M8 NNY

I need two tyres for my 98 wagon just wondering if it is ok to just change two?Looks like the fronts have been swoped for the back but too late as they are worn on inner edge so an alignment is called for any help appreciated

Impret-Sir

iTrader: (1)

The fronts always seem to go on the inside edges, mine are the same, even when the alignment is ok, I think running them at slightly higher pressures helps, I run mine at 33psi which is what Prodrive reccommend for all sizes. As to your question, yes its fine to only change two tyres, as long as they are on the same end, ie, back or front. It is not a good idea to swap just one tyre, but two, on the same end, should be fine.

JohnMcC

I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that this was not a great idea on the Impreza, it being AWD......I thought that it was very susceptible to differences between tread depth, between front and back? Which can damage the...er....ummmm....technical bits I'm not too technical, me!!!

davedipster

I remember reading in the owners manual that uneven depth of tread between front and back can damage the AWD system. Don't know how much it needs to be to cause concern.

Dipster

Impret-Sir

iTrader: (1)

That sounds like a story put about by the tyre companies! What possible difference could a few ml of tread depth make ? Tyres dont all wear at exactly the same rate anyway, and if the "technical bits" are that fragile thet would break if you put the spare wheel on!

Tone Loc

iTrader: (1)

The diffs on the impreza are quite 'loose' so it shouldn't be a great problem as long as one set isn't like a slick and the other brand new.

Vauxhallls have a reputation that diffs get knackered if the tread depths are vastly different.

Tony.

Madgord

If you find just one side is very worn down and the other side is ok, it could well be tracking and yes you are ok just to swap to front tyres.

Gord

rich_russell

The handbook for the Legacy tells you that it's a good idea to swap front and rear tyres every few months to even the wear.

The Subaru diffs are quite tolerant of uneven wear between tyres as the viscous coupling is very loose. Unlike the fixed diffs of Calibra 4WDs, that do really suffer from the back tyres having a different amount of wear from the front - due to the rolling circumference being different.

Hoppy

I wouldn't worry too much about the diffs, within reason. The question with tyres is grip!

The whole thing about a Scoob is balance, and I would not drive with significantly different tyres, left to right or front to back.

Apart from anything else, what fun can you have when you don't know which corner has grip and which doesn't?

Richard.

PS Tyres are cheap