Mismatched snow tires?

[pitweasel]

First year with my Outback, some shrapnel on the highway destroyed one of my snow tires. I ended up finding a like-new set of four for less than $100, so I just replaced them all. Well, it looks like one of the ones from THAT set also has a leak. So the big question: assuming they have similar tread wear on them (that is, they've both only seen one winter), would it be safe to put a matching pair on the front, and a different - but matching - pair on the back?

Thanks!

[canubaru]

get a narrow, 1/4 inch wide, 10 ft long measuring tape and measure the circumference of both tires. if they are with in 1/4 inch of each other you can use them now. but as they wear, depending on the tire , one may wear down faster than the other. so you will have to keep track of their size over time.

1/4 inch in circumference is the magic number.

but why not just repair the leaky tire? unless the puncture was on the edge of the tread. been there , done that got the brand new tire with a nail hole on the edge to prove it.

another possible solution is to buy 2 new snows and put the new ones on the driver side and the old ones on the passenger side. this will make the average speed of the front axles the same as the average speed of the rear axles. i would not do this for 12 month tires, but for snow tires which are usually run for only a few months and are installed and removed every year so they can be measured easily it is a money saving mid range step.

[John E Davies]

Your first step should be to try to fix the leak! If it isn't repairable, then you can start worrying about options.

Really slow leaks (2 psi per month) can be hard to find - it may take the shop a couple of tries, so don't give up too quickly.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA