My friend buys a new helmet every time his visor gets scratched. On the plus side, I get his old helmet.
You must have quite the helmet collection
In New Zealand, it is legally required that you replace the set if you are replacing one. This is so that you always have two matching sets. For example, if the tread is too low on the rear left, you have to get both rear tyres replaced if you want to be able to pass the next warrant.
Lol meanwhile I have a neighbor who’s been driving with his spare tire “donut” for almost a year now.
What if the old tires are 8 and you just want to replace 1 new that’s usually 10? Seems silly because the only damage they can do is with a differential, lsd or xfer case and that would have to be 4/32 or more difference with extended use.
In the US, if you have a puncture on the edge you’re not allowed to repair it and the legal limit is 2. 4/32 is the recommended tire size difference for awd or on the drive axles to change tires and they have to be the same brand, but not legally required.
2/32 is rediculous for the legal limit though, should be 4.
This sounds sensible.
Do they have a system of keeping the old tires so if you have a flat and the remaining tire is 50% worn, you can buy a matching tire from someone else who replaced both?
They typically encourage you to keep the one good one as a spare tyre because you also require a spare at all times to get a warrant of fitness.
As a previously poor person, more poor people need to realize where they stand tax-wise, and that they are the beneficiaries of tax increases. But also, tax the fucking rich! The 50’s had 91% tax on the highest tax bracket. That’s what made the golden days that conservatives want to return to so golden.
While I definitely agree that the wealthy should be paying more in taxes, this isn’t an especially accurate take.
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There were way more deductions available. Basically, nobody ever paid any taxes at such a high rate.
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The primary reason for the post-war “golden age” that MAGA waxes nostalgia about is because almost the entire manufacturing sector of most European countries was wiped out. By comparison, the US was almost fully intact, and had a massive new base of workers trained in manufacturing. We went from a nation of farmers to a nation of city-dwelling industrialists almost overnight.
I don’t see how we could ever get back to the 50s - 60s era of growth and security again, but overhauling taxation and more union representation could probably at least wind us back a few decades.
The wealthiest person in America in the 1950s was JP Getty.
His worth was about $1 billion. Which would equate to $13.86 billion today.
- There were way more deductions available. Basically, nobody ever paid any taxes at such a high rate.
Ok, maybe, I’d be interested in seeing a source on this, but what qualified them for those deductions? Dumping huge sums of money back into the country and the community? There was a time the wealthy built libraries and parks and voluntarily gave some back.
- The primary reason for the post-war “golden age” that MAGA waxes nostalgia about is because almost the entire manufacturing sector of most European countries was wiped out. By comparison, the US was almost fully intact, and had a massive new base of workers trained in manufacturing. We went from a nation of farmers to a nation of city-dwelling industrialists almost overnight.
Not at all accurate. Yes, much manufacturing has left because it’s cheaper to off shore it to developing nations, but America isn’t less prosperous now. That prosperity has just been consolidated to the top 1% more and more.
Ok, maybe, I’d be interested in seeing a source on this
It’s really easy to find if you actually wanted to verify, rather than just disingenuously cast doubt. Planet Money has done podcasts episodes on it.
Not at all accurate
Entirely accurate. We were the manufacturing center for much of the world until Europe was able to build back, which was badly hampered by foolish austerity measures. This is literally the reason why America had such a phenomenal post-war boom and an explosion of the middle class.
but America isn’t less prosperous now. That prosperity has just been consolidated to the top 1%
Gee, I wonder if that has anything to do with the loss of manufacturing jobs, disappearing union representation, and subsequent devaluation of labor?
You’re identifying symptoms, not causes. Write less and read more.
Why is it not surprising a shill for the wealthy gets combative and resorts to insults?
You are indeed looking at symptoms and not the patterns that cause them. You can believe billionaires are a curse that shouldn’t exist and still look at the situation rationally. You dont have to pick one.
Switched to an alt to shill some more?
Regressive thinking that protects only your faulty take.
The early 2000s were neat
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
The popular 2002 cover, I mean, not the original 1970s release
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That’s what made the golden days that conservatives want to return to so golden.
Stop it. If those conservatives could read they’d be very upset.
