I got a flat from a nail near the sidewall of my tire yesterday. Could only afford one tire. Isn’t the same tire. Other 3 also medium high tread wear.
How bad is it to drive like this? I can’t afford a new set now or even the extra tire, but in a couple months I should be able to get all new.
Will need to make a lengthy trip soon too.
What are the impacts of driving several thousand miles like this?
It depends on the tire size substituted and the vehicle.
Tester
Same size tire. AWD Kia Seltos.
Then there shouldn’t be a problem.
Tester
On a Kia/Hyundai I have never seen a problem only replacing one at a time…
It’s AWD, so it could be a problem, because the other three tires are worn. What does the owners manual say?
In emergency maneuvers, cars tend to pivot around odd tires - and the more odd they are, the more the tendency.
So be careful and avoid situations that could escalate.
On a 2WD vehicle with the mismatched tire on the non-driven axle? Sure, go for it. On a 4WD/AWD vehicle? No effin’ way! Depending on the type of 4WD/AWD system, a mismatched tire can cause serious damage. If you think buying a full set of tires is too expensive, wait until you see what transmission/transfer case repairs cost!
It’s kia seltos AWD. Usually all power is sent to front axle. Mismatched is on rear.
How does this damage occur on an AWD system?
Do not know. What should I look at?
Owner’s Manuals can be set-up in sometimes strange ways, and I have noticed that the info I am looking for is not necessarily in the section where I thought that I would find it. I suggest that you peruse the sections pertaining to tires/tire changing. If the info isn’t there, then you might want to look at the info regarding maintenance, or the section devoted to how the AWD system works.
Look at the diagram here:
If the tires on the driven wheels match in circumference, then the green gear doesn’t turn at all when you’re driving straight and it turns slowly when you’re in a gentle curve. Therefore, on average it’s not moving that much. If the tires on the driven wheels don’t match in circumference, then the green gear will basically be turning fast all the time to make up the difference. This generates a lot of extra heat that can overheat the differential and damage it.
This makes sense.
It also explains why my traction control came on all the sudden when I was cornering on a curved exit ramp yesterday.
I need to get the other one done. Shit. Charge! Sorry, credit score!
Basically, drive as little as possible until I get the matching one? A few hundred miles is too much right?
So, just need each axle to match right? Not all 4?
Hi Defaultemode:
In case it helps, here’s the wording from page 8-50 in your factory owner’s manual [1]:
The Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) works by comparing the speed of the wheels. The tire size affects wheel speed. When replacing tires, all 4 tires must use the same size originally supplied with the vehicle. Using tires of a different size can cause the ABS and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) to work irregularly.
It is best to replace all four tires at the same time. If that is not possible, or necessary, then replace the two front or two rear tires as a pair. Replacing just one tire can seriously affect your vehicle’s handling.
We recommend that when replacing tires, use the same originally supplied with the vehicles. If not, that affects driving performance.
Thanks.
I guess I might be ok with just one more tire? It’s the same size tire, just different tire. Tread depth on other 3 are all 1/2 gone with 40k miles.
Many time all 4 need to match. An alternative would be to have the new tire ‘shaved’ to make it match the old tires. You lose the tread on the new tire, but don’t have to buy 3 more. Google ‘tire shaving mycity’, see if you have shops in your area that can help.
This is a common problem reported here w/AWD-equipped vehicles. The mechanisms that route the power to the 4 wheels will wear out faster if the tires are not the same diameter. You could use the forum search feature to see what others have said, link upper right this page. The tire shave method mentioned by @texases above might be exactly what you are looking for.
Next time you are looking to buy another vehicle, suggest to carefully consider whether you really need AWD
The mountains you Need AWD 
I’ll check this out, thanks!