but to steer away from long-life/high durability tires so I would be somewhat less likely to need to drop a huge amount of money buying 4 new tires. And every Subaru dealership should offer tire shaving at no charge or at a greatly reduced cost!
Carl
I live in San Fran. I used to live in Central Jersey. I had a FWD Sentra back then. Don't rememeber any major discomfort driving in the rain/snow. The only time when I was thankful for having the Subaru was a "flash" ice storm in Cold Spring harbor, NY. It's somewhat hilly there, and local folks who drive high-end German convertibles and massive "British" SUVs were stranded everywhere, unable to move. I actually pulled ~3 people out. I had the stock Subaru (Potenza?) tires back then.
Once I switched to Yokohama Avids I noticed a major drop in tracking in a snow storm in the Sierras when I decided to take a small unplowed road to get around closed 80. I made it, but it was extremely sketchy at times. I am sure the old Potenzas would've handled that much better.
In '77, during the big storm in the NE where the highways around Boston were impassable for a week, I drove home in my '71 Jag XKE about 18 miles. I was passing cars stuck in the snow. How did I make it? I suppose the anti-slip differential in the b rear had something to do with it. No AWD and, boy, was my wife relieved when I pulled into the driveway. The next day we shoveled three feet of snow out of our driveway. Snowblower? Hah!
I have two Subarus now. the Outback seems to handle the snow well. I'll see how my new Forester does. BTW, it's the first time in 21 years that I don't have a Jeep in the driveway. The new ones are too tippy for me.
Al
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