Went out to my car today and noticed a big screw sticking out of my drivers rear tire! Since the screw is in the shoulder of the tread I am pretty sure that the tire has to be replaced. I think this is some type of Karma since I didn't buy the road hazard warranty. I know typically with all wheel drive cars you have to replace all 4 tires if one gets ruined due to tread depth differences not being good for the AWD system. My tires only have 5000 miles on them so what are your opinions on just replacing this one tire? I did a rough measurement of my tread depth and it looked to be about 8.5-9/32. New is 10/32.

 

Back that bad boy out of there and see if it is just a very short screw. You may be lucky and the screw did not go through the tread block.

 

Use a little soapy water to be sure there's no leak. You might get lucky. If not, the way the AWD works, you should only have to replace the pair. You might find a shop that can "shave" a single tire to match the existing one, and then start saving your pennies for some better tires all 'round. The most prevalent opinion here is that the Michelin P4S is far superior in every way to the P-Zero.

 

I backed the screw out and it is indeed a very short screw. It looks like it was stuck in the tread about 1/4 of an inch. I did the soap test and it does appear to have a small leak. I called the Jaguar dealer and they said with the tires being only 5000 miles, that it is up to me whether to replace more than the damaged tire. I bought a tire tread gauge and all 4 tires are at 8/32 vs new which is 10/32. Everything I have read said you can be a lot farther off than this and still be in spec for AWD but I'm still trying to decide if I should replace both back tires or just the one.

 

Happened to my friend’s Outback except tire was badly damaged so no hope of repair.
Dealer said 4 new tires!!! AWD supposed to throw a code if a rolling diameter difference problem. Tread difference old to new was similar to yours.
He figured trying replacing the one damaged tire made a economic sense to start. Worst case was to buy additional new tires if needed. All is good on his car with the one new tire.
I’d replace the one and see how it goes.

 

Wot 'e said.

 

Why not just plug it?

 

Good advice.

My experience:I had a longer screw attack the sidewall on our 4WD DD SUV. Tire store would not repair.

So I coated the threads with RTV and tightened the screw in a bit . Lasted another 15,000 miles with only minimal addition of air. (I DID check it regularly.)

+++++++

Now, I would NOT advise using a plug if you normally go more than 80 MPH. I remember Audi advising that plugged HP tires be treated as if they were S rated (112 MPH max) so, HDPEs are right out...

YMMV of course.

 

Oops, let's me out. I just sneaked in a quick burst to 130 two days ago.

 

No one said they will plug it because its outside the belt of the tread. I took it to discount tire over lunch and the guy agreed that I only need to replace the one tire. They had it in stock so I should be good to go in a couple of hours. I'll report back if I get any issues.

 

So you joined a forum coz you picked up a screw in your tyre well worst things can happen

 

Yeah, it's much too close to the edge for any shop to agree to plug. And most shops will tell you that even if it isn't that close to sell you tires. Me personally, I'd plug it. I don't track or race my car and if the plug fails, it won't burst the tire, just a slow leak as you have now. But then again, I'll plug anything that's in the tread pattern with the exception of a front wheel on a motorcycle.

 

Totally agree, they claim it’s a safety issue but it’s really just wanting to sell more tires.
Buy a quality plug kit and do it yourself, worst that will happen is the plug leaks. Even if the plug came out you will just loose air more rapidly, not have catastrophic failure. IMHO.

 

I agree with you. If you are not driving the car hard and at high speeds, which most of us don't it can be plugged. Also single tire replacement in particular under 10k miles
I would do if the tire was not repairable.

I had a tire on my truck with screw in the same location the tire shop refused to plug it said it was in the side wall. I went to the auto parts store and bought a kit to plug it. It worked like a charm actually was holding air better then the other 3 tires go figure.

 

Same for me. Plugged many tires with screws in the same place. Never had an issue.

 

Wouldn't work for me - after 10k miles every Jag I've had has needed new tyres. How do you guys do it?

 

I guess it depends on how you drive, brand and how soft a compound the tire is? As well as alignment and regular rotation for even wear.
I had a very soft compound Hankook summer tire on my 2004 xj8 when I sold the car in March those had 25k miles on them. plenty of tread left on them.

Currently running Firestone Indy 500 Firehawks on my F type. I love them. They have good grip and handling characteristics... about 2k on them
they seem to be showing no extreme wear so far.

 

If you choose to replace, make sure to upgrade tires to Michelin Pilot 4S. The sting of paying for it will be all but forgotten as you will be amazed by the transformation of your care as a result of installing proper tires.

 

I am extremely happy with the Firestones.
Admittedly I have never run Pilot 4S. I Guess I will have to look at what all the fuss is about.
Can you explain what you are comparing them to and what is so great about them and under what conditions you drive,
I am all ears!

 

I have a Stop & Go plug kit, this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stop-38-Go-...4AAOSwIdxe7UQH
I have used it twice (on MPS4S one front and one rear) to plug screw punctures, works great and the plugs I inserted are still going strong several thousand km later.
BUT it says in the instructions that a plug should only be used for a hole/puncture in the tread area and not in or near the sidewall, and the OP's pic shows that little screw beyond the supposed limit. The idea is that for the plug to work properly it needs to go through the steel belts under the tread and the belts (nylon?) either side of those steel belts near the sidewalls are not strong enough to fully support the plug. When reaming out the puncture hole to then insert the plug I could really feel and hear those steel belts!
Maybe just maybe a plug like a Stop & Go plug will do the trick for the OP in that it might still go into/through a steel belt. As I said you should feel and hear the steel belt if you are reaming through it and I would guess that a nylon belt would not feel or sound the same.