How to Replace Tires on AWD Cars

How to replace the tires on an all-wheel-drive car is easy. Having to replace them is going to be painful. Any reputable tire company or dealership is going to strongly recommend or require that you replace all four tires. Why? It gets a little complicated, but it has to do with a part called a center differential. To try and simplify the matter, this part tries to calibrate the front and rear axle to work together. If they do not, problems in the drive train can result. As tires lose tread wear, they begin to become different sizes. The front tires will wear on the edges more because they're on the axle that controls the steering. The reason the tires wear more is due to lack of proper rotation. But whether you have two or four bad tires on your AWD vehicle, any reputable tire dealer is going to require you to purchase all four.

Things You'll Need

• Pen and paper

Instructions

1. Locate the tire label on your AWD car. In most cars, this is located on the driver's side door jamb. This label will give you the recommended size of original equipped tires and the recommended tire pressure for the front and rear axle, and in some cases include the spare tire. It may also have a different size tire that is either available on other versions of the same model or larger tires you could upgrade to if you were to purchase larger rims for the car.

2. Write the tire number down and bring it to a qualified tire dealer or dealership. The three sizes to be most concerned with are the rim size (the actual radius of the tire), the width of the tire and rim, and the height of the tire. Most dealerships or tire dealers have conversion charts that can show you where you can deviate from the actual tire size, if you so desire, without compromising the operation of the vehicle.

3. Remember to incorporate the spare tire in your plans if you decide to change tire sizes. In the event that you need to use a spare tire if you change the tire size, you can cause a lot of damage to a drive axle or drive train by traveling a short distance with two different sized tires on the same axle.

4. Purchase the four tires (or five if you're incorporating a full-sized spare) you're satisfied with and follow a regular regimen to get some longevity out of the tires. It is recommended on four-wheel-drive or AWD vehicles to rotate the tires every 6,000 miles. Be diligent with this regimen and make copious maintenance records to follow it. If you change your oil every 3,000 miles, have your tires rotated every other oil change.

Tips & Warnings

• This is not to say you cannot find a place that will sell you one, two, three or however many tires you want for your AWD car. The problem is that some shops are looking out for their daily sales and could care less about what you do to your car after you pay them for your requested service. You may not like having to buy four tires and they may tell you that you don't need to. The fact is, you don't. You can do whatever you want with your car. But if you go to a dealership or a tire dealer and they require you purchase four tires for your AWD car, don't complain about it. Replacing the center differential is a lot more expensive than buying four tires.