We know that a lot of drivers are working pretty hard to make a dollar go farther and that the outlay for a full set of four tires – even inexpensive tires – can be considerable. That’s why we run across drivers pretty often who ask if it’s okay to just replace a pair of tires, then buy the other pair when they can afford them.

The answer is…yes, but…

You’ll really need to pay attention to the size of the set of tires that you’ve already got and go with that exact same size of tires for your new pair. Having mismatched sizes of tires on your vehicle can result in squirrelly and unpredictable handling and ride quality. If your existing tires are all-season, go with all-season tires. If they’re winter tires, go with winter tires. Ideally, you should even have the same tread pattern and design on the new tires.

Also, the new tires will need to go on the rear, and you can then take the tires that have the most tread left and put them on the front. Rear wheel traction is vital to getting you down the road safely and preventing the rear end from oversteering and “fishtailing” out as you go around a corner, especially on wet pavement.

Really, though, you should try to get that other pair of tires under your vehicle as soon as you possibly can afford them. A matched set of tires – all the same brand, same age, same size, same tread pattern and design – will mean a vehicle that’s suddenly much quieter, smoother riding, better handling and safer all the way around!

While tires are a big investment and can be pretty daunting to try to afford, we encourage you to check back on our site for specials and sales…we carry a wide variety of premium brand tires in all sizes for various fitments and we’re sure we’ve got tires that’ll be a great fit for your vehicle!