Blew a tire on I-5 last week and had to decide between a cheap used replacement or splurging on a new set of four.

I went with just one used tire for $60 to save money short term, but now I'm wondering if that was dumb because the tread mismatch might cause uneven wear on my other tires. What would you pick when your budget is tight?

3 comments

3 Comments

black.oliver13d ago

Used to be all about the cheap fix myself, but after watching my last car shake itself to death from uneven tires I changed my tune. Those mismatched treads will absolutely eat up your differential and suspension over time (ask me how I know, ugh). Spent $200 on a pair of matching used tires with decent tread left from a local tire shop, way better than one random tire or four new ones. It's not as cheap as your $60 route but it'll keep your car from developing a weird wobble or chewing through wheel bearings.

kai83913d ago

Pair of used tires is the REAL sweet spot. Your car will Thank you later.

skyler_johnson3213d ago

my buddy jake did the same thing you did, bought one mismatched used tire for his civic to save 50 bucks. within 2 months he had a vibration in the steering wheel so bad his coffee would slosh out of the cup holder. he took it to a shop and they told him the front diff was starting to whine from the constant slip difference. @black.oliver is dead on with the suspension damage thing too, jakes car started pulling to the right even on straight pavement after like 1500 miles. he eventually had to buy a full set of four just to fix the wobble and the alignment was way worse by then. your $60 fix is gonna cost you way more in the long run if you keep driving on it like that.