I cross-posted this in Wheels and Tires, but they don't seem very active, and this is kind of urgent.

I got a flat tire today A few questions...

1. One of my rear tires went flat. The other one has about 12,000 miles on it - no real hard driving, but a decent amount of tread has been used. Would it be bad to pair one brand new tire with one that doesn't have a whole lot of tread left? Or more accurately, how much tread do I need for it to be safe?

2. Would it be bad to mix and match brands/quality?

I ask because I have a new set of wheels and tires on the way, so I don't want to replace both rears since they won't be used by me for very long anyway.

Ideally I'd like to just swap in a cheaper tire - is this ok? Anything you guys recommend in the $125 range?

Thanks

 

It's usually not a good idea to mismatch tires left to right. This can cause some weird handling issues.

 

Get a cheap Sumitomo. Cost about $100. Sidewalls are a bit squishy but the rubber is pretty sticky.

 

does it have a nail? is the hole in a bad spot?

why not just get it patched?

 

Ok I did some more research and it looks like replacing just one tire and also swapping the brand are both really bad ideas.

Looks like at the minimum I'll need to get two more RE050s, which is like $450...

Is patching safe? How do I know if the tire is patchable?

 

generally tires are repairable if the hole is in the tread and not in the sidewall

 

...not alot i can add.

take it to your local tire shop to get options. i'd still rather get a patch, esp. if you have new tires coming soon.

 

Where is the hole? If it isn't on the sidewall or the outer edge of the outside tread block, it should be repairable, but only way to know for sure is to take it to a tire shop.

 

Thanks guys, I'll take it in to a tire shop tomorrow morning. I'm crossing my fingers, since I really don't want to dish out $500 for tires I'll be using for like a month.

If it gets repaired/patched, will it be just like it was before? I'm concerned about safety because I'll probably be selling my wheels + tires, so I don't want to pass along a tire that won't be completely safe to drive on. Can repaired tires handle the same amount of high speeds/cornering/whatever as ones that were never damaged before?

 

yes you should be perfectly fine if you patch your tire. i wouldnt worry too much since i bet a bunch of people on here along with myself have done it before w/o problems