Is it necessary to replace all four tires at once?

Long story short, I had a guy hit and run my tacoma. He did minimal damage - scraping up one of my wheels and doing a bit of damage to the sidewall on that tire (BFG KO2).

An eyewitness helped me track down the dude that hit and run and now his insurance company is helping me get this settled.

My question is - is it fair to ask to have all four tires replaced, considering uneven wear/strain on transmission if I have one new tire and 3 with 20k-ish miles on them? I know on AWD vehicles, you need to replace all four at once. Wondering if that's the case with 4WD as well.

Just trying to get my facts straight before I ask for that. Thanks for the guidance.

 

Yeah, for sure. I just want to make sure that there is some data to back that up to share with them. I know on AWD vehicles, you can do terrible damage to the transmission by replacing just one tire. Is that true for 4WD?

 

Yes.... Toyota has said you need to replace all 4. I have read threads that people have gone in with a flat and that's the first thing they say. Need to replace all 4, wear needs to be equivalent on all corners or diffs dont mesh well if locker is engaged.

 

yep

you weren't ready to buy tires yet.....get all four

 

Technical specification for other brands here: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=18 Typical range is 2/32" to 6/32" tread depth mismatch. These are AWD vehicles with mechanical or viscous center diffs. Toyota doesn't publish a mismatch limit in the owner's manual or the service manual because the truck has open diffs, and you are technically not "supposed" to use 4WD on dry pavement. As long as the ABS or TRAC lights don't come on, the mismatch is considered safe to drive. That is the bare minimum technical answer.

As others have said, because the other driver is at fault and insurance is paying, feel free to ask for 4 new tires. Just be aware of the increased risk for collateral damage which may or may not be important to you: the tire shop may scratch up your other 3 wheels, the TPMS sensors may leak necessitating new fit kits, etc.

 

Thanks for this. I called Toyota and they told me that if the thread depth variance is 3/32 or more, then all tires will should be replaced. My current tire thread depth is 10/32. New KO2s are 15/32. So, according to Toyota, they should all be replaced.

I have a feeling that the insurance company will fight to NOT replace all, but I'll keep you all posted. Might as well ask, right?

 

You've got the facts, so fight back. Can you get it in writing from Toyota about the 3/32"?

 

ON a tire of 33 inches in diameter, a 5/32 inch difference in tread depth results in approximately a 1 inch distance of road travel. This COULD cause an issue with ABS systems, and I have seen it trigger ABS errors in non-4WD and non AWD vehicles. That being said, causing issues with 4WD and AWD vehicles sounds reasonable. The hardest part would be to convince the insurance company of this. Their job is to pay out the least that they can.

 

Yep! Toyota will be emailing this to me today. Thanks!

 

That would be super helpful to include a few cases/Toyota emails. Thanks!

 

I know commercial vehicles require front steering tires to be replaced at same time. If it was the front you could use that law. Lucky he had insurance. Mine hit and ran cause he didn’t have insurance. I got screwed.

 

On my old F150 and my wife's current AWD Rav4 I've always done 2 at a time. I've never seen a error code or anything else on the Rav but will take it to heart on my Taco. Thanks.

 

Generally speaking it is best to have all 4 tires exactly the same and pretty close to the same tread wear on any vehicle. But at least the 2 on each axle should be the same on 2wd vehicles. It is more of a concern with 4X4's, but only when operating in 4X4. It isn't unusual for the spare to be significantly smaller, most cars with temporary spares are much smaller, and for short distances even that is OK. There is a reason those tires are suggested to be used for less than 50 miles, and at less than 50 mph.

Some tire stores won't sell you less than 4 tires for a 4X4 vehicle. They are concerned that someone may operate it in 4X4 and they will be liable for any damage done to the drivetrain.

 

The guy hit and ran. Even though you caught him you should have reported him to the police. I’d tell him you want 4 new tires whether it’s him or the insurance company that has to pay. If he hesitates then I’d tell him I’m reporting the hit/run to the police.Damn right you should get all4 replaced.

 

Don't ask. Tell. Don't accept options.

 

4 tires for free, umm hell yea