Replace 2 tires in AWD or buy new pre-shaved tire?
 

I have a 2013 RX350 AWD that has done about 25K miles. It is equipped with Michelin Latitude Tour HP P235/55R19 tires.

Over the weekend, I noticed the tire pressure indicator and saw that a screw has punctured the sidewall. The guy at Costco said that I have to replace all 4 tires since I have an AWD. I use the car exclusively in the city and always with AWD option off. He said it is still not an option to replace just the rear two tires. He says it could result in axle damage. I have 2 queries:

1. Is it really not an option to buy just two new tires for the rear?

2. From another thread in this forum, I found out that I can buy just one new tire from Tire Rack who can shave it to match the tire depth of the remaining tires. They claim to be able to shave it to within 2/32" of what I ask them. It is a manual process. Has anyone had experience following this option?

Replacing all 4 tires will cost close to a thousand bucks. Obviously, I would rather not spend it if I have other options like those above.

Your driving a $50k Lexus and want to save a little on tires. Personally, I would just buy a new set of 4 and be done with it. If this was a cheap Chevy I would say otherwise. I think it is just wrong to do anything cheap on a Lexus.

huh? you cant turn the awd off? its always active.

There is no way to turn off the AWD in the RX. It always engages while accelerating or detecting wheel slip.

I would buy 4 new tires.

i've had to buy a new tire shaved to spec to match the other tires on my subaru. Its common practice on awd cars where the other tires have plenty of tread. Same awd dilemma as my '02 RX300 and 2010 RX350. Its just not worth it to have differential wear.

You also have the option to get a used tire preferably same model/size to get shaved and trued to match your other tires. Check your surrounding local area for services.

I had always assumed that when the AWD-lock switch is off, the vehicle is in FWD mode. See attached picture about what I am referring to.

Normally the system works in a fully automatic mode. It engages AWD under acceleration and during slippage. The lock switch simply takes it out of automatic mode and keeps it locked in AWD - in other words, sending power to the rear wheels no matter what, as long as you're under 25 mph..

You can usually find plenty of great used tires on eBay. You can just about select the amount of tread wear you want to match your old tires. I have done this a few times. Initially when my Infiniti G35 blew out the right rear tire at 12 thousand miles and then when the same tire blew out again due to a road hazard about 5 thousand miles later! I just got 2 used Goodyear Eagle Sport tires on eBay with 9/10 tread to put on my HS250h and save over $100 vs new ones. When I got the car the dealer replaced the front tires with new Goodyears but left the OEM Toyos on the rear as they had never been rotated! 17,000 miles later I needed to replace the Toyos. I did not want new tires because the Goodyears had worn about a a third. Thus, used tires. Here I did the search for you http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...55R19&_sacat=0

Production dates are important for used tires too. Older tires with good tread are not always safe tires, rubber does dry-rot and crack. I never run tires longer than 5 yrs. good tread or not.

You would probably be fine with only replacing two since the car is not full time AWD. I've replaced my tires twice already and each time the dealer tells me that it's fine to replace only two if they are within 50% life of the rest. ~$200 for each Pirelli Scorpion Verde from Tire Rack and it was around $60 to have both tires mounted and balanced at dealer. $1000 is a bit steep to have them all replaced.

You should be fine getting 2 new tires, just make sure they are the same tire because you would want the same tread pattern. I have different tires Bridgestone Ecopia's in the front and Dueler's with uneven wear in the back on my 04 RX330 AWD with 200k miles. I got the car this way and I know the previous owner is to cheap to buy 4 new tires at a time. I don't have any Tranny problems yet

This Tire Rack article discusses tire aging and concludes that 6 years is recommended for aging tire replacement, but in ideal conditions it could be as long as ten years. The Japanese authority calls for 5 years. However, one cannot tell from most inspections when there is a problem due to aging!
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=138

What is the tread depth of your existing tires? You might consider replacing them when it gets down to 4/32nds, while 2/32nds is often cited as the minimum. As the article below suggests, if you drive into the snow (mountains), minimum tread depth recommended for safety would be 5/32nds.

When to replace tires: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=157

Your tires started out with 10/32nds of tread. The warranty rates tread life at 45,000 - 55,000 miles depending on speed rating. So your existing tires are possibly half used up assuming you drive to 2/32nds. Or if you replace at 4/32nds you are ¾ used. This is assuming your actual tread depth remaining is now around 6/32nds. Your actual tread depth will be important in making the decision. If your tires are actually at 6/32nds, I'd replace them all now and be done with it for the next few years.

Don't forget to always put better tires on the rear, never on the front.

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions. Thanks "Clutchless" for the eBay link.

The tire wear is at 7/32" after 25,000 miles. After I filled air, strangely enough there is no leak. So I am driving around while considering these options. No snow or mountains where I live.

So if I do the above calculations of "jfelbab", I seem to have used up 3/8ths of the tread and have about 5/8ths (about 62%) left.