tire tread depth question

[wurm]

Just had the 90k service done on my car. They mentioned that one of my tires looks kind of "chewed up" (my term, not theirs) on the inside, as if I had driven on it when it was flat or very low, and the rim may have damaged the sidewall. Interestingly enough, they mentioned the same thing last time I brought it in for a major service. I hadn't noticed any problem driving, so frankly I forgot about it until yesterday when they mentioned it again. They didn't pressure me to buy a tire, but they did list it on the recommended items to take care of soon. It's an all-wheel drive Subaru Forester, so my concern is putting a new tire on a vehicle with about 30k miles on the tires now. When I brought this up to them last time, they said it wouldn't be a problem because the other tire were still new enough. Of course, it's been another 15k miles or so, and this time I didn't ask about it whether it might be an issue.

So here's my question. I figure I should get another tire. I've found two possibilities. Both are the exact same tire brand, model and size as my existing. Both are the exact same price. Both are used, but guaranteed and have never been repaired. One has 6/32" tread depth left and the other has 9/32". My inclination of course is to get the newer tire, since they're the same price. I probably have about 5/32 tread left on my existing tires.

So should I get the newer tire or the one whose depth more closely matches my others?

[mikebw]

Is the "chewed up" area something you can see for yourself?

I would go for the one that is the closest match to your current tires.

EDIT: and make sure the replacement tire is not older than your current ones. There are date codes on the sidewall of every tire, you don't want one more than 5 years old.

[SteveO]

Yeah, get the one that most closely matches your current set. You'll be replacing all four next time, so might as well save a little cash now since they'll be going not too far down the road. Good idea on the route your taking.

[OWC Jamie]

rain, physicals and a bit of performance driving would seem to dictate equal sizes / wear. Rubber age, too.

same price does make it difficult to pick the tire with less tread.

I don't like changing tire rotation, so if I wasn't sure the used tire was spinning the same direction I'd keep the scuffed one unless I saw bulges from internal damage on the scuffed one.
I don't like changing tires in a suit, either. :-)

[wurm]

Thanks for your thoughts.

You know, it's interesting. i just spent some time on my back under the car and I really don't see any problem area. I mean, I can see some scuffing around the rim on one of the tires, but I wouldn't consider it dangerous. Although they're dirty enough it's hard to really tell. There hasn't been any loss of air over time, so maybe they're just being overly cautious. It's the dealer's service department, but they've never really tried to "upsell" me anything in the time I've been going to them. They do mention things, but never pressure me. In fact, I've asked about things in the past and they reply with something like "If there was a problem with it, we'd tell you." Maybe I'll just save the $60 for now and pay extra attention.

[macphanatic]

Assuming that the one tire needs to be replaced, you should consider the wear rate on your tires. The other tire has a max of 3/32 of an inch to go before it will have to be replaced. Is it worth replacing one tire with a used one and then replacing both in the next year? I'm not suggesting one choice over the other, but think it makes sense to think it through.

You may want to take a look at these articles at Tire Rack:

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

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/t...techid=157¤tpage=51

Edit: You didn't mention what part of the country you live/drive in. If you have to deal with snow or heavy rain, you might want to think about new tires.

[mikebw]

Scuffing is OK, as long as no significant amount of rubber has worn off. If there were any bulges or tears in the sidewall then you should replace it.

[testcase]

Buy two. Keep them on the same axle. You'll now have one good full size tire as a spare.