I own a 2004 WRX STi.

I put my winter wheels/tires on and noticed that one tire is a bit
damaged on the sidewall. The tires aren't much worn down yet, so I'm
wondering, if I need to replace it, how many to replace? Can I get away
with replacing just one tire, given that the AWD's pretty good, or must
I replace two to make the wear match perfectly somehow? (I'll replace
with exactly the size/model of the three undamaged tires.)

-- Mark

Mark T.B. Carroll wrote:
> I own a 2004 WRX STi.
>
> I put my winter wheels/tires on and noticed that one tire is a bit
> damaged on the sidewall. The tires aren't much worn down yet, so I'm
> wondering, if I need to replace it, how many to replace? Can I get away
> with replacing just one tire, given that the AWD's pretty good, or must
> I replace two to make the wear match perfectly somehow? (I'll replace
> with exactly the size/model of the three undamaged tires.)
>
> -- Mark

How many miles on the winter tires? If the circumference isn't more
than 1/4" different (read that on some tech board - you might want to
confirm it) you only need to replace the one tire.

If the circumference is too far off, you might be able to find a shop
that will "shave" the tire down to match. You only need to match the
tire on the other side of the car, not all three.

Ragnar <rworkss@comsouth.net> writes:
(snip)
> How many miles on the winter tires? If the circumference isn't more
> than 1/4" different (read that on some tech board - you might want to
> confirm it) you only need to replace the one tire.
>
> If the circumference is too far off, you might be able to find a shop
> that will "shave" the tire down to match. You only need to match the
> tire on the other side of the car, not all three.

Ah, thanks, great.

-- Mark

On Mon, 02 Oct 2006 10:29:07 -0400, mark@ixod.org (Mark T.B. Carroll)
wrote:

>I own a 2004 WRX STi.
>
>I put my winter wheels/tires on and noticed that one tire is a bit
>damaged on the sidewall. The tires aren't much worn down yet, so I'm
>wondering, if I need to replace it, how many to replace? Can I get away
>with replacing just one tire, given that the AWD's pretty good, or must
>I replace two to make the wear match perfectly somehow? (I'll replace
>with exactly the size/model of the three undamaged tires.)
>
>-- Mark

Subaru specifies that all four tires must have a rolling circumference
within 1/4". That is circumference, NOT tread depth.
It's always best to replace them in sets of four, unless the remaining
tires are nearly new.

"Mark T.B. Carroll" <mark@ixod.org> wrote in message
news:873ba64qej.fsf@ixod.org...
> Ragnar <rworkss@comsouth.net> writes:
> (snip)
>> How many miles on the winter tires? If the circumference isn't more
>> than 1/4" different (read that on some tech board - you might want to
>> confirm it) you only need to replace the one tire.
>>
>> If the circumference is too far off, you might be able to find a shop
>> that will "shave" the tire down to match. You only need to match the
>> tire on the other side of the car, not all three.
>
> Ah, thanks, great.
>
> -- Mark

I replaced one on my STi with no ill effects. The remaining three ties had
about 75% tread left. Any more and it was recommended to replace two or
shave the new one

On my 215/60/16 tire a 1/4 inch circumference difference = between
2/32 & 3/32 inch difference in tread depth. This of course is for the
same size & model tire from the same manufacture.