Tire advice for a just blown tire replacement

[Ambros]

Not having much luck with cars right now Blazer has a brake light on and now

5 minutes ago driving home, braking before hitting a turn I hear
BRRRTTT BRRTTT BRTTTT then it stops.
Get home, go around to the passenger side to see if it was just something on the road - there is some sort of metal thing stuck in between the treads, lots of hissing and watching the rear tire go flat.

Will have to call AAA and have it towed to a tire place. The current tires are original 2015 Dunlops, car now has 50,000 (bought this used about 4 months ago from a dealer). So there is a decent amount of tread left on the front....assuming this isn't pluggable

So first question is replace the 2 rear only or go all 4 (ouch).

Second, what tires? I do mostly highway and in town, with occasional forays onto forest service roads and truck trails which are generally pot holed dirt with ocassional rocks or sandy. (northern michigan). Advice?
Tire recommendations?
Edited - doing some research, not sure I understand the difference btw All Season and Touring All Season. Touring is more for highway? Just better quality?

Near me is Firestone closed today I think, Tire Discounters, National Tire and Battery, Sears, Grismers which i think is a local chain, the mechanic place I go to is AAA and does tires too, not open today which is doable, I don't have to go back out today.

 

[4FL]

The tires look like that after 50,000 miles? I was hoping they wear a little quicker as an excuse to get a new set. I only have 22,000 on mine after almost 3 years of owning.

 

[Saker]

Being where the puncture is, I don't think that is considered sidewall.
You should be able to have an inside patch if the tire isn't too bad on the inside.
Do NOT plug your steel belted radials!

===========================================

EDIT:

So after reading the post below, maybe just make your decision and get the best tire that sutes your needs.
If you are ready for an all terrain tire, there are some peeps here that love Coopers, BF Goodrich, Falkins etc...
Michelins make a quality road tire....I wouldn't put a Bridgestone or a Dunlop back on my T4R.... YMMV

 

[<<<<]

Do NOT plug your steel belted radials!

Why?

 

[Ambros]

The tires look like that after 50,000 miles? I was hoping they wear a little quicker as an excuse to get a new set. I only have 22,000 on mine after almost 3 years of owning.

Did yours come with the same tire? A Dunlop I think. I just retired and have only put about 3,000 on this myself. That mileage was the previous owner who commuted to work. He actually worked at the Toyota place I bought it, mostly highway miles.

I put a new tire on the Blazer this year too. I seem to pick up my fair share of crap on the road.

I had to edit my original post a little. I was just assuming that it wasn't pluggable, maybe it is.

Googling it looks like Firestone Destination LE 2's are a hit out there on the internet.

 

[mustangr2]

I know a lot of chain places will tell you have to replace all 4 tires if its a 4wd. I blew a tire within 5k on my new 4runner and that was the first thing they told me. They were ok with replacing one since it was so new but it is pretty common they will tell you have to replace all 4.

 

[Ambros]

I know a lot of chain places will tell you have to replace all 4 tires if its a 4wd. I blew a tire within 5k on my new 4runner and that was the first thing they told me. They were ok with replacing one since it was so new but it is pretty common they will tell you have to replace all 4.

Well I am admittedly a bit ignorant about mechanical things but I think that's sort of horseshit. Or at least it was on older trucks? Maybe now with tighter tolerances its more important. Found this thread which debates it.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/166697-safe-replace-just-2-tires-4wd-v8.html

Given that these are older I was thinking just replacing 4 but I wouldn't want to if they were newer. Apparently according to the above thread the size needs to be pretty close w/in 32 s which means fairly new I guess. 650.00 is a lot to swallow if you had fairly new tires.

Do you get trade in money off the price for the 3 newer ones in that case? Anyone just take them home and sell them on craigslist?

 

[philsey]

50,000 miles on oems is a gift. There is no way I'd spend a penny fixing that tire, the siping is gone and the tread depth appears to be where (3/32) replacement is recommended. Although they "look" OK, they cannot be good in the wet.

My .02 is for Michelin LTX, but you sound averse to spending much. Do you have a Discount Tire nearby? - I've been very favorably impressed. I caught a sale, and a Michelin rebate for $160 off. Free rotation and rebalance every 5k.

