Tire went flat

[dandydaniel]

So, I went outside to grab something from my car and realized that my front passenger tire was flat. Slapped the spare on and inspected the tire visually and could not find any visible holes/nails. I brought it to the gas station and filled the flat tire up and will check it again tomorrow to see if it lost tire pressure.

What I was wondering was if I should get two tires replaced or should I be good with just a patch on any leaks/holes found?

I only have 5,000 miles on the car so the tread shouldn't be too bad (although there isn't even half as much tread as I thought would be left over after 5,000 pretty damn gentle miles)).

 

[Rotus8]

If the tire is repairable, do it. Get a quality shop to do the work. If the leak is not repairable, you would be wise to get two new ones. Another alternative is to get one new and have it shaved to the same tread depth as it's mate. Depending on the amount of wear, do the math to see which ends up the least expensive.

 

[SallySpeed3]

Same problem for me. I have to fill the same tire up at least once a week because the tire pressure light comes on. I guess I need to get that taken care of, but I've been telling myself it's just the bumpy roads.

 

[DR_]

Don't use the spare on the front unless it is a dire emergency. Rotate the rear tire to the front and put the spare on the rear. Running that smaller diameter spare on the front is a safety concern and it causes wear and tear on the LSD. For the same reason, if you get only one new tire, don't put it on the front axles. If you plug or patch a tire make sure it goes on the rear.

 

[oaklandopen]

really easy to find out what's going on with your tire. fill it up with air (overfill it to the max psi found on the tire), and get some soapy water and drench the tire, and the valve stem. i use a spray bottle filled with regular dish soap and water. this will make bubbles where the leak is

this way you can find out where the leak is coming from, and see if you can repair it from there

possible leak places: bead, tread, sidewall, valve stem

if it's on the valve stem, you can just tighten it. if it's in the tread you might be able to patch it yourself (don't reccommend it though)

if its on the bead you're kinda screwed unless you have a machine to help take the tire off so you can lay down some liquid rubber around the bead and reseat

if it's on the sidewall you're definitly screwed cuz you would have to get a new tire. sidewall repairs are a big no no.

and actually if you wanted to patch it yourself i don't recommend it because the patch is a lot better when done from the inside out with a special patch kit and liquid rubber