Going to California, Part 6: Flat tire in Tahoe!
 

Boy calls me today, has a flat tire on the front passenger side. :(

Happily we have roadside assistance and he's giving them a call to help him with the tire change. Don't trust the rickety scissor jack for his first solo change. The spare should get him through for a couple of days, but it's not the best tire in the world so he's gonna need a new one.

Can anyone recommend a tire shop in South Lake Tahoe? I've seen several listed on Google, including a Toyota dealer, but I have zero insight into who is rock solid and who will sell him a Billy Bob used tire! If you don't want to give a public opinion, feel free to PM me and I'll respect your confidentiality.

I'm running Falken Wildpeak A/Ts on it now...not sure I want to buy two tires since they don't have alot of miles on them, really, but it would allow me to make the front driver side tire the new "spare". The current spare is a Grabber A/T, if I recall.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!

The 4runner comes with a fairly decent bottle jack. If it's just a nail, screw etc then the tire can be patched, the roadside assistance in all probability can tell him where to take the tire. Any tire shop, big box or full service station including Walmart can patch the tire. Hopefully someone fimiliar with the area can point to a good tire shop i.e if the tire has blown or slashed . Falkens might also be under warranty.

Also, SLT is a tourist town without any mega-retailer. The only tire chain I can think of is Les Schwab. Locals go to Carson City. Pretty sure there is an America's Tire AKA Discount Tire there and they have hooked me up before. They carry every brand and will price match any online 'in-stock' tire. When I got a set of cheapo Patagonia MTs there they wanted 150 a tire and I showed them Walmart's online price of $128 a tire and they were - "sure, no problem". Those were 265/75s. Still happy with the tires. Sales pitch over jeez - sorry. If you want to match the tire(s) exactly someone will need to order it in to SLT I'd imagine. Falkens are pretty common though. What I should have said was pay a little more and support the local independent tire shop and keep the money in the community. It's not easy to live up there since every Bay Area dentist and lawyer covid-relocated there making rents for locals impossible......

Thanks, fellas.

Here's a new question...if the tire can't be patched and needs replacement, do I need to replace all four due to it being 4WD?

It is of course rear-wheel drive and 4WD "on demand" but I saw a couple of threads that say, "you must replace them all or you will ruin your drivetrain!" to "have them shaved!" to "replace just two".

Any strong feelings about this?

EDIT: Checked the owners manual, it says:

"Toyota recommends all four tires, or at least both front or rear tires be re-placed as a set."

Guess that settles that.

Depends on the difference between treads imo, long as it’s fairly new I wouldn’t hesitate to replace just one. I’d just make it a point to rotate the tires more often than otherwise.


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A lot of that recommendation is Toyota covering their ass. No way are you going to cause any drivetrain damage with a somewhat newer example of the same tire.

People who take their tires seriously run a 5-tire rotation so you have the correct spare while you plug the hole. That becomes another challenge when you run 33s and up that require an alt carrying location. Then you're in it for another, say, $1,800 for a bumper with a tire carrier......and......and......

No, just the two on the same axle. I would measure the depth of the other two to ensure they're within tolerances though. I suspect pricey tires in that town, nothing is cheap there.

Good news!

The nail in the tire was a direct hit and able to be patched!

I'd like to give a great big A+ 100% rating to Ken's Tire Center in South Lake Tahoe. They understood the jam my boy was in and knocked out the problem the same day. Cheerful, friendly staff.

If you are in the area, check them out!

I picked up an ARB plug kit and am itchin to use it. Been frequenting construction sites.......