Japan has a class of light car (you can get them to go 140 kph/85 mph but the engine doesn’t appreciate it) and everything about them is cheap. A set of 4 tires (not the rims) is ~¥18000 (currently about $110 USD or $150 before the yen started tanking).
Fortunately we made this illegal in the US and we’re working on banning E-bikes under the guise of protecting kids.
under the guise of protecting kids.
Looks through the White House window, confusingly
They don’t need e-bikes on a small island
Meanwhile, at my house:
Plug for Discount Tire. I’ve seen people come in with a flat on a good tire and they offer to patch it for free. Also had them work with me when I couldn’t afford all four tires and was just going to get two in the front, they did some discounting and stuff and for a little more than the two tire cost gave me four. Caveat - it could be just the few stores I’ve been in, management can make or break any place, no matter how good the product or employees are.
I try to do business with mom and pop shops as much as possible. All the local mom and pop tire shops have been bought out over the years and become trash.
I went back to DT after a 20+ year hiatus and found their service, pricing, and willingness to work with me delightful.
For example my car uses a very specific tire and I got a flat on the side wall. They just happened to keep a set from a previous driver in near new condition to replace that one tire for labor only until the very specific tire could be brought in 3 weeks later!
Then they discounted the original labor off the new tire purchase price.
My only beef with discount tire is their anti-weed policy for their employees.
Why would you want some dude stoned out of his mind changing your tyres?
That’s not what anti-cannabis policies are. It means that you can get fired for using cannabis when you aren’t at work. It’s normal to get home after work and crack open a beer. Some people want to sit down with a bowl after work instead.
At a tire shop? Am I missing something? That sounds absurd.
Okay, but that’s not the policy. The policy is they’re never allowed to smoke, even in the evening after work
When it’s time to replace I usually go with Walmart. I buy whatever tire is on rollback online, ship to atore, and they put it on. Their autocenter has the cheapest rate for putting on tires.
Last time I paid $45 a tire and $11 for installation.
Yes it’s Walmart, but I’m broke and this is like $100 cheaper than the next option
I’m not judging you but If you can afford it you should go elsewhere. Walmart tires are absolute shit. I say this having worked in their tire shop and several other places. We had people coming in with defects and broken belts daily where it was a rare occurrence everywhere else I worked. They also didn’t do anything to ensure the people working on cars weren’t dumbasses. I had to fix A LOT of shit they broke.
I bought a set of five Nokian all-weather light truck tires on closeout at Walmart for under $300. A set of more desirable all-terrains would have run me $1k and are probably now around $1500. The tires have been great.
Pay attention to the brand and reviews, not the store.
Been doing this for 11 years only ever had 1 tire that needed a patch. I usually ride further than the stated mileage before the tires are bald.
However, I do drive a sub-compact car and have the whole 11 years. Lot less weight on the tires than a standard car
Last time I needed multiple tires, they wanted about $150 note fir the tires, and wanted to charge $35 per tire changed.
I went elsewhere with slightly cheaper tires and the change was included in the service.
I had a bad experience in Phoenix, the tires fell apart after 8 months. Otherwise though, they’ve always been great and very accommodating. I go to Costco now but they’re the same or better imo.
I’ve always had good customer service with Discount Tire Company.
When I lived in NJ for a couple of years, the nearest Discount was in Ohio. I strongly considered the drive.
Juuuunk yard tires are the best. Someone out there totaled their car and the tires that survived are sitting there waiting for you to find. The guy who has em doesnt want em. He wants the shelf for more valuable stuff.
Happy hunting.
Junk yards in general are great. Just pick up spares of literally anything you need
I really wish junkyards would be more of a thing here.
Where is “here”?
If it’s anywhere in Europe, you can get shit delivered from ovoko/rrr. Have used them to get parts from Latvia and Lithuania that I couldn’t find in Estonia (specific color doors so I wouldn’t have to paint). It’s like Amazon for used car parts, minus the whole taking over the world thing.
Yep. My local junkyard sells tires at $5 each, most of them perfectly good.
Can be hit or miss whether they have the size you need, though.
Or used tire shop
Yep, if you find a good one, these are great bang for the buck.
