How bad is it to have mismatched tires installed?

[Xtc6k]

I know it's not a good idea to have mismatched tires, but how bad is it?

I made the mistake of buying only 2 Goodyear Asymmetric tires. They are a performance summer tire. Right now I have 4 all season tires in which the front tires need replacing.

 

[horse123]

AWD? RWD? FWD?

Do you ever see snow or temperatures below 40 for more than a day or two at a time?

 

[eljefino]

Not a bad idea at all.

Check your understeer if you have a FWD car, and make sure you still have some of it with stickier tires up front. Or just check your handling in general with no traffic around.

 

[Falken]

Mismatched tires? A keen insurance guy might give you a really hard time...

 

[sicko]

What type of car is it on? If it's a Subaru or some other AWD vehicle, it can cause problems with the AWD system as the larger diameter of the new tires makes the system think some of the tires are continually slipping.

 

[65f100]

Mis-matched tires got my boys uptight
Two Vogues on the left, Uniroyal on the right

 

[rjundi]

Slippery conditions you'll find out how "mismatched" your tires really have and typically when least expected. Although stability control can mask that.

 

[CELICA_XX]

I know it's not ideal, but if you're driving a FWD economy car at safe reasonable speeds, you won't have a problem.

 

[donnyj08]

Originally Posted By: Falken
Mismatched tires? A keen insurance guy might give you a really hard time...


IF the car is AWD or 4x4 i wouldn't do it. If its strictly 2wd then it will be ok. A customer brought a ford EDGE AWD to my uncles shop a few weeks ago that had a PTU issue. The vehicle was under warranty, however the warranty adjuster looked at the SUV and noticed the customer had 2 different brand tires installed in the rear, that also had way more tread. The warranty claim was denied and she ended up having to buy the PTU out of pocket. On any AWD/4x4 its best to install 4 new at the same time and rotate often so the wear stays as even as possible.

 

[CapriRacer]

The problem here is that there can be a wide range of responses.

First, one generally doesn't know how bad the situation is until they have to do an emergency maneuver - and then it's too late!

It is the norm that tires aren't that much different and the vehicle will behave reasonably.

- BUT -

It is possible that the front and rear tires could be soooo different that vehicle is unstable - and you won't know it until the emergency occurs. Plus, it may not be obvious that there MIGHT be a problem. Certainly a difference in speed rating is an indicator, but even tires that seem to be similar might be quite different.

In my view, the answer to the OP's question is that I just can not answer the question accurately. It could be terrible, but it could be OK - and there is no amount of information, short of a full blown tire destroying test, that will give you the answer.

 

[krzyss]

Originally Posted By: Xtc6k
I know it's not a good idea to have mismatched tires, but how bad is it?

I made the mistake of buying only 2 Goodyear Asymmetric tires. They are a performance summer tire. Right now I have 4 all season tires in which the front tires need replacing.


It sounds like OP will be mixing worn AS tires with brand new summer performance tires.
Strange mix.
As you know it is not optimal but it may be even worse if your vehicle is AWD.

What car and what are the old tires? How much tread is left?

Krzys

 

[weebl]

Originally Posted By: krzyss
Originally Posted By: Xtc6k
I know it's not a good idea to have mismatched tires, but how bad is it?

I made the mistake of buying only 2 Goodyear Asymmetric tires. They are a performance summer tire. Right now I have 4 all season tires in which the front tires need replacing.


It sounds like OP will be mixing worn AS tires with brand new summer performance tires.
Strange mix.
As you know it is not optimal but it may be even worse if your vehicle is AWD.

What car and what are the old tires? How much tread is left?

Krzys


^^ This.

With AWD or 4WD, matched tires are absolutely needed.

2WD may be different. In the past, when I was young, had no money and didn't know any better, I had done this. But my cars were little econoboxes then, and the tires really weren't too different from what was on there already: aftermarket low-end A/S with OEM low-end A/S, with similar treadwear levels (new vs. used for about 12,000 miles).

The OP's situation is different. Worn A/S matched with super sticky summer tires equals a recipe for disaster, one end of the car will stay planted on the road, while the other end loses control in adverse conditions.

I wouldn't do it.

 

[IndyIan]

In my zero budget autocross days, I'd run some summer performance up front and the all seasons at the back on my 95 Neon. It certainly did make the car more neutral, and I probably wouldn't drive it for very long on the street that way. Their relative grip may change dramatically on different types of wet pavement as well.
I was good with mismatching mediocre all-seasons front to back to burn up on the commute, but new summer tires and old all seasons is asking for trouble IMO.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: sicko
What type of car is it on? If it's a Subaru or some other AWD vehicle, it can cause problems with the AWD system as the larger diameter of the new tires makes the system think some of the tires are continually slipping.

I think that depends a lot on whether or not it's automatic or manual. None of the manuals have a means to change to FWD mode for use of a compact spare which is an obvious mismatch. I heard that some autos (at least a 2004 WRX since I read that in my owner's manual) can't even do that, yet they have a compact spare.

The ones that have an electronic system are supposed to be more sensitive, but I've heard some claims that the manuals with the mechanical systems may also have issues.

 

[CharBaby]

Where is the OP?

 

[buck91]

People do it all the time around here. Not ideal but it works. Try to run the better tires in the back to combat unexpected over steer

 

[fdcg27]

Why not just fix the mistake you say you made by buying another two new tires?
If money is really tight, return the two good tires and buy four decent cheapos instead.

 

[Traction]

Sure, you can run about anything, like some people do. But, me OCD or not, I have never run mismatched tires on any vehicle I ever owned after 45 years. Hard to win the daily race of life on [censored] tires! It can be way beyond round and black sometimes.

 

[jacky]

i have 3 different brands of tires on my plymouth breeze and plan to run them till they wear out, it might make a small difference having all the same brand
if we were talking about a 4wd vehicle i would want all tires to match

 

[PeterGreen]

on my old Saab, used to buy tires 2 at a time and put them on the back. always bought good quality tires, however, no [censored]. Either Michelin or Generals.