I have a 2006 Honda CRV,with 17,000 miles on it. One back tire has a leak and can’t be patched so I’m going to put 2 new tires on the back. Do I need to put the exact same tire or can I put a different one on?
Is it AWD? You might have an additional problem if it’s AWD and you put on new tires on the back axle. What does your manual say?
Is the said CRV two wheel, or all wheel drive. this makes a difference.
It’s 4 WD. The manuel said you should replace all the tires but if you didn’t need to you could just replace the 2. I don’t know if it said it had to be the same tire. I’ve talked to lots of tire places and 2 car dealers who service them and they’ve all said I didn’t need to put the exact same one on. One place wouldn’t even just replace the back 2 and said I would need all new tires because it’s 4 WD.
"The manual said you should replace all the tires"
Yup. Dissimilar diameter tires could burn out the AWD mechanism
The thing is the manuel made it sound like if the other tires were ok, it would work to just replace the 2. I talked to 5 other places, including a Honda dealer, and they said just replacing the back 2 would be fine, considering the low miles on my car.
I’d get the dealer to put that in writing in case the center diff/AWD unit packs up 1000 miles down the road.
It is important that the tyres are all close in handling characteristics for safety. It is important for the car to have very close to the same circumference on all four tyres or you may end up damaging the AWD system. $$$
While this would be true for vehicles with constantly engaged AWD, it may actually be safe for the system on the CR-V.
The CR-V is not a true AWD vehicle because it normally runs in FWD mode until wheel slip is detected, and then it engages the drive system to the rear wheels only very briefly. The vast majority of CR-Vs run as a FWD vehicle for ~98% of the time, unless they are constantly driven in a really ice-bound area.
If I were the OP, I would probably still err on the side of caution, but since the CR-V is not really an AWD vehicle in the usual sense, dissimilar tires on the rear axle may not be a problem.
It just seems hard to believe that because one tire is bad and the car only has 17,000 miles on it, that I would need to replace 4 tires because 1 is bad. It’s interesting that the people posting on this site are saying I should get all new tires and the tire shops, with the exception of one of them, are all saying I certainly don’t need 4. I know, they aren’t the ones who will pay if anything goes wrong but they’re all in the business of selling tires and they’re saying 2 instead of 4.
Can you buy the exact same tires as the ones you already have? Then I’m certain you can buy 2. Look on EBay for new tires if the ones you want are no longer in a retailer’s stock. Sometimes the models that are no longer made are still available.
I think this business of replacing all 4 is nonsense - a great way to sell tires.
Yes, I can get the same tires. Now that most of you are telling me to get 4 tires or risk damaging the AWD I’m afraid not to.
This actually is a big deal with many AWD cars and will cause problems with very, very costly repairs. If you choose not to replace all of the tires you have a few options.
~If you decide to just replace the two, definably get in writing, from the dealer that this is OK to do.
~Buy a used tire that also has approximately 17k on it.
~Some tire places will actually shave down a new tire to match the rest for an AWD car.
IF it was a four wheel drive with locking hubs and a truck style transfer case it would still be OK with a new tire. Every vehicle I ever drove had a differential, so it could go around corners and steer and so forth. I suppose there are times when a vehicle does nothing but go straight ahead all day, but in that case a Honda CR-V will automatically be in 2 wheel drive all day, too. Differentials are made to deal with the differential between the rotational speed of the driven wheels, and spending hundreds of dollars to buy unneeded tires so the differential doesn’t have to work is just silly. If you don’t want to wear out your car, keep it in the garage, and don’t drive it at all. A car is a machine designed to move you around, not a technology masterpiece to be preserved and coddled. Use it, and make reasonable choices.
I understand why using the same type tires is a reasonable thing to do, so handling in emergencies is predictable, but this business of buying 4 new tires because of a leak in one at 17,000 miles is just silly.
I would contact Honda customer service or your dealer service department and find out the answer.
Only Audi and Subaru cars have strict criteria on replacing tires due to their full time AWD. The rest of “AWD” vehicles have Front Wheel Drive with an ancillary rear wheel drive as needed. Basically they only engage the rears as needed so the tire depth difference may not really play a difference at all.
The thing is how much wear is there really at 17k miles? If you purchase a new tire you should only replace with exact pair as current tires. You can look up tread depth on tire manufacturer spec sheet.
What If Somebody Drove One Of These Things Around With One Tire A Little Low On Air?
What if a brake starts to drag? How about the alignment being slightly off?
One replaced tire can cause the whole system to “go to hell in a handbasket”?
This is way too much (not enough?) technology. I can’t honestly believe that a person needing to replace a tire has triggered this type of response as to how to go about it.
Is it just me? I like to keep things simple and try to “maintain an even strain”. I have way more important things to contemplate, like what kind of leather conditioner smells best in the old Bonneville. I tend to agree with Went West - Silly! Throw a tire on there and see what happens. You can worry yourself sick over this kind of thing.