What would you do?

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I'm picking up a 97 Honda Civic HX from a friend of mine in UT. It's a 1500 mile drive back home to Kansas from there. The car currently has (3) 185-60-15 General RT43's and an unknown 195-60-15 tire. I don't like the idea of driving home with an odd-ball size tire. He says the current RT43's have "20k miles left on them". So, do I buy 4 new tires or should I just get one new RT43 or maybe a pair of new tires?
 
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Your concern is correct. You will need to inspect them yourself, of course, but it sounds like 4 new tires. They are your best safety item.
 
If you're going to put new tires on it when you get home, and can afford it, no reason not to go ahead and get them put on before you set off for peace of mind. If not, and they're all round and not bald or rotten, put the odd one on the back (assuming front-wheel drive and not AWD) and bring it home.
 
and how old are the tires? can you get the date code? I put a set of new tires on a truck I bought before I drove it 300 miles home. three of the tires looked new - but they were 20 years old.
as far as "one oddball tire"; as long as it is not on the driven axle it should not be a problem. if you put 4 new tires on the car, I doubt that you will regret it.
 
Four new ones would be the best way to go but if you don't wanna spend that kind of money I would just get two and keep the extra as a spare.
 
I'd have your friend buy one used rt43 from eBay and ship to the seller of the car. Drive to the closest shop to swap out the odd sized tire.
 
Tread depth indicators are cheap. The chances of him having a camera or smartphone with a camera are high. Looking at a tire to get the type is idiot-proof.

Tell him to send you tread depth, pictures and make of the odd-ball tire. Until then, there is no advice that anyone can give you that will work. Tires are expensive. These may need to be replaced before the trip or in 5 years. Why guess???????
 
Your safety is not worth compromising for old tires on an old car. Get the best tires you can afford, they are fairly inexpensive in that size (you can even premium tires like the Michelin Defender T+H for under $400 plus installation. Since you have a long trip, also have the brakes and suspension inspected, change the fluids, the battery if necessary and inspect the hoses (including brake lines) and belts for wear and cracking, and change the air filter.


If your friend has good maintenance records you may be able to skip a few of the steps above.
 
You are not alone Linctex. Put the odd tire in back. Fill to door post pressure. Happy motoring.
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Originally Posted By: Linctex
Wow....... I'm the only guy who doesn't care and would just drive it home like it is.


Not enough info. This isn't rocket surgery. Tell your buddy to send the info I mentioned above. SUPER easy.
 
I so liked the idea of checking the size of the spare. I hadn't thought of it. Thanks Egg_Head

I'd load 'em with air and drive it home.

If the oil was black I might consider an oil change before leaving or (if so inclined) throw the "200 miles before an oil change solvent cleaner Grandpa swore by" in during the home stretch.
 
I'd run it. Put the odd size on back and call it a day. Make sure to test & see how hard it pulls at extra legal speeds too.
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I'd probably just run it. You *could* buy new tires, make it a state or two, and find the shop did shoddy work. Or not even leave the place before you find balance issues.

Low tread doesn't mean the tire is unsafe. Tire age, cracking, damage do. They could be getting close to wear bars and that'd just mean it'll be more apt to hydroplane. It's not like super deep tread tires "never" pick up nails.
 
Guys and gals, we still don't have ANY good information on the tires. He could have 4 bald tires or 1 with a bulge or 1 of a wildly different diameter. OP, please get this dude to send pics of the side-walls AND tread, at the very least.
 
Originally Posted By: CARJ
I'm picking up a 97 Honda Civic HX from a friend of mine in UT. It's a 1500 mile drive back home to Kansas from there. The car currently has (3) 185-60-15 General RT43's and an unknown 195-60-15 tire. I don't like the idea of driving home with an odd-ball size tire. He says the current RT43's have "20k miles left on them". So, do I buy 4 new tires or should I just get one new RT43 or maybe a pair of new tires?


The 1997 Honda Civic HX was originally sold with P185/65R14 tires ( 1997 Honda Civic Specs ).

At some time during this car's life, the original wheels and tires were replaced with what's on it now. We have no idea whether the replacement wheels are Honda OEM or aftermarket. We have no idea about the real age or condition of the currently installed tires.

Some later model year Civics were originally equipped with P185/65R15 86H tires.

If it were me, I'd visually inspect all 5 tires, including the spare, and then decide what to do. Most probably, this would be to replace all 5 currently installed tires with new P185/65R15 86H tires - assuming the wheels are serviceable. This would probably cost about $70-$80 per tire.

In any event, I would not decide on a definite plan until I visually inspected the vehicle myself.

HTH
 
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