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[coogs08]

Hello all,

I did something really stupid today and nicked a curb while leaving a parking lot. I was so scared about getting out of my car and seeing damage to my rim...however the rim is barely damaged. The tire on the other hand has a chunk taken out of the sidewall. These are the oem continental tires, and the set is relatively brand new (<5k miles). I don't track my car, I use it mostly as a weekend/evening car.

Now to finally get to the point; is it out of the question to just replace one tire or would I have to replace both of the rears together? It just hurts because the tires are in such great shape. I know it may be tricky due to the LSD...Looking forward to hearing everyone's opinions/experiences. Thanks in advance.

-Avi

[smmmurf]

Since you said LSD, I'm assuming it's a rear tire.

Measure tread depth. If less than 2/32 worn from new, I would replace just 1.

[coogs08]

Originally Posted by smmmurf

Since you said LSD, I'm assuming it's a rear tire.

Measure tread depth. If less than 2/32 worn from new, I would replace just 1.

Yes you're right it's a rear tire, sorry I didn't clarify that. Thanks for the advice.

[Schwaben]

I was in your exact same position a few months ago. Nicked a curb and took a piece out of the sidewall on the rear driver side. It continued to hold air but needed replacing. Tires were fairly worn (didn't measure) so I replaced both. I am not informed enough to discuss the consequences of having one well worn tire and one brand new one. I just knew that I didn't want to deal with any possible traction issues. I figured if I had the money to buy the car then I had the money to do it the right way and get two new tires that have the same amount of tread.

Perhaps if your tires are not so old you can get away with it. But my purpose here is just to tell you what I did, not what I think you should do. Hope someone with more tire knowledge than I can chime in.

[coogs08]

Originally Posted by StuttgartM3

I was in your exact same position a few months ago. Nicked a curb and took a piece out of the sidewall on the rear driver side. It continued to hold air but needed replacing. Tires were fairly worn (didn't measure) so I replaced both. I am not informed enough to discuss the consequences of having one well worn tire and one brand new one. I just knew that I didn't want to deal with any possible traction issues. I figured if I had the money to buy the car then I had the money to do it the right way and get two new tires that have the same amount of tread.

Perhaps if your tires are not so old you can get away with it. But my purpose here is just to tell you what I did, not what I think you should do. Hope someone with more tire knowledge than I can chime in.

Thanks for sharing your experience! I think you did the right thing and I probably will follow your lead and replace both rear tires. It just sucks that one of the tires I will be replacing is neraly flawless Oh well.

[smmmurf]

Originally Posted by coogs08

Thanks for sharing your experience! I think you did the right thing and I probably will follow your lead and replace both rear tires. It just sucks that one of the tires I will be replacing is neraly flawless Oh well.

Sell the other one on the forum, craigslist, or ebay. You could prob get $100 for it.

[smmmurf]

alternatively have the new tire SHAVED to match depth of old one... so u don't have to replace the other (waste)

a race tire shop can do this for you... TIRERACK can do this... it will be shaved to match the other tread depth

[coogs08]

Well I stopped by 3 different tire shops on the way home from the office. All 3 told me that it is just the wheel protector that has been damaged and structurally the tire is perfectly fine. I will take some pics and upload tonight.