yes for awd vehicles you have to keep the same OD on all the tires, otherwise it makes the differentials work harder to keep the wheels spinning at the same speed. this wears out the differentials a faster than they are supposed to.

so generally if you have to replace a tire and the others have significant wear then you replace all 4 tires. however if the other 3 still have quite a bit of tread but significantly less than new and you don't want to spit out the money for 4 new tires right now you can always buy one and get it shaved down to match the other 3 tires.

 

Did you just want to try to stop the pulling? If so, check the air pressure, try rotating the new tire to the rear, or maybe your alignment is off.

BTW these suggestions do not negate your car's requirement of 4 tires w/ similar circumfrence.

 

How would I shave the tire down?

 

Some tire shops are equipped with tire shaving equipment. Some use the equipment to help true up a slightly out-of-balance tire but shops that specialize in race tires use it to reduce tread depth for higher performance out of the box. Shallower tread depth means less tread 'squirm' and slightly longer life for track use, but with the penalty of shorter tire life if used for daily driving.

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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

Where do I find one of these shops WW???

Lowball

 

I used to know of places in the City that would shave tires but now can't remember who they are. There's at least one tire specialist that's a permanent resident at Infineon (Sears Point) called AIM. Look for shops that cater to club racers, SCCA Pro racing, etc. I never joined SCCA so I don't have their magazine.

Some race D.O.T. tires already come with a shallow tread depth we can't assume that all of them would benefit from shaving.

Here's another article I found at the Tire Rack's site.

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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

I agree with the last post. What made you decide to change the tire, due to a bolt? Was it in the side wall, or in the tread? The only time a tire can't be fixed is if it shreds. The biggest problem with people shredding tires, is they drive on a flat and tear the crap out of the tire.

 

That is not true. There is only one method recommended by most tire maker to fix a tire. That is with a patch plug. But, there are many things that will disqualify a tire from a proper flat repair. The condition you described is known as 'run flat' and you are correct - a tire with runflat cannot be fixed. But if a tire has a hole in the shoulder and/or the sidewall then that tire is unrepairable as well. If the object that penetrated the tread area entered at an acute angle, that tire may not be repairable. If 2 or more nails(screws, bolts, etc) are in close proximity to each other, then that tire is not repairable either. Also, some tire makers say that if a high performance tire has been punctured then it may lose its speed rating.