Need some help from the BAIC Folks with Ins. Co.

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Old 01-24-2007, 12:01 PM
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Need some help from the BAIC Folks with Ins. Co.

Hi,

I need to ask a favor. As many of you saw the pictures of, I was involved in a pretty reasonable accident in which a red light runner hit me. The repairs have begun, and I have begun discussing some of the intracacies of AWD cars with the Insurance Co.

I have Falken ST115's 245/45/17 on all 4 wheels, with about 30%-40% tread left. The ST115 is discontinued. The body shop has determined the need to replace the tire that was directly struck. This is the question that I pose to the experts here so that i can show this thread to the Ins. Co. (so no swearing!):

1) Is it safe and good for my car (a 2005 Subaru WRX Sedan) to have 3x 30% tread ST115's and a 100% tread tire on the 4th wheel?

2) Is it safe and good for my car to have a totally different tire tread pattern on 1 wheel compared to the others?

Just a response of 'Yup, its fine' or 'No, its not' is fine. If you are a Subaru expert or shop owner, please include that along with how much experience with AWD Subaru's you have.

I do intend to provide a copy of this thread to the Ins. Co., so please try to keep the discussion and name calling to a minimum. I appreciate your help!

--Matt

Last edited by mcowger; 01-24-2007 at 12:09 PM.
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Old 01-24-2007, 12:04 PM
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No. It is not fine.
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Old 01-24-2007, 12:05 PM
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No, its not' is fine, need to replace all 4 or shave that 4th one down.
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Old 01-24-2007, 12:09 PM
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NEVER run diff tires brand size or any other combo. I was erluctant to replace my rear tires with the same model but the tread wear diff's were within Subarus "ok zone".
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Old 01-24-2007, 12:11 PM
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No it's not fine. According to the Subaru owner's manual, tire tread must be within 2/32nds on all 4 tires. I.E., the minimum could be 3/32nds and the maximum could be 5/32nds. If you have a 10/32nds (new) tire on one corner and 3/32nds tires on other corners, you will break drivetrain components.

Also, having a different tread pattern on one corner causes the car to have different amounts of traction on different sides/ends. This could make the car unstable in the rain making it difficult and unsafe to control.
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Old 01-24-2007, 12:21 PM
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yeah im pretty sure its in the manual
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Old 01-24-2007, 01:15 PM
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no it's not. see the owners manual maintenance section 11-45 through 11-50.
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Old 01-24-2007, 01:32 PM
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<-------former Subaru service advisor (2003-04)


There are only two options:

1) Have the tread depth of the new tire shaved-down to meet the tread depth of the other three tires.

2) Have all four tires replaced.
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Old 01-24-2007, 01:38 PM
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one of my tires got slashed and at the time i could only replace one tire. they were about 30% tread left.
granted i only drove 1000 miles on the new tire, the car felt crappy and i had to fight my steering wheel a lot.

it's not ok to just replace one.
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Old 01-24-2007, 02:48 PM
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Direct from the Tire Rack website: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=18
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Old 01-24-2007, 03:00 PM
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Where does one get a tire shaved down?
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Old 01-24-2007, 03:05 PM
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AIM Tire at Infineon might do it.
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Old 01-24-2007, 03:11 PM
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Originally Posted by sirhankwilliams
AIM Tire at Infineon might do it.
YES
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Old 01-24-2007, 05:24 PM
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Uhhhh, I wouldn't show them this thread. They will try to go cheap on you, buy a single tire, and shave it down 50%...

Just show them that link from Tire Rack, and the operator manual.
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Old 01-24-2007, 05:37 PM
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Different tire brands/models with the same size rating (i.e. 225/50/16) may, and most likely will, still have different dimensions in both overall outside diameter and contact patch width. This can be confirmed by looking at the tire specs at a website such as www.TireRack.com. It is not okay to have one tire of a different make/model, shaved or otherwise, installed on any constant AWD vehicle.

-Chris
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