One tire is broken but two tires need to be replaced: Advice from auto experts

When the car rolls on the road, the tire is the main contact on the road surface and bears the entire load of the car. During use, the tire will wear out over time, and can also encounter risky situations when driving on the road such as nail punctures, more seriously, tire tears that need to be replaced.

However, the price of a cheap tire is more than 1 million VND, and expensive tires can be up to nearly 10 million VND, depending on the size, function and tire brand. Most cars or SUVs in the popular segment will usually have rim sizes of 15-17 inches, the price of popular tires ranges from 2-4 million VND.

That is also a considerable amount of money and enough to make car users consider. So if a replacement is needed, should only one damaged tire be replaced or both tires be replaced as many garages advise? Below is the analysis of experts in the tire industry.

Basically, tire experts say that if one of the tires is damaged, the user should replace two tires on the same axle if they are truly aware of the safety issue. This is a recommendation from the tire manufacturers and as a recommendation, it should be viewed as a replacement advice, not a requirement.

Michelin says: Putting one new tire on the other can have a negative impact on the suspension, gear ratio, transmission, and tire wear. If for some reason you can only replace one tire, you should combine it with the one with the deepest tread on the tire you are using. Make sure the new tire is the same size and type as your current tires.

According to Mr. Le Viet Hoang - Manager of Tirefun tire garage (Hanoi), "Whether to replace just one damaged tire or both tires on the same axle will depend on each specific case."

In case of 4 new tires and same brand

The tires are so new, just replacing the damaged ones is enough. Photo: Ngo Minh

In case all 4 car tires have the same usage time, same brand, still new, deep tread but for some reason, suddenly one tire is damaged, the car owner will not need to replace both tires on the same axle, just need to replace only the damaged tire of that brand.

However, the problem arises that new and old tires will have different levels of wear and softness. Therefore, car owners need to handle this as follows:

- If the damaged tire at the front acts as a guide, the new tire will have to be moved to the rear axle.

- Lift two new tires from the rear axle and install them on the front axle for use.

- If the rear tire is damaged, simply replace the tire as normal and there is no need to rotate the tire.

Users should also realign the tires after replacing new tires to ensure stable operation. Photo: Ngo Minh

However, because the camber angle (wheel camber) of each tire is different, when replacing a damaged tire in the front, changing the old tire from the rear axle to the front axle can cause the car to sway. Therefore, when replacing a new tire, the car owner also needs to ask the tire garage to adjust the wheel camber. Thus, the sway phenomenon will be overcome.

In case the tires are not of the same brand

Nowadays, many car owners use tires that are not identical between the front and rear, to be exact, not the same brand. Many people even use a different brand for each tire position. This mainly happens in transport service vehicles to save costs.

In the above case, changing car tires requires a technician to check the tire surface, tire grooves and tire type to arrange them optimally, put the 2 most similar tires first to guide and replace the new tire to the rear axle.

If the technical inspection does not ensure suitability for continued use, the vehicle owner must replace 2 tires of the same type to help the vehicle achieve balance and safety during operation.

Gia Khanh