My stepfather is buddies with a guy who owns a used tire shop. I get hella friends and family discounts lol
My mom lives in a retirement community, and some people have some real money. She was at the pool, and one couple was saying they needed to buy a new car because they had a flat tire, and they were told they needed all four. They didn’t know how to buy 4 tires, so they decided to buy a new car instead.
I had a manager who told me that he and his wife both bought new cars every year. He said this while lecturing me for requesting time to take my car to the shop.
When I said I couldn’t afford a new car, his response was that he and his wife saved so much in repair bills, they couldn’t afford not to.
I mean, that’s kinda true?
If you drive sub 1000€ shit boxes its literally cheaper to sell them to export once the TÜV runs out than to get them into an acceptable state
I’ve always managed to save money doing repairs myself…
Since he does this with two cars, you can probably find a good deal on a used car and spend less in 10 years, on both the car and repairs, than this guy loses in 1.
Seems that annual repair/maintenance costs on a car range between $400-$1200, over 10 years, that’s $4000-$12000.
Looks like a new car loses about 12.5-20% value in the first year. So for two $35k cars, for him and his wife, dude loses ~$8800-$14000 in one year. Assuming he probably trades it in, I’d bet its on the higher end of that range. And since the average cost of a new car is $48k, he probably loses more (an additional $3200-$5200 per year). Say he does this for 10 years, that’s $88,000-$140,000 (+$32,000-$52,000) he wastes. Nobody spends anywhere near that over the lifetime of a car (average being ~16 years) in repairs. Even if he somehow manages to do much better than these estimates, dude is legit an idiot.
Alternate take: he could be a really shrewd buyer and good at selling privately.
Probably not, but it’s possible. I knew a guy whose hobby was entirely cars. Shopping for them, going through financing details, and sometimes buying them. He’d bolt on some mods and seemed to have a knack for finding buyers. He’d sometimes sell for more than the total amount he’d put into the vehicle.
He had almost no real understanding of cars. At most, he could do an oil change and slap on a K&N filter. But goddamn did that guy ever understand how to manipulate financing to his advantage.
You know … maybe I’m starting to see the value in ChatGPT. “Hey ChatGPT, how do I buy 4 tires?”
Or they could do the normal thing and just go to a mechanic who could refer them. Sounds more like they just wanted an excuse to buy a new car
This is how it feels talking to my sister and brother-in-law.
Motherfucker my checking account wears unevenly
Mine has more holes than OOPs tires.
Depending on context that could be good advice. However tires are especially insanely expensive now so I get not taking that advice even if you can technically afford it.
I watched a tech bro crash his sports car, come out, laughed, and then walked into his garage to jump into another sports car.
Yikes what a gross human
Are they? I haven’t checked recently, and winter is coming. I need snow tires.
Yeah. I mean I remember buying tires for like $100 each. I think that was closer to $160 last time I bought tires (and these are small car tires, cheaper than many others. I’ve heard truck tires can be like $250 each)
I just bought a set of new tires for $115 each (including installation). But that involved shopping around and not using the manufacturer recommended tires. The dealership wanted around $300 per tire.
That’s cool. I had a really scary incident with hydroplaning once and after that I always try to get tires that have features that help with that, so my experiences may be a bit skewed
For many AWD cars you have to replace them all as the new tire is bigger as it has all its tread and screws w/ the transmission.
I hate it as an AWD car operator…
I’ve read that you can often buy a single replacement and they’ll “shave” it down to match the tread of the existing tires.
With the unfortunate result being that your new tire is now just as worn as your other three tires. Not an issue if the flat is relatively new, but it get worse the older your other three tires are.
I don’t have awd, so I usually just replace two tires and get em rotated as needed instead. It feels like the best middle ground available to me.
Yes, but contrast that with replacing three tires with usable life left in them.
You can sell them though, someone might want at least the two and potentially even the third one.
Never heard about that but it makes total sense. If I cut a single tire I will go that route, thank you!
Why wouldn’t you be able to just replace the opposite tire and leave the other pair alone?
You don’t rotate your tires?
I never have intentionally rotated them, the only uneven wear I’ve had is sides vs center, not left vs right.
All I do is check that the better two tires go on the rear axle when changing between winter and summer tires, but that’s only when I have four of the exact same tire. When I’ve had two different pairs, I make sure that the better pair goes on the rear axle, at least in the winter.
