Replace only one tyre

[kaboo]

Hi everyone,

I had a bad tyre damage today, hit the kerb while trying to avoid a speeding van coming from the other side. It instantly blew the tyre - front passenger side. I had got these tyres late in 2021, they are Michelin CorssClimate 2. Last October during the MOT the tread depth was uniform and front tyres were at 5 mm for front and 5.5 for the rear. Right now it is 4.5 mm on the front driver side tyre. Googling says brand new crossclimate 2 are at 7 mm and lower limit being 2 mm, So I would say that still can expect a bit less than half life in them ~2ish years. 

So the question, can i get away with replacing only one tyre, or do I have to replace both in the front? They are not cheap with £120 a piece. Google says replacing only one could put wear out suspension? But suspension has to deal with far worse going over uneven roads, speed breakers and potholes , which are more and more common on Oxford. Whats the experience of the people here?

[Ex Tiff]

Correct advice is always replace tyres in matching pairs if at all possible, there are no regulations requiring this so the short answer is yes you can replace just the damaged tyre. I would be more concerned that the wheel rim could be damaged by a blow hard enough to destroy a tyre.  

[dannyboy413]

2 minutes ago, Ex Tiff said:

I would be more concerned that the wheel rim could be damaged by a blow hard enough to destroy a tyre.  

..... and possibly the tracking?

[kaboo]

Thanks guys... i will have it checked.

 

[tavy]

  Few times in my life I replaced only one destroyed tyre, but I replaced it with a similar one, this means I found a second hand tyre, same make, same profile and appropriate thread wear.

  Each time, anything was all right.

[TonyHSD]

Yes 

you can do with one used same model of eBay or so. 
At that age they might be just about to start cracking on inner side wall so better do one tyre and next year replace all 4 

[solero]

At that depth, i would replace with a used tyre of similar depth. Then change with a new pair at a later date.

Hope the rim survived.

[Derek.w]

A other option for raplacing just one tyre is remove rear tyres & fit them on the front then the two odd tread depth tyres on the rear.

[tavy]

12 hours ago, solero said:

At that depth, i would replace with a used tyre of similar depth. Then change with a new pair at a later date.

  This is exactly what I did this summer, I have a set of four old tyres, used on the front but very good on the rear.

  Shifted the rear to the front and bought two good second hand tyres for the rear.  

  Now these tyres will serve me another two years, then my car will get four new tyres...

[kaboo]

Thanks guys... i am going to get two new and keep the ok front one in my garage as a backup spare. The rim looks to be ok to me but will ask the mechanic. The darn road I was on has too many and deep potholes, drivers tend to swerve around to avoid them. This driver was almost in the middle of the road and instinctively i served a bit too much on the left. 

 

[kaboo]

How bad does it look? 

[tavy]

  The outside of the rim is not looking too bad, more scratches than bends, with some sandpaper and a drop of lacquer it will look much better, but I want to see the inside of the rim...

[TonyHSD]

It looks like the wheel is ok, just a small scratch. 
Perhaps you haven’t hit the kerb and went over but just sliced the tyre at the kerb edge. If you buy two new tyres now , next year you can do another two.