Mixing Tires: Yay or Nay?

Is it okay to put two, three, or even four different tires on your car or truck?

Most people don’t realize how important tires are to the safety of their vehicles. That’s why we started this blog: to help educate everyone on why buying tires when you need them and from a tire retailer you can trust is so important. But let’s get at that answer now.

The short answer is no, it’s not okay to put different tires on your vehicle.

We’re obviously not talking about vehicles that require mixing fitments. Staggered fitments, for example, require different tire sizes on the front and on the rear.

Ideally, all four of your tires should be the same brand and type of tire. For instance, if you have winter tires, all four should be made for winter driving. Tires are complex, and they vary in tread and construction.

We recommend replacing all four tires at the same time, but there may be times when you don’t need four new tires, such as when a tire or two is damaged by hitting a pothole. At the very minimum, we recommend that tires should always be replaced in pairs to help avoid problems with suspension systems and transmissions.

When you put on two new tires, you’re essentially mixing tread depths because the newer tires have more tread than the worn ones. These new tires should, therefore, be installed on the rear because the driver will more quickly feel traction slipping if the lower tread tires are in front.

If for some reason, you do need to buy two tires that are different from the tires they’re replacing, make sure that the same tread patterns and brands are installed on the same axle. Higher load index or speed-rated tires should also be placed on the rear axle.

If you have a unique situation or want more information, hop on over to SimpleTire.com and chat with one of our tire experts. They’ll be able to help you!