Must I replace all 4 tires because of 1 flat on AWD car?
 

2008 G35x, got 1 irreparable rear flat.

Was told that i have to replace all 4 tires because the tread difference between tires would mess with alignment since the car is AWD.

Is it completely necessary?

Is it okay if i just replace the rear 2 tires?

If i replace all 4, is there any way to make money off the 3 used tires?

Thanks!

What tires? What's the tread life?

The type of AWD system would also play a part. Similar to why some AWD's can rock staggered wheels and some cannot (ie: symmetrical AWD). I'm not familiar with the Nissan system though.

Staggered doesn't matter on AWD as long as they still have the same overall diameter. For example, you could have a 275 rear, 245 front as long as the overall diameter was the same (ex: 26")

Yes, you need to.
The AWD system in your car will not work properly because the diameter will be different and cause issues.

Same with many other 4WD vehicles out there. Sequoia is very bad for this, if they are different front to back it will kill the transfer case actuator.

I have seen people have tires shaved to reduce there overall diameter but there are few shops that do this as its more something done for race tires.

You could always sell the 3 tires, or find another used one in the same size you need with similar wear?

I'm pretty sure Tirerack will shave a tire before shipping, but as BoostedBB6 stated, its mostly or race compounds. not sure if they will do it on a street tire, but you can call and ask.

Does the pattern of the treads matter or is it just the tread % remaining that's the factor. I'm asking for a friend and IIRC he was told the pattern would mess it up as well? maybe he meant tread depth.

and iirc , the g35x transfers to a 30-70% front rear awd system once the car starts moving.

he was quoted 900-1000 at kal tire/costco.

if the depth difference is the only problem, i will ask tirerack about shaving.

You must purchase same brand & model tire.
Pattern & tread depth both matter.

^ Tire Rack will shave brand new tire
Don't brother looking for shaving tire locally.
Kal Tire in Chilliwack planet can shave tire as well.

All it has to do with is the overall diameter BUT if you put a different tire on it will wear different and you could cause this issue later on and mess up the vehicles systems running one miss matched tire.

Is the tire irreparable?

BoostedBB6 has got it down.

Older Audi's have this problem aswell, where all 4 tires need to match up close to perfectly or else there will be big issues and it'll cost way more then $1000.

If you don't want to spend the full amount, and the tires are still 80%+ then call up tirerack, order and get them to shave the tire down. If it's below I'd just buy new tires and sell off the old ones for cheap. (Or buy a 4th and sell as a set to someone who doesn't have your problem)

if the tread difference is too much, id recommend 4 tires as well because awd

With all the computers and sensors, i'm surprised that this is still required ... Anyway since i don't know how the awd system and sensors work, i'll just get suckered into doing this

the car needs to know how fast each wheel is spinning to determine if it is slipping or gripping before transfering power to the front wheel, if you have one tire that is new and 3 tires that are half worn, the 1 tire that is new will rotate at a lower rate than the other 3 thus making the computer think that something is wrong, car will usually use the abs sensor to determine this

also one size tire from 1 manufactuer will be different than another one, say a 205/55r16 from goodyear will have a different diameter than a tire of that same size from michelin

I am sure car makers have calculated that in their AWD design?

35 profile to 45 profile may be too extreme, but less than 1/2 inch should be capable

Wouldn't you just have to replace 2 tires?

My Subaru was rear-biased and the rear tires would definitely wear faster than the front.

All 4 tires must have the same outside rolling diameter (not the tread remaining, or the size, the exact outside diameter) or you'll start to damage the car. Buy 4 new tires and sell the other 3 to someone. It's a pain, but it's part of the cost of owning an AWD vehicle.

never owned an awd car and had never heard of this. good little tidbit.

drove my X3 @ 100% new rear left, 25% other three for a year and a half... no problems.

Also, drove on spare on rear right for half a year until lease end... no problems.


It was same tire, same spec, just new tread.
:troll: :lawl:

Different AWD system.

The AWD system is the ATTESA-ETS system found on the GTR.

The car is RWD under normal conditions and only turns on when moving from a standstill with low traction surface or when it detects slip under movement.

^^^ Same as my ford pickup. Its normally FWD unless it slips or I manually turn the AWD on...so in this case should I be worry about the even threads on all my tires?

The Infiniti owner's manual is quite detailed. Under tires, your book should say:

Replacing all four tires on AWD is strongly recommended to prevent any damage done to the drivetrain system. No one can force you to replace all four if you don't want to but these big tire shop will not perform the work due to liability issue. If you want to cheap out on tires, you are more than welcome to go to independent shop and they'll change it out for yiy. However I do not recommend this but it is an option.