I need new tires for my car

But I had to have one replaced last month before the tread was pretty much dead. I'm going to get three new ones, but I'm iffy about getting three different tires than the one I have now.

I'm thinking this will be a problem, am I correct? I think it might create a problem in handling, but when I asked a mechanic about it at the shop where I'm going this weekend to get three new tires, he didn't mention anything of it.

Any gurus who can share some wisdom? I'd love to be able to save the extra 75 bucks and not get a fourth tire, but I'm afraid I might have to do that.

 

Check the tire stores and see if any of them are having a buy 3 tires get the fourth free sale.
Or just spring for the fourth tire, it will need to be replaced soon and you can use the fourth tire that doesn't need to be replaced as a full-sized spare instead of the donut spare that most cars come with.

 

Joe's right -- 4-for-3 sales are very common, except at Sam's/Costco (where I always get my tires because it's much cheaper and the quality is still high. Never ever had an issue with tires from there.)

 

Agreed. But depending on the vehicle, you're looking at having to get a different wheel for the spare tire if the donut is being replaced in the trunk/hatch. To boot, many vehicles have planned for a donut to be stored in the trunk/hatch and replacing it with a full-size spare, while a very wise move for the thinking motorist, could severely compromise storage space.

BRoth, depending on the type of driving you do, buying three tires to go along with the one shouldn't be a big deal. After all, how often do we have to buy a new tire for one that can't be patched because the one that was cut down suffered the letdown too close to the sidewall?

 

You can tell I haven't had a car for very long, but how often should you change your tires? When can you tell they need to be replaced?

 

If you buy the same model tire it won't be a problem. Ideally you do not want 2 different kinds on tires on car. The fact that one of tires is only on car for one month and already has some wear is no big
deal . Just be sure all wheels are balanced and tire pressure is correct.

Two completely different tires with different thread patterns could affect handling of vehicle.

 

I do back-road driving to and from work - but it's an easy straight shot on a country road (paved well, of course) and I go 60ish.

The rest of it is either in my small city or on the thruway.

The tread is the trick. Whipped out a couple pennies to check my tires last week after they looked a little iffy.


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=51

 

If you plug in your make and model into tirerack.com and then check the message boards, you'll get a pretty good read on which tires will work best for your vehicle.

Hell, you could always order from tirerack.com and have someone mount them.

 

If no part of the head on the side of penny is obscured when you jam it into the grooves, that's not a good sign. If the vehicle slides around on the road in wet weather, that's not too good, either. Being able to see telltale color cords built into the tire belts is a sure sign that it's time for new rubber.

Check your tires for uneven wear - that could be caused by improperly inflated tires (a good tire gauge can be had for $5), too much positive or negative camber or poor alignment. Springing for an alignment and balance is pennies-on-the-dollar maintenance. Otherwise, you'll be replacing those new tires too soon - again.