Is it a bad idea to buy just one new tire?

I had the same thing happen a few weeks ago. The biggest concern is how much wear the old tires have compared to the new one. If it’s too much, your best bet is to get 4 new ones.

Have someone who isn’t eager to sell you tires take a look at the wear on the surviving 3. If they’re still safe, buy a single tire, identical to the current set if possible.

I don’t think you need four, but I would definitely buy a pair. 10 K miles is enough differential between old and new to cause the car to behave oddly, especially when braking or on slippery surfaces.

My first concern would be finding out the reason for the blowout you had. I’m presuming “sidewall blowout”, because most other holes through the tread are repairable. So I’m wondering what caused that, because it generally takes pretty bad road conditions (or pretty bad driving – and I’m not making that assumption) to cause that type of damage to a tire. If the roads you drive on are that bad – even if only rarely – then it might be wise to take your husband’s advice and replace all four tires with a more durable model.

I’m not aware of any tires with as low a rating as 20,000 miles – that’s not going to be a very high quality tire to begin with – so I’m skeptical about that part of his reasoning. But if it’s so, then replacing one of those tires with a single better-quality tire is probably not optimal. In that case I’d agree with him that replacing all four is the way to go.

What kind of spare came with the new car? If it’s one of the recent “temporary” replacement tires, then keep it as such. But if it’s a match for the tires you already have, then you could use the spare as a permanent replacement and get any old tire that will fit as the new spare.

I’ve always heard you should put two on (either two in front or two in back). Not one at a time. Buy two. What’s a tire? $150? So for $300, you have a good, safe situation.

@CWOTUS, it was entirely my fault. I was at the end of a string of errands, had groceries in the car, and had one quick last stop to make, dropping off a book at the library. I cut the corner too tight on a right turn and blanged the right rear tire on the curb hard enough to cause a blowout. So much for speedy progress.

The AAA guy did come in 20 minutes and fixed me right up. The spare is what my husband calls a “doughnut” that’s just to tide me over. I can’t take it on the freeway.

Yeah you can’t keep the doughnut on there too long, either.

Yeah, I agree with jca. Put on two new rear tires and one new rim for one of the new tires. Put your good tire in the trunk as a spare and get rid of the donut.

($300 is a LOT of money for some people @jca.)

You can probably get a pair of used tires but you do want a pair. One tire is not such a good idea. A lot is riding on them.

Thanks very much for all the advice. Getting a pair makes sense to me. (And $300 is a lot of money, but safety is worth spending it on.) So does checking with someone who isn’t trying to sell me tires.

@ARE_you_kidding_me, virtual bonus points for the pun.

There is a tire shop in Pittsburg that sells used tires. They will try to match the wear with your surviving tire. Their pricing isn’t bad, either.

The thing that peeves me about the donut is that more often than not the space where it is stored will not accommodate a full sized tire. And I still contend that buying tires in pairs is a gimmick to fatten a shop’s bottom line. If the depth of tread is adequate and the tread patterns the same, no ill should befall you.

Come to think of it, I might (and have in the past) bought a pair just to get rid of the accursed donut. Back in the late 70’s when I opened the trunk on a 5 series BMW and lifted the panel to reveal a full sized spare, I was sold on the spot.

@stanleybmanly The tires need to “match” on an axle, if there is a size difference (the sidewall size two tires may match the diameter will be different), the differential in the axle maybe over worked and you get a bad axle.
Some TPMS (tire pressure monitor systems) may malfunction. If you are in an accident your insurance company may check the “black box” and find the TPMS light was on, they may not pay the claim. “Safety equipment was not maintained”
The donut is to save weight so cars get better gas mileage, auto makers have to meet minimum mileage standards. And costs, a donut costs less than a single rim ($725 to $850 each on my two cars, they are alloy rims and cannot be replaced with steel rims).

@Dutchess_III: I understand 300 bucks is a lot of money for some people, but when it comes to cars’ safety, in my opinion it’s worth it. Some things are critical and tires are one of them. As @Tropical_Willie explains, it may also screw up the axle and the insurance issue, too.

Wait a sec TW. Of course you want the specs on the tires to be the same. I’m not talking about donning a blindfold and reaching into a crate of assorted tires with the same wheel diameter. You simply buy the same tire as the remaining 3. Even a half life of wear difference in identical tires should have no effect on the differential. The sidewall heights and treadwidths are identical. What’s the problem?

And you can keep that weight saving excuse behind that piece of shit donut. When the auto companies descended to those throwaway spares and pitiful spindly useless jacks, the ICC should have pitched a fit. But instead, the commission has been abolished as the shoddy band plays on.

@stanleybmanly Drive a fifty year old car with carburetor and bias belt tires that get 14 MPG. With three old tires and one new, but wait they don’t make the same tire anymore.
I had this problem in the last two years a tire I bought six years ago, the new tire made in 2015 is totally different.
They removed vent windows in the late 1960’s to save less than 75 cents per car, for the mounting of the glass and vent mechanism.

How is the tire on the opposite side? Is it worn enough to replace? If so, replace those two, not all four.
Tire shops would just LOVE to sell you four new tires! They make money that way, don’t you know. And they charge you so much to dispose of your old tires BUT! If the old tires they take off your car are still road-worthy, they WON’T dispose of them, but sell them to someone else.
So save yourself some cash. Replace in pairs if you can.

I rotate my tires every 5000 to 7000 miles; when one is worn out, they all are the same—-> worn out.

I would look for a used rim.
When I bought it, I would buy a pair of tires, and have them mounted to match the drive – front or back wheel. Front-front, etc.
The new-to-me rim and odd tire would become my full sized spare.
Damn, that’s handy.

At least a pair, but getting 4 isn’t out of the question. Over time the rubber can get old and dried out, so it isn’t just how many miles, but the overall condition of the tires. If you do replace all four you can keep the others as spares, or possibly sell them if you want to bother.