We were in an accident today and the driver of the other vehicle hit us directly in the rear tire. The tire and wheel are damaged and need to be replaced. We will have the axel inspected too.
My question is ...
All four rear tires are just under two years old. In order to safely tow our 5th wheel, can we replace just the damaged tire, or, should we replace both tires?
Thanks.
Frank
RonC said
10:46 AM Jul 2, 2020
I’m not an expert, but I would ask the dealer (a mechanic, not a service writer) or a tire dealer ... like discount tire. The only problem I can see is that a new tire might have a slightly different circumference due to the wear on the the other three tires ... whether that would matter is the question for the experts.
Rickl said
12:36 PM Jul 2, 2020
It depends on the amount of tread depth you have on the remaining tires compared to the new tire. If the difference is 5/32nds or more I would consider replacing all four. If it’s just 2/32 or so, I would recommend mounting in the inner wheel position as that will wear it down quicker to match the outside tire (Road crown).
As to the axle, you have a floating axle so chances of the axle being bent is slim. Now, depending on the impact, while I doubt it happened, the housing “could” have been tweaked. I would definitely have an alignment done, a 4 wheel thrust angle. If something has moved they should be able to tell once the initial reading has been taken. Make sure you ask/require both before and after printouts.
Barb and Frank said
09:13 AM Jul 4, 2020
Thanks Ron and Rick
Frank
yandel said
08:00 PM Sep 13, 2020
There could more damage than just the tires and wheels. My buddy's Wrangler got t-boned directly to the rear passenger tires. End up replacing both rear shocks, both side tires (5/32 tread depths after 1.5years), and a couple of alignments to get back in shape. He later decided to make it a weekend trail toy and got another car as DD. Now the Wrangler got Bilstein shocks, nitto ridge grappler tires, and skid plates.
We were in an accident today and the driver of the other vehicle hit us directly in the rear tire. The tire and wheel are damaged and need to be replaced. We will have the axel inspected too.
My question is ...
All four rear tires are just under two years old. In order to safely tow our 5th wheel, can we replace just the damaged tire, or, should we replace both tires?
Thanks.
Frank
As to the axle, you have a floating axle so chances of the axle being bent is slim. Now, depending on the impact, while I doubt it happened, the housing “could” have been tweaked. I would definitely have an alignment done, a 4 wheel thrust angle. If something has moved they should be able to tell once the initial reading has been taken. Make sure you ask/require both before and after printouts.
Thanks Ron and Rick
Frank
There could more damage than just the tires and wheels. My buddy's Wrangler got t-boned directly to the rear passenger tires. End up replacing both rear shocks, both side tires (5/32 tread depths after 1.5years), and a couple of alignments to get back in shape. He later decided to make it a weekend trail toy and got another car as DD. Now the Wrangler got Bilstein shocks, nitto ridge grappler tires, and skid plates.
What brand of Dually Wheels do you run on?