Yes. They always move in matched pairs.
So no full sized spare? We do a different rotation than that.
I thought these days you don’t cross because it’s important to keep the same direction of spin for the life of the tire.
Okay my “always” qualifier was overzealous, but …
Since 2020, about 9 percent of the cars tested by Consumer Reports have come with a full-sized spare. Studying our database, we found that 46 percent came with a temporary (aka space-saver) spare tire, and the rest were equipped with a sealant kit (34 percent), a run-flat tire (7 percent), or nothing at all (4 percent).
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/tires/some-newer-cars-are-missing-a-spare-tire-a9928775934/
And I’m betting that if you could find stats that broke that down by AWD, it’d be even smaller since I expected the correlation of full-size spares is more toward pickups and 4x4s. Further, I’d bet that most people with full-size spares leave it out of the rotation anyway because many (most?) don’t have a cosmetic hub cap and becomes an eye sore.
Why is it all wheel drive and not four wheel drive? Offtopic but I’ve never thought about it before
In addition to the previous answers, AWD and 4WD systems have important technical differences. A 4WD system uses a gearbox to mechanically lock the front and rear driveshafts together, such that they always have to spin at the same speed. AWD systems use a viscous clutch, allowing the driveshafts to turn at different speeds when some tires lose grip, at the cost of some wear on that friction surface.
That’s why replacing the tires evenly is important on AWD, but not necessarily 4WD: different diameter tires spin at different speeds forcing the driveshafts to turn at different speeds all the time, wearing out that clutch prematurely.
Edit for completeness: on a 4WD system with differently-sized tires, the wheels would still be forced to turn at the same speed which means the tires themselves would be where the slip and wear occurs. That’s why 4WD systems aren’t supposed to be used on paved roads: having that slip is no big deal on a loose surface, but doesn’t work well when all four tires have grip. (This also applies when all four tires are the same size, when the differential is locked and you’re making a turn. The wheel on the outside of the turn has to spin faster the inside wheel, but can’t, and so the tires scrub instead.)
AWD systems use a viscous clutch
In my experience, that’s rare. Most AWD systems that I’ve seen use an open differential with no viscous coupler or locker of any kind. The '94 - '97 Toyota Land Cruiser (w/ ABS) in the US market used a viscous coupler, and Toyota called it “full-time 4wd”. It also locked the transfer case in low range. To my knowledge, this was a really unusual configuration. They discontinued the viscous coupler after that, instead switching to their ATRAC traction management that used individual application of brakes to prevent wheel spin. Most of the Jeep SUVs in the last ~30 years, to my knowledge, used an entirely open center differential in AWD models.
It seems like modern, CUV AWD systems are usually FWD with computer controlled engagement of rear tires.
AWD and 4WD are also marketing terms rather than regulated in any way. In general you’re right, but to be safe, always check what type of transfer case you’re actually dealing with. Some “4WD” cars these days are AWD with super clever electronical controls for off road usage.
I suppose these days there’s also the case where some cars just have electric motors attached to separate [groups of] wheels with no shafts connecting between them at all and don’t really even fit in either of the two previous categories.
The exact meaning of “4WD” seems to depend on manufacturer. Toyota’s 4WD works fine on hard surfaces because the differentials are normally open, which makes it a lot more like AWD. The center differential needs to be locked for it to behave like your described.
4 wheel drive is selective meaning you can run in 2wd. AWD is you have no choice its always on.
Or in my case off until needed.
Car’s a hybrid so runs in FWD until it thinks you need the rear electric motors to keep you on the road then it’s AWD.
Yes but you have no choice other than maybe pulling a fuse. Most AWD systems, at least in budget cars, work like that, though often via a clutch or a viscous coupling or something rather than an electric motor. Premium cars get you torsen and other cool solutions.
Although also AWD vs 4WD are marketing terms and not strictly regulated.
4 wheel drive is to drive offroad, AWD is to keep you on the road.
Eh, oversimplification. AWD systems can and do get used offroad pretty often. They’re not quite as good as 4WD in some specific situations, but AWD is still better than 2WD in basically every offroad situation, and it’s good enough to get the job done most of the time, for mild offroading. If you’re doing serious rock crawling or going through very deep soft sand, mud, or snow, 4WD will likely be better than AWD. But for tackling your average trail or poorly maintained dirt road, AWD will do fine.
