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got a flat. . .and apparently my spare is also

2K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  Kubica 
#1 ·
So I looked down for one second on my way into work this morning and smoked a pothole (thanks ohio winter). It popped on the sidewall so i threw on the spare. It is the first time i have used it and while it holds air just fine in the trunk and when the car is sitting, once you drive it loses it real fast.

Question is do I replace the spare and now flat tire and put them on the front (with the good front as the spare). Or being that this is an xi Do i need to replace all 5. I really don't want to but you gotta do what you gotta do. The current tires on there are Michelin radials I believe. Definitely Michelins and they have 1/4 inch of tread left in the middle (Po put them on so). So they aren't that bad and they are pretty nice tires.

This is my first AWD car and I have no understanding of the driving dynamics of the BMW Xi system so I do not want to mess anything up but I also don't want to waste any good rubber.
 
#2 ·
1/4" of tread = 8/32" of tread. The tires when new probably had 10/32" tread. A 2/32" tread difference front/rear is ok. That said, do you really have 8/32" tread on your two best tires? You need a tire tread depth gauge to accurately measure tread depth. Eye-balling it or using a quarter really isn't going to cut it here.

Is the spare tire the same brand/size as the michelins? I bet if you remounted it on the rim it would hold air.

You can always look for a used tire if you can't afford a new pair/set.
 
#5 ·
Yeah the spare appears to be one of the original tires not the Michelin. I assume at 80k this only has had 2 sets of tires. It has some dry rot and not a lot of tread. This time it wasn't the end of the world as close to home as I was but next time With my luck I'll be 200 miles from home when I need that spare. I am not going to risk it. I have had a bad experience with a bad spare on a road trip.

So assuming my 8/32 is true than I could just buy a new pair and put them on the back? Do I need to get the exact same tires? Or will a similar tread pattern suffice? I would think I should go with the same tire but just checking. Who nows what the local guys will have. I will double check on the tread that I have. I used a metal ruler so.

I could afford to get a new set of tires but these just aren't that bad I hate to throw away money. I'm fine with replacing 2 bad tires just not the other 3 good ones. I'm a college student I'm trying to save as much as I can for next year when I graduate.
 
#6 ·
Yeah you want the exact same tires on all four corners. Your car won't explode if you dont have a matching set, but it's a good idea for many reasons. What model/size michelins are they? Michelin seems to make a model for many years so there's a good bet you can still buy them. They're also nice tires so gas stations and small shops tend to keep nice used ones around.
 
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