Tires at 50% at 12000 miles?

[M&M Beer]

I took my Badlands Bronco in for 12000 mile service. I had one tire that I needed to put air in a lot so asked them to check that. I had previously aired it up at a gas station and the mechanic told me that the tire was not sealed around the rim correctly. I looked at my other tires and thought I saw similar. The dealer called me a week later (still have my car as it has been bucking - in another thread) and told me I had a nail in the right front passenger side. I needed a new tire but I also should replace the other three too because they are 50 percent. How could that be? It has 12000 miles. That means I need four new tires on a car that is not even a year old. I see other posts where Ford replaced the tires due to sidewall damage and bulges. I don’t know the terms but for sure should not have to purchase tires already for a new car. This is so suspect as I have not done any four wheeling, and mostly highway mileage. The uneven acceleration could that cause more tire damage? If the car was vibrating too much to begin with? Not aligned? I bought a new car as I didn’t want to spend money on maintenance and needed a reliable car. At $40000 this is costing me a mint.. It is still at Ted Britt dealership in Fairfax, VA as I have insisted there has to be something wrong with this car from the get go.

It's called Bait and Switch they do it all the time!

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[Silver-Bolt]

If you have a limited slip diff or the Advanced transfer case (4A) uneven tire wear can create issues. That said, check the tread depth yourself or get a second opinion. Tire wear on a 5000lb+ SUV with off-road tires is not going to be the same as on all season tire on a 4000lb cross-over.

 

[MayhemMike]

The new scam is “ we can’t fix that puncture because of where it is, you need a new tire”. It is right up there with “ plugs aren’t permanent repairs”. The cheapest low rent made in a hurry tires last longer than 12000 miles. Swap the spare for the tire with the puncture. You decide if it can be plugged or not. If you think it can, plug it yourself and make it the spare. BTW, this is why I never rotate tires. The odds are one of your tires will suffer a non repairable puncture way before the use up the tread. By the road hazard insurance of get it free with tire purchase offers.

 

[Lil Red Broncette]

I got just over 900 miles on a set of brand new Firestones on my 98 Ranger. Yeah, still pissed about that.

900 miles or was that intended to be 9000? Something drastic to end it at 900. In either case, Ouch!

That being said, factory tires tend to be on the softer squishier side with much worse wear than aftermarket tires.

Agreed. On my Infiniti (car I only got 15K from times) I got one that had good treadwear, and vehicle performance wise I couldn't tell the different. Those I got over 45K miles. BUT, the rolling noise was godawful loud. The Infiniti, being a luxury brand, had a very very quiet interior till I put those tires on. I swear those tires made the Infiniti as loud inside as a soft top 6th gen Bronco on the highway. I replaced those on the definitively early side.

 

[Jawaburger]

Which GOAT mode is one wheel drive?

It's an open differential, we don't have a limited slip differential in the back.

 

[AZ_Liberty]

Which GOAT mode is one wheel drive?

Any of the 2H modes.

Bronco doesn't have a limited slip. In normal driving, only the right rear provides does anything. Same as any other RWD vehicle (F-150, Expedition etc)

 

[mpeugeot]

If the tire has a nail in it and dealership refuses to properly fix it then leave the tires as is. Once they are done with it concerning the other issues, take delivery and go to another tire store and have them do a tread depth measurement of all 4 against your spare while you are present and let them tell you the % of wear. Once they do this, have them dismount the tire with nail and have them repair it. They will take the tire off the rim and patch it from inside the tire. Remount and be through with it. Even if 50% is correct, you still have serviceable tires to drive on. The problem with these types of tires is its hard to equate ones wear to another. If you doing mostly highway miles then you are generating a lot of heat in them and may cause premature wear compared to driving in city- stop and go traffic. Where heat is gained and released differently. So its hard to ask anyone for comparison of ones tires due to driving habit and driving enviroments are all different.

I have 60k miles and I haven't worn any of my tires down 50% (I have multiple sets) and some of the tires are well beyond 20k miles.

Just saying... That includes the Patagonia M/T's which definitely have more than 20k miles.

Now, soft summer compound sports car tires are typically 50% done at 12k miles and DOT legal autocross tires are typically 100% done at 10k miles on the street. Anyone running R compound tires on their Bronco yet (for the holeshot)?

 

[ArrickSports]

Thank you. If I have to replace one tire does that mean I have to replace all? That is the other reason they recommended four new tires. One has a nail puncture and since others are “50%” and 4WD I need to replace all.

Have them swap in the spare and tell them you are going to get the other taken care of when finances are available ;-) then get another opinion.

 

[bluesun68]

Factory tires are the lowest bidder tires. They probably lose money on them, but they also make them have less tread (to save money on production) and softer for better performance, and to get you to come back and buy a full price set of the same thing. Buy some better tires as soon as they all wear down more.

 

[22Badskwatch]

with my previous cars, I'd always count on needing a new set of tires every 10-12k miles - so that's where my bar is.. I'm currently almost at 8k on my Bronco (in 5 months), and plenty of tread left.

 

[gwiacek]

I've had several new vehicles that if I got 12,000 miles on a set I was lucky. Like someone already said here the OEM's put the cheapest tires on a vehicle as possible.

 

[mikec426]

It's an open differential, we don't have a limited slip differential in the back.

Are you trying to tell me if I jack up the back end and put it in drive, only the right rear wheel will rotate?

 

[Sparkherd]

Jest a leetle observation here; if the difference in circumference between a 100% and 50% tire will crater the drivetrain.........THEN YA'LL BETTER NOT AIR DOWN YOUR TIRES TO GO OFF-ROADING!!!
It's simple physics on our side and jest plain old greed and marketing on the dealer's side.
No reason to buy 4 new tires instead of just one!!!
The tire with the nail can probably be patched!!!
Take it someplace that does not try to sell you four new tires and see if they think it can be patched.

 

[colintrax]

Ok so you have a Bronco Sport. If you need a new tire, odds are you will need to replace all 4. AWD and automatic 4WD systems want the tires to be within a certain percentage of the same tire circumference. If they're not it can cause problems. I'm not up to speed on the Sports, but I assume their AWD system falls under this.
Best case, the computer gets snippy with you. Worst case, you damage the drivetrain and are looking at thousands in repair bills when the tires are too unequal in size.

Also, it sounds like you don't monitor your tire pressure or do any tire maintenance. This can play a role in how fast your tires are wearing out. Use a dedicated tire pressure gauge to watch your pressures, and have a way to air up at home. Ryobi makes a 18 volt 1 gallon air compressor if you have ryobi batteries. 120volt pancake compressors are very affordable. Even the cheap little 12 volt cigarette plug compressors will get the job done. Regardless, TPMS tends to be more vague, it might say you're at 30psi but the margin of error is several psi in either direction. Turning good enough, into low. Don't rely on what the computer says your tire pressure is.

Make a point of getting tires rotated. Discount tire is the place to go for tire stuff as far as national chains go. They use torque wrenches to put lugs on, set tire pressures correctly, and the best part is they will rotate tires for free even if you didn't buy from them. Costco and the like offer packages for unlimited rotations and balances if you want, but typically a tire only needs balanced when it's installed.

Lastly, if you're towing or hauling a lot of weight, expect your tire life to die.

 

[colintrax]

Are you trying to tell me if I jack up the back end and put it in drive, only the right rear wheel will rotate?

Both will rotate. Do something to stop 1 tire and the other will keep rotating.

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