Slashed tire >:(

[Laconian]

Ugh, someone slashed a Subie tire while I was parked next to a trailhead. The TPMS warning kicked on while I was on the interstate, so I slowed down to around 35, then I heard a BMPBMPBMPBMP sound and the car stopped tracking straight. Left rear tire was completely deflated, well slashed with some damage to the wheel. Fuckers!

Fortunately, since I had all my bike gear with me, I was well equipped in the lighting department while I swapped on the spare. Blinking bike lights make for great road flares.

Can I replace just one tire, if the remaining tires are only lightly worn? I think we might have less than 10k miles on the set, since we replaced them around November of last year, and we've driven very few miles this year.  I would hate to have to replace the other three tires, since they weren't cheap and still have lots of life left on them.

[Soup DeVille]

Damn. That sucks.

Normally, I would say yeah, no problem. I'm not 100% sure though with the Subaru.

[Morris Minor]

Ugh - WTF? Casual nastiness & vandalism. Were you parked in someone's way or something?

[cawimmer430]

If they catch the bastards who did this, I have the perfect punishment for them. 

[Eye of the Tiger]

Was it the hash-slinging-slasher?

[veeman]

Personally I would just replace that one tire with only 10 thousand miles on the rest of the tires.  I would do a wheel rotation so that the new tire is on a rear wheel. 

Mind you I'm not speaking on this with any expertise.  I've always replaced damaged tires with just a single tire if the rest of the tires are not near end of tread life and I've always done a wheel rotation if necessary so that the new tire is in the rear of the car.  I figure there's less handling difference if the turning wheels have the same tread.

I think that significant differences in air pressure between the 4 tires have a bigger effect than minor differences in tread of the same tire make and model so I'm pretty careful about making sure all the tires have the same or nearly the same air pressure. 

I tend to replace all 4 tires before they get bald anyways.

[MX793]

Measure the tread depths and compare to new.  10K miles can consume 30% or more of a tire's tread.  I would also be wary of having any mismatch on an AWD vehicle.  It not only can strain your axle differential, but center differential as well.

[Soup DeVille]

Measure the tread depths and compare to new.  10K miles can consume 30% or more of a tire's tread.  I would also be wary of having any mismatch on an AWD vehicle.  It not only can strain your axle differential, but center differential as well.

That's the thing. I've heard various stories about late model Subarus and failure prone differentials.

[shp4man]

Sure you didn't just run over something sharp? Anyway, replacement of one tire shouldn't be a problem on the rear axle.

[mzziaz]

That's the thing. I've heard various stories about late model Subarus and failure prone differentials.

I've heard the same thing.

[Speed_Racer]

Tire Rack and some other retailers will shave your new tire to match the rest, if you only want to buy one.

https://tires.tirerack.com/tires/Shaving

[Laconian]

Tire Rack and some other retailers will shave your new tire to match the rest, if you only want to buy one.

https://tires.tirerack.com/tires/Shaving

Duuuuuude thanks for the hot tip.

Sure you didn't just run over something sharp? Anyway, replacement of one tire shouldn't be a problem on the rear axle.

It's possible, but the parking lot I parked in had a sign warning people to secure their valuables against car prowlers...

When the sidewall is punctured, does the tire deflate quickly or slowly over time?

[MX793]

Duuuuuude thanks for the hot tip.

It's possible, but the parking lot I parked in had a sign warning people to secure their valuables against car prowlers...

When the sidewall is punctured, does the tire deflate quickly or slowly over time?

Depends on the size of the hole.  A gash an inch or two long would deflate a tire in a second or two.

[RomanChariot]

Duuuuuude thanks for the hot tip.

It's possible, but the parking lot I parked in had a sign warning people to secure their valuables against car prowlers...

When the sidewall is punctured, does the tire deflate quickly or slowly over time?

It really depends on the puncture. If it was slashed with a knife it would likely go down pretty quickly. If it was punctured with something like an awl that leaves a small round hole it could take a longer time.

[Laconian]

Maybe I ran over something on the interstate, then. I had been on the road for around 30 minutes total before I saw the warning.

[CaminoRacer]

Definitely get a matching tire from Tire Rack

[MX793]

Maybe I ran over something on the interstate, then. I had been on the road for around 30 minutes total before I saw the warning.

What did the gash in the tire look like?  What sort of rim damage?

A tire that is run soft (like from a slow leak like a nail hole) can eventually catastrophically fail via a split sidewall.  But TPMS should have warned you of a soft tire well before it got to that point.  A tire that is driven flat will also tend to split a sidewall if driven very far.  It's possible the sidewall damage was after the tire deflated and not the cause.

If a sidewall splits because the tire ran soft, you can usually feel heat blisters in the remaining sidewall, typically near where the tread meets the sidewall.

[Laconian]

Looks like two discrete stabs, one of which is a very clean cut/split.

[Eye of the Tiger]

That has to be a rock or debris. A slasher couldn't do that to the wheel.

[Laconian]

Factory tread depth is 9/32. Measured tread depth with a micrometer is 7-7.5. Should be fine to drop on a replacement w/o shaving...

[Eye of the Tiger]

Factory tread depth is 9/32. Measured tread depth with a micrometer is 7-7.5. Should be fine to drop on a replacement w/o shaving...

Just run 1.6 PSI less pressure in the new tire.

[MX793]

The damage to the rim doesn't look like it was caused by any kind of knife.  An axe blow might leave that kind of dent/dimple, but an axe wouldn't leave a squiggly gash.  Unless the rim damage was from the tire collapsing.

The twin cuts could have been cause by a piece of channel or scrap metal.  If those two gashes were knife stabs through the tire, it would have gone flat in under a minute.  If somebody had done that while you were away from the vehicle, it would have been flat before you left the parking area.

[Laconian]

That black smear is telling of debris - none of the other wheels are similarly marked.

[FoMoJo]

The dent in the rim looks really odd.  Must have been a hard blow to cause it.

[AutobahnSHO]

My experience is tire shops use every excuse to make you buy four new tires. I asked around about shaving a tire and people looked at me like I was from (the weird side of) Naboo.

Reminds me, we have two tires from last time we had to replace a (4) tire. I should rotate them on. Seems the front tires wear faster.

[Laconian]

Apparently I'll get some money back from the warranty?

[Laconian]

Got $160 back from the warranty. Michelin FTW?

[AutobahnSHO]

Got $160 back from the warranty. Michelin FTW?

crazy! good! crazy good!