Got the nail today

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigj3347 @ May 23 2006, 07:44 PM) [snapback]259998[/snapback]</div>

Hi.. I'm guessing you mean 27,000 miles.. If it's repairable, it comes down to a choice of repair and get as many miles as you can... or just takle the plunge now. I got a flat with a nasty bolt/screw, it was repairable but I only had about 5,000 miles. Take a look at your treadlife left and see. The Intergitys do not have a long warranty, but how muc you have left depends on your driving habits, type of roads, etc.

Since you rotate them religiously, why not search for a place that does it for free with the tire package. Walmart does, but many people prefer not to deal with them.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigj3347 @ May 23 2006, 07:44 PM) [snapback]259998[/snapback]</div>

Also having a 2005, I have the free 3 yr roadside assistance and I would have just called and had someone else come out and change the tire. As I recall from reading the roadside assistance literature you are entitled to about $100 if your tire is damaged because of a road hazard (nail?). I would read the roadside assistance literature to see if you are entitled to some sort of compensation. maybe not - but, it would not hurt to check it out.

Springtime

(I don't do tires - that is what roadside assistance and my cell phone are for!)

 

If I were you, I'd get two new tires and put the new ones in the front (front wheel drive = front wheel wears out faster)

Then.. pick the nice two from the remaining three, and put them at the back...

Then again, I noticed that some of you prii drivers are pretty meticulous about itty bitty details.. you guys might be in a differnt league than I am... I'm just a casual driver, and I drive my prius with the AC on at 68 F

 

If you have BJ's or costco or Sams with tire center, they usually have great tire prices. free mounting & rotating....

if you are strapped- just buy 2 matching the integras... but never replace only 1. keep the old one as a spare in case another one goes.

otherwise, go to michelin!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigj3347 @ May 23 2006, 07:34 PM) [snapback]260016[/snapback]</div>

I price them at Tirerack, and then I go to Wheel Works (there's one near me in San Rafael, might be one near you too) -- they'll come pretty close to matching Tirerack + shipping costs if you ask.

If you care about noise (and in California, I'm sure you've experienced the annoying grooved highway noise on those stock tires), it's *much* improved with the Comfortreds. I made the dealer put them on as part of my purchase, since that was the one thing I had a very strong negative opinion on during my test drives (especially compared to my no-road-noise '05 4Runner).

 

I also had this happen, but I got TWO nails in the same tire (freaking construction debris in the road!) when I had about 15k miles. I had the Toyota dealer patch it, and I kept driving.

They were still OK at 24k miles when I traded it in...

I say patch & keep going if you still have tread.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigj3347 @ May 23 2006, 04:44 PM) [snapback]259998[/snapback]</div>

How much tread is left on the Integrities? Stick a penny with Lincoln's head in first, in the tire tread and see how much tread is left. If you're at the top his forehead it's getting time to replace them all. If not, and if your tire is not repairable, maybe you can find a used Integrity from a wreck to carry you until you are ready to replace all tires.

I bought my tires from a Goodyear dealer. He gave the best trade-in for my 700 mile Integrities ($40/tire). It pays to shop around, There was a $23/tire difference between hi/lo dealers for the final install including balancing. I waited until Goodyear had a sale and got the tires for $83 each + mtg & balancing. This includes tire lifetime balancing and rotation and a nationwide warranty policy. For that reason, I prefer to go to the tire dealer and not Costco or Walmart for tires.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(busyrosy @ May 23 2006, 10:17 PM) [snapback]260063[/snapback]</div>

That's what I do as well. I usually get the front two replaced and put the fronts on the back.

I also don't usually pay for tires, I let AAA do it. I have the AAA credit card and it gives 1% ($50 for every $5,000) back. The rebate is in the form of coupons which I use to pay for my AAA membership and it is good at all AAA repair facilities. I save them up and use them to buy the tires. This also solves the problem of changing a flat since they do that as well.

 

Considering that the last nail puncture that I had in a tire only cost $11.50 to fix, I would fix it and wait to replace the tires, assuming that the tire treads are not less than 1/16" deep.

 

I replaced my stock Integrities with Michelin Hydroedges from Costco at 12,000 miles. Best decision I ever made.

Right now, if you buy them at Costco, they are only $114 each and the set comes with a $50 gift card. That puts the entire set at just over $400 installed with Nitrogen fillup, free rotation and balance for life and 90,000 treadlife warranty.

Grip on snow and in the rain is excellent, much improved over stock. Noise is no worse than stock.

Nate

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigj3347 @ May 23 2006, 04:44 PM) [snapback]259998[/snapback]</div>

I've driven thousands and thousands of miles on plugged tires with no problem. Go to almost any tire shop or gas station (if you can find one that still has service bays) and they can plug the tire in about 15 minutes if it is repairable.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigj3347 @ May 24 2006, 07:00 PM) [snapback]260671[/snapback]</div>

That's the most important part! Without the air the tires are lousy.

BTW, it's always better to have the good tires up front. In a skid situation, it's better to have the rear skid than the front. If the rear starts to skid, it will straighten out as you let off the power, and you can still steer. If the front skids, things can be much worse.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(busyrosy @ May 23 2006, 10:17 PM) [snapback]260063[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rick Auricchio @ May 24 2006, 10:29 PM) [snapback]260682[/snapback]</div>

Incorrect. If you have to choose, understeer (plowing at the front) is better than oversteer (increased yaw from the rear. Most modern cars are designed to understeer for this very reason. Most performance cars have a tendency to oversteer making them more difficult to drive, especially in inclement weather (hence why most people feel RWD cars are not as stable in the snow as FWD cars).

New tires should always be installed at the rear not the front, FWD or not.

Want to read about understeer and oversteer?

http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/sway3.htm