shaving tires

[Donald]

My Forester has a puncture that cannot be repaired. It has about 20K on the tires. Will measure tread depth. If I buy a new tire it will be 10/32" according to the specs. Do people shave one tire to be within 4/32" which is what I am told is the maximum allowed for an AWD.

 

[aualtima3.5]

Tire rack used to shave tires, not sure if they still do.

I'd buy a whole new set. Why jut one new tire and then ruin it? When my tires get down to 4 or 3/32
They usually perform bad anyway.

 

[RooflessVW]

My wife drove on a flat and I replaced one tire on the X3. Tire rack shaved it to 7/32" for free.

 

[Bandito440]

Yep, Tire Rack. Have it shaved to match the others.

 

[CKN]

My local Subaru dealer even uses Tirerack to shave the tires. I am a Subaru owner as well. It's the downside of their AWD system if one tire needs to be replaced.

 

[Ducked]

Thanks for this.

Always enjoy learning new reasons why new cars suck.

 

[dareo]

Some tire chains will have the shaving machine just for AWD matching.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Thanks for this.

Always enjoy learning new reasons why new cars suck.


"New cars?" This is not a new problem OR solution.

I'll keep my AWD.

 

[Cristobal]

Idiot here. What is "shaving" tires and what does it do?

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Cristobal
Idiot here. What is "shaving" tires and what does it do?


It turns an $89 tire into a $15 craigslist special in 5 minutes.

It's a lathe for rubber that removes tread down to an arbitrary amount... 4/32" for racing, or a deeper depth to match corners for AWD.

If OP buys a used tire, it'll have the same weather-hardness as his others. A new one, shaved, will be stickier in that corner.

They also used shaved tires for racing in certain "street classes" where they can't just use race tires.

I've even seen tires shaved for camber; nearly bald on one side, new on the other. Guess it helps for circle-tracks.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Thanks for this.

Always enjoy learning new reasons why new cars suck.




Yea-there are some really "mega" miles on the odometer on this board. I'll take my Subaru any day.....lousy paint and all.

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Thanks for this.

Always enjoy learning new reasons why new cars suck.


"New cars?" This is not a new problem OR solution.

I'll keep my AWD.


It's new to me, but OK: "sophisticated cars" then.

I drove a borrowed Forrester in Australia for a bit and liked it, but I did wonder how I'd like to have to maintain one.

Maybe not much, if this is an indication. Throwing away half a new tyre and paying to do it would really [censored] me off, though I suppose you could rotate your spare so the wear matches.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Thanks for this.

Always enjoy learning new reasons why new cars suck.


"New cars?" This is not a new problem OR solution.

I'll keep my AWD.


Ditto for my wife's 188k mile X3- although I still prefer RWD for everything but snow and off-roading.

 

[RoadRaceJosh]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Thanks for this.

Always enjoy learning new reasons why new cars suck.


So you lose a single tire once or twice in the lifetime of the car and it costs and extra $20 each time to have it shaved to match the others. That's a small price to pay for the benefits of AWD.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Ditto for my wife's 188k mile X3- although I still prefer RWD for everything but snow and off-roading.

Even in snow, I normally don't have any issues with RWD and proper winter tires, unless there is so much snow that I'm plowing it with my bumper in which case I should really be staying home instead of driving. That's when ask wife to use her SUV instead.

 

[Donald]

The topic was not what drive system is best but what to do if one tire needs to be replaced due to damage on an AWD vehicle. Subaru pushes 25% power into each wheel. If one tire is a larger than the rest because it's new the AWD system may incorrectly calculate how much power to provide to each wheel. The AWD system is not designed to constantly provide more than 25% to any given wheel hour after hour.

Tire Rack now charges $25 to shave a tire and can only do it in their west coast warehouse, so long shipping to NY.

I went with a used tire off EBAY with the tread depth listed. Less than 1/2 the price of new tire shaved to be old.

 

[CKN]

Guys the OP was talking about a tire for a SUBARU. You know the reaction ANYTHING SUBARU is going to get on this board.

This place is so predictable it's not even funny.

 

[Ifixyawata]

Originally Posted By: Ducked


It's new to me, but OK: "sophisticated cars" then.


Maybe it's true for Subarus and other makes but I think that people always assume that AWD is so much more complicated than 4wd, for example. The AWD system in my Mountaineer is just a different transfer case from the standard 4wd one. And, it has far less moving parts than its 4WD counterpart.

It is still sensitive to tire size differences, though.

 

[4WD]

There is a Michelin dealer near me that has done the "truing" of tires for many years. Some swear by it for mileage and smoothness on the highway.
On AWD & 4WD ?
Have both - the AWD is all computer logic based - various settings based on road surface (or lack of).
My 4WD ? You want Hi or Lo ?

 

[Ifixyawata]

Originally Posted By: 4WD

On AWD & 4WD ?
Have both - the AWD is all computer logic based - various settings based on road surface (or lack of).
My 4WD ? You want Hi or Lo ?


Different makes have different systems. I'm sure even Honda's VTM-4 system or whatever is loads more complex than the AWD system in the Mountaineer.

Mountaineer (AWD) has a single-speed transfer case, planetary center differential and viscous coupling to increase torque to the front axle during wheelspin conditions (as determined by front-to-back slip... via viscous coupling) allows full-time engagement by allowing for some roatational differences: e.g. tight turns on dry pavement.

Explorers of the same vintage (Auto 4wd) have a 2-speed transfer case, thus electric shift motor, front axle is engaged electrically during wheelspin conditions (as determined by ABS wheel speed sensors). I think a lot of more modern AWD systems are more like Auto 4wd. I like the all-mechanical aspect of my AWD.

I still don't, however, like having to worry about tire circumferences.