Neophyte2b

I got a flat on one of my tires yesterday. I have an all-wheel-drive GS. Can I just replace that one tire or do I need to replace all four since it's an all-wheel drive? I purchased all four tires brand new only at the end of May so it's only been a few months. I've driven maybe 5000 miles on them.

lexo98

iTrader: (2)

It’s going to depend on the tread depth. Technically if you take a string and wrap it around the tire their shouldn’t be more than an inch difference

FSporting

I agree with lexo98, it depends on how much tread you’ve worn off of the others. Maybe you were running some supersoft summer tires. But off the top of my head, if the tire cannot be repaired, I would say you only need to replace the one.

UDel

You should only have to replace 1, the Lexus AWD system is not that sensitive to tread depth from what I have been told by Lexus techs, earlier Subaru AWD systems and some earlier Volvo AWD systems were very sensitive to even tread depths and had problems if you put a different tread depth on it. You should be fine, only issue I could see if all your other tires were at the very end of their life and you put a new tire on which is not your case. If your tires have been pretty worn in such a small amount of time you could always get a used tire that has similar tread left or some places will shave the tire down.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

What caused the flat tire? If it's a nail/screw closer to the center it can be plugged or patch/plugged(from the inside).

I recently plugged a tire on my wife's car. Easy, takes more time to remove the wheel than plug it.

I used:

lexo98

iTrader: (2)

The problem with repairing a tire without dismounting it and looking at the inside is you have no idea how much damage there actually is. The puncture may have done more damage to the inner liner of the tire or there might be damage to the sidewalls from being under inflated. Lots of possibilities not worth putting yourself / family in danger.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

The tire I repaired literally had one screw in the middle of it, zero damage anywhere else. It was a very slow leak, took a few days before she got the low pressure light on the dash. I confirmed the repair by driving it and checking tire pressure next day and it didn't loose any air, problem fixed.

Any screw or nail hole in the center of the tire or close to it is 100% perfectly safe to plug.

lexo98

iTrader: (2)

You have offered lots of helpful information on this site. I strongly disagree with you on this one though.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

I've plugged tires in the past with zero issue. In my case it's a perfectly good example of when it's safe to do it. Google it, watch some YouTube videos, educate yourself.

lexo98

iTrader: (2)

Sorry brotha your blanket statement is going to be wrong no matter how many times you try to justify it. Some brands/ models of tires don’t recommend their tires ever be repaired. Also whenever an object punctures the casing of a tire ie. the tool used to plug a tire it can rip the steel belting and nylon in the casing to the point a tire is unsafe. You can’t see that from the outside. I agree with you education is required. Anyone reading this please do your homework.

AJLex19

Check the tread depth as other's mentioned - in your case, i don't think a 5000 mile difference in tire wear will be so drastic that you need to replace all tires. Brand new, tread depth on a tire is typically 10/32 to 11/32 inches...if your existing tires have 8/32 or 9/32 left, you should be good to get one new tire.

I've mentioned before that I dropped into a bad pothole that blew out two of my dad's tires on his AWD GS (not repairable period) ... replaced the two rears with two new tires (since the AWD is rear-biased 70%) and kept the existing ones up front which still had about 8/32 left. No issues with this setup for 3.5yrs.

There will be debate about fixing/patching/plugging a tire (even if the tire is very new). Many dealerships and tire manufacturers don't benefit from fixing tires - they benefit from you purchasing new ones $$$. My personal mechanic has plugged many tires for me over the years (and a few local tire shops have done so as well), but the dealership never does it. There is a liability and monetary aspect.

Depends on how much you trust your mechanic/tire shop and how compromised they feel the tire may be. Generally speaking, there certainly is a risk involved in patching/plugging. Its really up to you - maybe $20 to repair (if its repairable), or $150+ for a new tire and full peace of mind.

GSJ350

So I was a tire technition at discount tire for 10 years so I've seen quite a few things and have done thousands of patches/plug-patches. So my opinion on Peasodos wife's tire is.... He's right in every way. The location of the screw was in the best place you would want a puncture if it was going to happen. The rubber plug that was used wouldn't be my first choice but I just put one in my tire about 2 months ago so.....whatever cause it hasn't leaked. Tire technology has come a long way in the past 30 years with steel belt design synthetic rubber compounds and vulcanization to name a few. Tires are inheritly designed for the worst possible conditions, as a matter of fact we could patch a tire 6 times before it was rendered unsafe. Now if you have driven on a low tire for even a very short distance with the pressure being below 15 psi you most likely will heat ring the sidewalk and breakdown the rubber from heat to which the tire will be cooked at that point. These heat rings are visual from the outside so you will know when this happens...you will smell it too. Peasodos, rock on brother as your info is correct on this matter👍🏻.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

I drove the car to a parking lot when I got the low pressure light. The tire was at 25 psi, rest was at 30. I pumped it back up. Then a day later took the wheel off and plugged it. So it was never at a critical psi to damage the sidewall. Apparently tpms compares the tire psi relative to the other ones to trigger the low pressure light, makes sense. This isn’t a low profile tire so I’m not concerned about a blowout from a pothole. Also considering it was nearly dead center on the tire.

If it was a few inches over I would have gotten a patch/plug from a tire shop. True what tire manufacturers recommend they are in the business of selling tires.

If It’s not close to the side wall the best piece of mind IMO is a patch/plug where they have to dismount and repair it from the inside. No need to replace.

lexo98

iTrader: (2)

Not trying to bash at all fellas just trying to pass on some education. If the plug wouldn’t have been the first choice then the info isn’t correct. May never cause an issue and I hope that it never does. I understand your view as a 10 year Tire Tech, but this is straight from the Discount Tire / America’s Tire website https://www.americastire.com/learn/t...storeCode=2046

Neophyte2b

Thanks for all of the responses. They were helpful in my decision-making.

I didn't think that I could safely patch the tire since it was a fast leak. I literally heard a little pop while driving, and within thirty seconds my tire pressure monitor level dropped like a millstone in the ocean. Fortunately, I was close to home so I was able to coast into the garage.

I decided to change just the one tire, and it was covered under warranty.

On another note, but related in a roundabout way, is that I was given a loaner for this service. I've driven an RX, a UX, an NX, and an ES hybrid as loaners, and have come away with two conclusions - 1) none of those other vehicles have a driver's seat as comfortable as my Fsport seats and 2) my MY13 is loud. Everyone one of those loaners had less road noise than my GS. If I could change one thing about my GS it would be that it were quieter without me having to put NOICO everywhere.