Replace one tire or a pair? Had a flat.

[MikesJo]

I got a flat the other day, ended up driving 10-15mins home on it at abour 40-50 km/h. The tire was deflated about half and I was riding on the side wall. The tire is toast I'm assuming since the sidewall integrity is now gone. Damn nails/scews.

So my question is, is it ok to replace only one tire or must I replace a pair, driver and passenger side? What's the cons of only replacing one tire?

[HST]

As long as your other tires are not that warn down, then it is cool. If they are getting worn out, then you might as well replace them all. Just get the same tire, I hate it when I see different tires on a car.

[DJB]

This pretty much depends on how worn the old tires are, and if it's only a daily commute car or a car that occasionally sees performance driving.

Typically you replace a axle pair, both front or both rear tires, not both on one side. This won't look as good visually, but will keep the grip balanced.

A new tire will have different ultimate grip than the old tires. This difference can be significant. Some tires, especially higher performance tires, have a softer rubber compound on the outer parts of the tread block, with stiffer, more wear-resistant compounds as you move to the base of the tread blocks. The tire casing likely has a stiff, resilient compound that returns more rebound energy and resists air permeability.

[MikesJo]

Thanks for the info guys! I'll see how much wear are on the other three and go from there i guess.