 

[e60ral]

maybe the photo is misleading, but that tire does not look like it has a lot of life left in it. i would just go ahead and get new tires

 

[Saker]

Being where the puncture is, I don't think that is considered sidewall.
You should be able to have an inside patch if the tire isn't too bad on the inside.
Do NOT plug your steel belted radials!

===========================================

EDIT:

So after reading the post below, maybe just make your decision and get the best tire that sutes your needs.
If you are ready for an all terrain tire, there are some peeps here that love Coopers, BF Goodrich, Falkins etc...
Michelins make a quality road tire....I wouldn't put a Dunlop back on my T4R.... YMMV

Why?

I would plug it only if I had no spare and just to make it to a tire shop to get it patched on the inside.... Some patches also have a plug to plug the hole and patch the inside too.
If you are on a trail and it was an emergency, then plug it.

Reason I answered the OP with my comment was he had road tires. guess I should have posted it differently.

 

[johnbt]

"places will tell you have to replace all 4 tires if its a 4wd."

It's primarily AWD that's a problem, but also some 4wd.

www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=18

"Some all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles may exhibit axle windup or binding while driving. Some four-wheel drive vehicles (manual or electronic shift) with a two-wheel drive mode may refuse to shift "on the fly" into 4x4 Auto or 4x4 High at highway speeds."


"The new 225/45R17-sized tire has a calculated diameter of 24.97", a circumference of 78.44" and will roll 835 times each mile. The same tire worn to 8/32-inch of remaining tread depth is calculated to be 1/8" shorter with a diameter of 24.84", have a circumference of 78.04" and will roll 839 times per mile. While the difference of 1/8" in overall diameter doesn't seem excessive, the resulting 4 revolutions per mile difference can place a continuous strain on the tires and vehicle's driveline."

Fwiw

 

[Ambros]

50,000 miles on oems is a gift. There is no way I'd spend a penny fixing that tire, the siping is gone and the tread depth appears to be where (3/32) replacement is recommended. Although they "look" OK, they cannot be good in the wet.

My .02 is for Michelin LTX, but you sound averse to spending much. Do you have a Discount Tire nearby? - I've been very favorably impressed. I caught a sale, and a Michelin rebate for $160 off. Free rotation and rebalance every 5k.

I assume they are OEM although since the guy was a toyota dealer salesperson he could have swapped out pretty easily I would think. Anyway, I think that's why I jumped to having to buy at least 2 if not 4 and didn't even think pluggable because in the back of my head I was wondering when I would have to replace.

I looked up Michelin on the Firestone page and there are two LTX
LTX M/S2 for 259
Defender LTX M/S 223
The Firestone Destination LE/2 is 166

Thats a difference of 225 or 372 unless there is some big deal or rebate. (Havent seen one). For how much I drive I'm not sure its worth it to me. What do you get for an extra 225 or 375?

 

[Jetboy]

If you're happy with the OEM tires - at least around here you can buy a new set on wheels for $400. Just swap the tires to your wheels (same price as swapping TPMS sensors), and sell the wheels for $150 and you're pretty cheap into a new set of the same thing.

Also FWIW Costco price on the Michelins is $190 each. But IMO I'd buy these: https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/goodyear-wrangler-ats/p/31289 I think they are the best all terrain tire you can buy - and the price is pretty good too. If they made them in the size I run I'd have them. At $160/ea they're a great tire for the money.

Good luck!

 

[Watchdogg]

Has nothing to do with AWD or 4WD. All new cars if you replace a worn tire with one brand new one it will throw off the abs and traction control as it senses the new tire spinning slower due to the increased overall diameter compared to the older worn tires. That's the reason they tell you all 4 tires. Does it actually throw a light on the dash? I don't know.

 

[nglayton]

Every time I've had a similar issue, the Les Schwab (NW tire store chain) miraculously has the same exact tire in stock, with similar tread depth ready to sell me at 1/3 the price of new tires. If the tire isn't at that location, they go get it across town from one location that does.

My point is, there are plenty of options, you just need to decide what factor is most important. Money, new tires, speed of the fix or just the cool factor of owning the latest fad.

