Tire wear vs. LSD question.

[oneprblmcat]

I had cut a tire on the freeway and am going to have to replace it. I bought my '06 Tundra 4x4 with LSD with about 8k miles on it and it already had the Cooper Disc. ATRs that I've now put another 16k on. I've rotated them twice (going to try every 5-10k) and have about 11/32" of tread left. If I run the new Cooper ATR in the back will it cause any problems with the limited slip rear since it will be slightly taller? How much more tread will the new tire have? Is there a rotation pattern I should follow to help the new tire wear in to the rest. I know this sounds picky but this is my first 4x4 and first LSD and I don't want to do anything to cause any premature drivetrain wear. Common sense to me would suggest that you'd need to keep an eye on all your tire heights (wear, pressure, sizes) to make sure you don't have one side spinning faster that the other on straight runs. I know if I commuted through twisties everyday it'd be the same thing.......maybe I'm being paranoid? We have freight vehicles at work with limited slip rears that are burning them up pretty regularly and it seems to me to be because of running too long with uneven tire pressures. I don't get to work on these often enough so I still lack the experience there.

Any knowledge one can drop on my brain will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[LilCuteSurferGrl]

im not quite understanding what you're getting at? the vehicle has cooper ATRs on it right now @ 11/32 and you want to replace them? or are there only 2 coopers on there right now and you are buying 2 more? or...?

after working in a tire center for the last 3 years, i can give you some info. since your vehicle is not all wheel drive, and you're worried about the LSD, it should be okay as long as your tires are the same tread depth across the axle. if it were all wheel drive, like a subaru, you'd have to replace all 4 at once in order to not run into problems. a good reference for tire replacement is in your owners manual. once i get a little more info from you i could probably help you out.

also, depending on your tire size, those coopers start off anywhere from 15.5/32 to 17/32. what size are you putting on?

[oneprblmcat]

I'm just replacing the one that got torn on the freeway. So one of my axles (front or rear) will end up with one old tire (at 11/32 tread depth) and a new tire. My tires are Cooper Discoverer ATR OWLs, LT265/75R-16/C1 112R. The guy I ordered the tire from said it'll have 13/32 to 15/32 tread new and I'd hardly notice a difference if I keep rotating them. So I went with just one new tire instead of a pair. I was going to start with the new one on the front for a while. Or do I really need a pair instead? 3/16 is a big difference if this new tire comes with 17/32 of tread. I won't see it until Thursday.

Thanks for the help.

[LilCuteSurferGrl]

according to the cooper tire website.. it starts off at 16.5/32. thats a 5.5/32 difference between the new and the old. i know with awd vehicles like subarus and volvos, the tires need to measure within an inch of diameter if replacing just one, in order to not mess up the drive-train. like i mentioned, look it up in your owners manual on what the manufacturer recommends. the best thing, in my opinion would be to replace two, place the old on on the spare. Cuz i'm not sure if your spare is still a P rated tire. if it is, that's actually the best route to go cuz if you end up blowing out another tire, and it happens to be on the rear, you're gonna start running into problems with the LSD also. the cooper tires you have on there now are 6 plys (load range c), the stock passenger tire spare is 4 plys. both are gonna spin a lot differently, especially when placed on the rear axle.

[oneprblmcat]

replace two, place the old on on the spare.

That'll be the plan when I get paid again as I just can't find any info on how much of a difference in tread wear is allowed for the LSD. My current spare is a junker from work that's the same size. But it's a little more worn and a different brand. It was just meant to get me out of danger. But, as in this time, I have to switch it from back to front as soon as I can if it has to be used on the rear. I would have done the musical tires when I cut down the rear but it was 4:15 am on the freeway. A little chime to go with the tire pressure warning light would have been nice to give me more time to look for an exit. I thought the tire noise was the rig next to me. By the time I realized it was me I had already passed the best exit before another 3 miles of nothing but busy interchanges.

Thanks for all the help even if it meant I'm spending even more money just from one flat. I know a little more now. I also found out that, though my tires were put on by someone else before I got the truck, I could have had them warrantied by America's Tires since they still had good tread. Live and learn. The warranty on the new tire covers them all now.