AWD systems can and do get used offroad pretty often. They’re not quite as good as 4WD in some specific situations
The moment that you have one wheel spinning with AWD, you are stuck. One wheel in the air due to a heavily rutted fire road? Stuck. One wheel on wet ice on the road? Stuck.
AWD is great for transient traction conditions, like roads that are partially snowy with patches of exposed asphalt.
If you have an AWD system with fully open differentials all the way around, yes. But many of them (most of the modern ones?) are more advanced than that, with a limited slip differential, at least for the center diff. And pretty much all the modern ones, as far as I know of, can do tricks like automatically applying brakes on the slipping wheel to direct more torque to the other three.
A decent AWD system definitely will get you through more stuff than simple 2WD. Not as good as true 4WD in some situations, but AWD can still be very useful offroad.
Iirc, all wheel drive means it’s always all 4 wheels, while 4 wheel drive is when an off-road vehicle has the ability to switch between 4 wheel drive and the normal 2 wheel drive
AWD car tax
Eh, as long as you’re replacing the flat tire with one of the same nominal size, you’ll be fine. AWD systems aren’t that sensitive, slightly different tire wear won’t destroy them.
“But it’ll destroy your differentials!!! Because your wheels will turn at slightly different speeeeds!!!”
Okay. So, uh, remind me again what happens when I go around corners?
So, uh, remind me again what happens when I go around corners?
You finish the corner and go back to driving straight, which is how the vast, vast majority of your driving miles are covered.
Mismatched tire diameters significantly increase wear on your differential(s). If you have a limited-slip system of any kind, you’re likely to destroy it shockingly quickly.
If you’re driving half a mile to work through residential and business districts, it’s not that big of a deal. If your commuting on the freeway, you’re going to significantly increase wear.
It appears to be a blonde woman, so (joke) the other three tires are probably showing belts.
I get mine plugged and move on.
Yeah get a load of Mr Fancy Pants buying a new tire!
Most of the time it’s like a screw or a nail piercing the tire. That can be easily fixed for cheap at a local garage.
If you’re broke and can’t afford new tires, be careful if you buy used ones.
I bought a used set of summer tires and they were being kept under a backyard balcony and had been there for several years. The rubber turned to plastic. Even though the tires had no wear on them, I couldn’t used them because they hadn’t been stored properly.
For an all time AWD system like what Subaru offers, you will need to do this if the replacement tire is worn, or shave it to match.
Subarus are actually one of the worst-case vehicles for this. I really don’t understand the love for those things.
My partner has one and with the ‘need to replace every tire if you replace one’ thing, ads showing up in the infotainment center, the battery dying if the key fob is stored too close to the car (real stuff, it’s legit written in the manual not to store the key near the car because of this, ask me how we know), she’s so fed up with it.
Edit: To clarify the ‘one of the worst case’, other AWD/4WD vehicles have higher tolerances for size mismatch than Subarus. Like, I think literally every other major manufacturer is better about this.
Yup, having only ever driven Subarus, this is what I have always been told. The ever-so-slightly different diameter of a worn VS new tire can cost you way more money than a three additional tires in the long run.
The ever-so-slightly different diameter of a worn VS new tire can cost you way more money than a three additional tires in the long run.
I dunno… With tire prices the way they are these days, servicing the center diff might actually be cheaper than replacing 3 additional tires. Especially if you’re doing it yourself.
You just need to replace 2, not all 4.
Depends on the AWD system. If there’s a center diff or a clutch in the center, the speed differences where the front axle and the rear axle meet can cause excessive wear and heat. Subarus are the most common vehicle for this, but some high end German stuff I know can have issues as well. But generally economy cars and midrange cars disconnect the extra axle or have a loose coupling to it, so only two tires replaced are fine.
Every certified Subaru mechanic and mechanics working directly for Subaru have always said I only needed two when one tire needed complete replacement for my Forester.
As long as they are within 1/4" diameter variance this is true, otherwise you FUBAR the viscous coupling over time. Which is why most mechanics default to ‘just replace all of them’.
