Well here's the deal.
I got a 2018 RAV4 LE AWD with 210,000 miles. All four of my Bridgestone DriveGuard run-flat tires (225/65R17) are worn down to around 3 mm tread depth. I just had to replace one of them because it had an irrepairable puncture near the sidewall. So the new cheapo tire has a tread depth of 8 mm and the other three tires have the 3 mm depth.
But here's the thing --- I plan on selling the vehicle in January. So any concerns about damage to the drivetrain because of one tire having 10 mm more diameter than the other tires is alleviated by the fact that I'm dumping the vehicle off to another owner and they won't even know anything bad happened unless they are astute enough to realize one of the tires is new.
I understand some tire shops offer a tread shaving service where they can match tread depth of a new tire to the existing old tires. Is this really worth it in my case? If I can spend $50 and shave down the tire and prevent any major drivetrain damage occurring in the next few weeks, then it's worth it just for my own peace of mind. But can they shave a tire if it's already been driven a couple hundred miles, or do they need to be brand new and unused?
I'm skeptical that any damage would occur if one tire is not even 1/2-inch a greater diameter compared to the other tires. Can anyone debunk this long-held myth about AWD vehicles suffering major catastrophe to the drivetrain because of uneven tire diameters, or is there really truth to it?
I got a 2018 RAV4 LE AWD with 210,000 miles. All four of my Bridgestone DriveGuard run-flat tires (225/65R17) are worn down to around 3 mm tread depth. I just had to replace one of them because it had an irrepairable puncture near the sidewall. So the new cheapo tire has a tread depth of 8 mm and the other three tires have the 3 mm depth.
But here's the thing --- I plan on selling the vehicle in January. So any concerns about damage to the drivetrain because of one tire having 10 mm more diameter than the other tires is alleviated by the fact that I'm dumping the vehicle off to another owner and they won't even know anything bad happened unless they are astute enough to realize one of the tires is new.
I understand some tire shops offer a tread shaving service where they can match tread depth of a new tire to the existing old tires. Is this really worth it in my case? If I can spend $50 and shave down the tire and prevent any major drivetrain damage occurring in the next few weeks, then it's worth it just for my own peace of mind. But can they shave a tire if it's already been driven a couple hundred miles, or do they need to be brand new and unused?
I'm skeptical that any damage would occur if one tire is not even 1/2-inch a greater diameter compared to the other tires. Can anyone debunk this long-held myth about AWD vehicles suffering major catastrophe to the drivetrain because of uneven tire diameters, or is there really truth to it?
