4runner 2003 Replacing only one tire

i've replaced single tires on my toy's for years. never had a problem. i would put the new one plus the best of the three on the front and not worry about it. $800 for for tires? geez, i get 4 nice michelins at best buy for a bit over half that. or costco.

Don't want different-sized tires in the front, because it may cause the steering to pull to the smaller-wheeled side when driving. Having different sized-tires in the rear theoretically increases wear in the rear diff, but the tires have to be vastly different, like when using a compact spare. Simply having different tread depths shouldn't cause noticeably more wear in the diff.

Indeed. Safety-critical parts like tires should not be bought used. Don't want a blowout due to some undetected tire defect.

BS. What's the difference between the tires YOU need to throw away because you need one new one, and the 3 some other poor sucker had to throw away for the same reason.? Absolutely NOTHING. Check the date codes to be sure you are not buying a 10 year old tire

- get one that matches, with roughly the same tread wear and go for it!!! Putting one new one on a drive axle with a half worn one isn't a REAL serious issue if you have an open rear end and no traction control - but with Posi, it can ruin the diff - and with traction control , and even just ABS , it CAN cause significant issues. Not saying it WILL - but in many cases in the past, it HAS.

I would agree with you, but it seems I always receive a tire with an patch that is outside of the recommended repair area. It seems these resellers won't turn down tires that should be scrapped when as you say there should be plenty of serviceable tires available. JC

Michelin P265/65R17 run from $205-$226 each at my Costco, you might get $70 off a full set if lucky JC

Thats my point, the 2003 4Runner is fulltime 4WD with traction/stability control JC

Replace the two and make the good tire your spare. I would recommend if you have a vehicle that must have the same tread style and depth put all five tire in rotation so if you have this problem the spare is ready to go.

Archon found these unused words:

Bring your spare into play, have it and the new mounted for the front. Best of the 3 for the rear, last for the spare.

I always replace in pairs, but use the spare [if 'new'] as the 2nd.

You can always look for patches - you don't HAVE to buy what is offered.

Not the right tires for the 4 runner anyway - you REALLY want LT rated tires on that baby. Which are MORE expensive.

Hi, Typical, the spare is a different make, so I could get a pair, but even then the consensus is 4 matched tires. I was really asking why? Is the drivetrain so delicate it can't compensate for different tread friction. Recently I put tires on the wife's Lexus, same thing, sign here to accept responsibility for only installing 2 tires......whats it all about? is this a legacy of the Ford Explorers falling over? JC

Assuming you go look at them and don't get them shipped to you JC

i actually wait until they have specials and sneaky sales. also depends on how much stock they have.

Hi Thanks for the reply, I know how to solve the problem although I'm going to be in for 2 tires, but my question is Why? what is the reason for any adverse effect on the drivetrain? I thought someone would maybe have great insight into what the detrimental effects would be.

Regarding using the spare in rotation, in an ideal world yes, but in most cases when buying a used vehicle the spare is often a different brand, almost always unused and often obsolete.

OK I'll explain it.Traction control and antilock braking, and to a lesser degree, Stability control, work by sensing wheel rotation speed. A bigger tire (un-worn) turns slightly slower than the smaller tire at the same speed - so the ABS thinks that tire is starting to lock up, and traction control thinks it's the tire with the best traction. Hard on brakes when traction control brakes the other 3 wheels it thinks are spinning. Also, different sised tires on the same drive axle makes the differential constantly "work" and with Limited Slip (or Posi-Traction as it used to be called) there can be issues with the diff locking, trying to keep both wheels going the same speed. With All Wheel Drive, a difference between front and rear wheel diameters has the same effect on the inter-axle differential if so equipped, and on the transfer case. Just more wear and tear all around

- both on the differentials, transfer case, and tires

OK, thanks, that's the kind of answer I was looking for. I will consider the implications although I'm not convinced the wheel sensors can detect the variation of maybe 8/32" OD on a tire, be interesting to monitor the wheel sensor output frequencies on both wheels with mismatched tires, (assuming there is a sensor on each wheel, I've not looked). JC

The difference is that you know what you did to your own tires. You don't know the history of the used tire in the shop. Has it ever overheated? Has it ever been inflated past the max pressure rating on the sidewall? You are trusting the tire shop to detect all the flaws of a tire returned by some unknown customer. Not all flaws are visible.

Traction control and ABS aren't sensitve enough to detect different tread depths on tires of the same size. Otherwise the system would trip too often in real-world use due to tire pressure variations. If for example there is a

1/4" difference in tread depth, then over a 33" tire it's a difference of 1.5% in circumference. In a torsen LSD (the type 2003 4Runners use) it results in a torque bias of only 49.25:50.75, too close for all the helical gears in the LSD to move any differently than normal.

To the OP: Some roads see more heavy trucks and have more debris on the pavement. It isn't bad luck. I purchase a road hazard warranty with every tire I buy, and hedged correctly every time...

This was my feeling, the difference is way to small for any appreciable damage to be caused. Maybe if you drive an SUV at its limits of safety/speed in poor conditions it may pose a stability problem, but heck its an SUV, drive sensibly.

Agreed, I always seem to be just out of the warranty period. JC

Archon found these unused words:

IF you drive a 4x4 on pavement IMHO matching becomes critical. But the same 'size' in pairs, should not make any problem. don't put 70R15 and 78R15 as F7R 'pairs' though.

This might help:

Note: the matching is mainly concerned with the driven pair[s].