Did anyone mention checking your spare...see if it's been part of rotation pattern? Perhaps it's tread depth is similar and you can put it on and just get a something cheap for the spare.

Personally I would have it plugged if the shop can do it safely and just keep going with it.

If they say they can't fix it, put the spare on and then think about the options.

Replacing all 4 just because it's 4WD/AWD isn't the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard....but it's damn close. There are other factors that would dictate that move, not just 4WD/AWD.

I've been replacing tires two at a time for 30 years on all my vehicles....with no issues what so ever. I'd like to retire with my money instead of the tire shop sales guy retiring with it.

FWIW I easily got 50k (56k) out of my OEM tires with similar driving habits you described.

 

[e60ral]

Every time I've had a similar issue, the Les Schwab (NW tire store chain) miraculously has the same exact tire in stock, with similar tread depth ready to sell me at 1/3 the price of new tires. If the tire isn't at that location, they go get it across town from one location that does.

My point is, there are plenty of options, you just need to decide what factor is most important. Money, new tires, speed of the fix or just the cool factor of owning the latest fad.

Did anyone mention checking your spare...see if it's been part of rotation pattern? Perhaps it's tread depth is similar and you can put it on and just get a something cheap for the spare.

Personally I would have it plugged if the shop can do it safely and just keep going with it.

If they say they can't fix it, put the spare on and then think about the options.

Replacing all 4 just because it's 4WD/AWD isn't the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard....but it's damn close. There are other factors that would dictate that move, not just 4WD/AWD.

I've been replacing tires two at a time for 30 years on all my vehicles....with no issues what so ever. I'd like to retire with my money instead of the tire shop sales guy retiring with it.

FWIW I easily got 50k (56k) out of my OEM tires with similar driving habits you described.

they should replace all 4 because they are at the end of their life anyways, it doesn't make sense to replace 1 tire then replace 3 tires in another month or so. those tires look used up, they have 50k miles on the shitty factory tires, they should go ahead and get new tires.

 

[nglayton]

they should replace all 4 because they are at the end of their life anyways, it doesn't make sense to replace 1 tire then replace 3 tires in another month or so. those tires look used up, they have 50k miles on the shitty factory tires, they should go ahead and get new tires.

I totally agree, that is what I was trying to say....that it has nothing to do with being a 4WD/AWD.

End of life is an excellent reason to replace all 4.

 

[mustangr2]

completely agree with the comments. I just know it is very common practice now. I am pretty sure for example Costco won't even replace one tire unless the tread is a certain depth. I think this also discount tire or americas tire is doing the same thing now too.

 

[nglayton]

I had to go back to the top of thread and read what the OP said, I missed that he said they had 50K on them. For some resason I was thinking he said 20K.

If they are that close to the end, then yes he should replace all 4.

 

[Ambros]

Coopers

So going with the whole 4 tires. Was an easy sell.

Next which tires?

Called one of the many Firestones around here and they recommended Firestone Destinations LE2 out the door at 645.

Looked for rebates as someone on this thread mentioned for Michelin but they seem to have run out a couple of weeks ago. Good thought though!
I looked up the Wrangler but kept researching.

Did a search here and saw an older post by engineer1? Who had some Cooper AT3s. Seemed like he had quite a bit of tire experience and did a lot of research.

Called the place I take the car to mechanically, they used to be individual owned but he sold to AAA, he recommended Cooper SRX's. I think they have recommended Coopers to me in the past, that place must like them or have a deal with them or something.

We discussed SRX vs. AT3. Hard decision. I do mostly highway now but am hoping to do a lot more in the woods though that won't be off roading in any true sense. He seemed to think the SRXs could roll to forest truck trails and some sand ok though. The SRX's are 65,000 miles vs. 55 for the AT3. Didn't get a price check for the AT3.

Cooper has a buy 3 get one free now. With tax 598.

I feel like a bit of a wimp going with the SRX's but.......you can wear yourself out on the internet researching stuff.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015/05/cooper-tire-discoverer-srx-review.html

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015/02/cooper-tire-discoverer-at-w-tire-review.html



Unless someone chimes in this am with caution on these or argument for AT3s that is probably what I'm doing.

Thanks!