dandg

Bought new MXV4's for our 04 RX330 AWD about 9K ago and now have one with a leak/or hole.Can one tire be changed or will that affect the AWD transfer unit as it does in other AWD cars?I have seen other makes units that where smoked by doing this.
I know its critical that all of them wear evenly and a new tire would be a different tread depth then a worn one.Hate to bite the bullet and buy all four ,again(they where close to $800 !),but if it damages the drivetrain it is the lesser of two evils

Have other AWD RX owners run into this issue?
Thanks in advance

The G Man

9000 miles should be ok, the tires havent worn that much yet.

Lexmex

I agree you shouldn't have that much of an issue. If you were in Mexico, I would say differently given the roads.

Keep in mind the front tires will wear at a faster rate given weight distribution.

I have had to do this when I had a busted tire once, and did not encounter an issue.

Also, if you haven't done so, use nitrogen in your tires.

dandg

I will have to check to be sure of miles since they where put on it may be a bit more,Gman.I do rotate the tires not quite a 5k but 7500.The road we live on in NH is not very good either Lexmex.You bought a new tire for the one that busted and put it one with the other three worn ones?

mandyfig

As long as you buy the same tire, same pattern and design, one that's worn out will not affect performance. Running a bald tire is a safety issue, in terms of blow out, etc.. 9k miles is pretty young, can they plug or patch it? Is it on the sidewall, or do you even know?

Lexmex

That's right. What I did was put it on the driver's side front. Given my weight and being the front of the car, it would get faster wear and also better for vehicle balance, given my weight shifts the car a little to the left.

I also wondered about mandyfig's question. Normally, then can 'worm' a tire if not on the sidewall (they can patch these).

salimshah

Or, bring out the spare and patch the one with leak and put away as spare. I would also check the spare tire pressure frequently to ensure the patch is good.

You will not only save money, but also help the environment].

Salim

mandyfig

I forgot the spare, yes, Salim's right again!

dandg

Wife has car and I will check miles and pressure tonight.It lost 5lbs in two days over weekend and was low this morning.I looked it over and could not see a puncture but will have more time this evening.
The spare was the best of the 5 when I bought new ones earlier this year so thats out.There must be some sort of "tread depth variance" scale to insure no damge to transfer unit.I will say the ones I have seen go bad are Dodge/Chy AWD and Jeep AWD units,in one case same size tire but different brand was enough to smoke the unit.Way lower quality cars but still same concept at work in drivetrain.
I don't mind one tire replaced but to have to do all 4 again would not be fun.

Lexmex

I pulled a small clip from my tire on Saturday night, no leak, but had to spray some water on the tire in the area to see if it was losing, but fortunately nothing.

mandyfig

dandg, have you tried soapy water? Spray soapy water and find out where the leak is.

dandg

Hi guys,
thanks for the idea.I will try the soapy water it this morn if I can before she leaves.I checked and there are 13k miles on them,it goes by faster than you think.

salimshah

test out the fill valve and stem area too. Other than penetration by nail etc, this is the weakest point.

Salim

DN328

dandg - If you're not comfortable with the options of reparing the tire, reparing AND swapping with spare wheel, another option would be to buy two new tires rather than four. You could put the new ones on on the same axle - front or back.

Personally, if the tire can be fixed I would do that. Not about the money, but I think it's very low risk (assuming the tire is fixed properly of course and no defects).

mandyfig

2 new ones work, better than springing fo 4. Keep the one good one for later use.....if you have the space...