Changing just one tyre 9 December 2022 at 5:25PM in Motoring 34 replies 1.3K views

maurice28

I have a Hyundai Tucson as a lease car, and got a nail through the rear passenger side tyre so it had a slow puncture. I have the maintenance package with the lease so the lease company said take it to Kwik Fit and they will change the tyre without charge to me.

Took it in and they have changed the tyre - they've put on a Michelin Latitude Sport 3 (the other three from the factory are Continental EcoContact 6). It's the same size and spec etc.

I've read many sites etc where the advice is to ideally change tyres in pairs but I wondered, how much of a difference does it make if just one is changed? Particularly on a family SUV rather than a performance car being pushed to the limit. On the drive home I wouldn't have known the difference if I hadn't looked, for example.

The car has done 6,500 miles, for reference of how worn the other three tyres might be. I imagine the deal Kwik Fit have with the lease company means they only pay for one to be changed, not another that isn't 'worn enough' to justify it. Just wondered what experiences others might have!

Car_54

I drove company cars for nearly 30 years, and had many punctures etc. Tyres were always replaced one at a time, albeit with respectable brands. 

Never experienced a single problem as a result, while covering 20 - 40,000 miles a years, largely at ‘enthusiastic’ motorway speeds.

Brie

If the other 3 tires were well worn then I would want to have them all replaced or at least the appropriate 2.  But with minimal wear I doubt there will be any issues.  

fatbelly

Those are both premium brands. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

However I agree that ideally you match tyres on each axle. I was pleased when I got a slow puncture last week that my local tyre place was able to repair it.

Car_54

The advice to change tyres in pairs generally comes from tyre manufacturers or suppliers. It’s just as well I’m not cynical ….

knightstyle

In France the MOT equivalent will fail a car with non-matching tyres on the same axle as I found to my cost.
They say it is not safe.

Grey_Critic

Was not so bad in the days of spare wheels - a car came with 5 matching tyres so you could have put the odd one as spare.

At one time they actually repaired tyres but these days we are forever told - Can't do it needs a new one.

Herzlos

Grey_Critic said:

At one time they actually repaired tyres but these days we are forever told - Can't do it needs a new one.

I got a tyre repaired a few months ago, cost me something like £6.

OP - it's up to the lease company what is/isn't acceptable in terms of tyre replacements, so you can always check with them if it's OK and express your concerns. Kwik-Fit will have sent the finance company an invoice but I doubt anyone at the finance company will have checked that it's an appropriate tyre - just that there was an approval for that car.

It's probably fine given the other tyres aren't likely to be very worn at 6500 miles and you're presumably not driving it to it's limits.

400ixl

Is it the 2 wheel drive Tucson? If so then you will be fine. Personally I would prefer them to at least be the same brand and model, but with it being a lease with maintenance you won't get a choice. No UK laws are being broken by changing just the one.

As for the cynical comments about it being the tyre manufacturers recommending this, it was equally the likes of the AA and RAC. Different tyre brands act in different ways and having two different characteristics on the same axle is sub optimal, even more so when they are potentially at different ends of the tread depth.

diystarter7

400ixl said:

Is it the 2 wheel drive Tucson? If so then you will be fine. Personally I would prefer them to at least be the same brand and model, but with it being a lease with maintenance you won't get a choice. No UK laws are being broken by changing just the one.

As for the cynical comments about it being the tyre manufacturers recommending this, it was equally the likes of the AA and RAC. Different tyre brands act in different ways and having two different characteristics on the same axle is sub optimal, even more so when they are potentially at different ends of the tread depth.

Hi
Best post of the day

We own our own cars and when one owns a car, getting a puncture one hopes it is repairable.
We got a brand new Merc suv in July 2016. I'm always looking for screw, nail free spaces to park and check curbs etc. Low and behold, car was a week old, got a screw in tyre, slow puncture. I guessed it was not safe to repir and tyre outfit was confirmed.

The car had only doen a few hundred miles and  I think it was a Dunlop sports max tyre - the fast fits asked me fro 440 to almost 500 for the tye. I wanted the same on and found an onlne one 410 inc supply and fit - i think they were news type tyres made for the new model merc  - on a new car it dont look good if you have different tyres on it

If my tryes were part worn, lets say 50% worn to the legal limit, I still would not change both tyres but aim to get the same or one that has the same pattern, road holding etc.etc

I'm no tyre expert but over 40 ys of owning decent to very nice cars as did my family and we dont take risks with tyres but the button line is you don't need two new tyres if only one needs changing unless the other is close to the limit and even then its not the law.



Great post @400ixl


Thanks

molerat

Not really a problem on the rear of a front wheel drive car but I would have liked an exact replacement.  That said many years ago my from new car had worn out its front tyres so I got one replacement and used the spare.  Exact same make and model of tyre except one was a few years newer.  Had them on the front and the car pulled one way.  Couldn't figure it out and swapped the wheels over.  Car pulled the other way, couldn't believe it ! Put them on the back and problem went away.