Tire mismatch on AWD

[02Lightning]

I have a 2008 Yukon Denali that I put new tires on a couple years ago and I just found a gouge in the side wall. All my tires have 9/32" tread depth, and a new tire has 12/32" tread depth. How much will the AWD compensate for the mismatch in tire circumference?
I guess I have three choices here. Buy new and don't worry about it, buy a used tire with 9/32 thread depth, or buy a new tire and have it shaved down to 9/32", all of the same tire I have now.

 

[calif phil]

I would put a new one on. I think it will be fine.


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[retiredsparky]

It is possible that the traction control can decide that the new tire is going too slow (it will turn slower) and then attempt to control the speed difference.

During a panic breaking situation, the ABS may attempt to control for a wheel turning at a different speed, resulting in some instability.

Neither of these scenarios are necessarily predictable. Other's opinions may vary!

Larry

 

[swathdiver]

Replace a pair, keep one for a spare or sell it.

 

[ivin74]

Replace a pair, keep one for a spare or sell it.

X2

 

[PG01]

I never thought so but ive was 'schooled' on awd a few months ago.... awd is a diff animal and like posted buy 2 and keep 1 for a spare... they have to match.

 

[02Lightning]

So I did a little research and came up with nothing as far as GM and or the owners manual. But I did find this on Tire rack.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=18
Looks like some vehicle's will only tolerate up to a 2/32 thread difference. So, what I did to be safe, is buy a used tire off of ebay for $100 at 9/32 thread, to match my other tires. This is probably the most cost effective solution also. My concern is premature transfer case failure, whether it be replacing two tires at a time, or a set.

I also called three different dealers and got three different answers.

Dealer 1, it's ok to just replace the one.
Dealer 2, you need all four tires.
Dealer 3, you can just replace two. (this screws up my tire rotation).

 

[PatDTN]

When I bought my 2009 Tahoe - 4wd, not awd - it had different brands of tires front and rear. At first it was not a problem then I swapped front and rear. It caused a skipping feel when I ran in automatic 4 wheel drive. That locks in the hubs I think I later learned. Mounting 4 matched Michelin tires fixed it. And leaving the knob set at 2wd also fixed it.

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[sumo]

I worked on ford once with mismatch tires on. Awd. They never rotated so the rear were 8/32 and the front was nearly bald. The complaint was extreme vibration. It was because tires with lower tread wants to rotate faster than tires with more tread. The awd system didn't like that and was causing the system to bind up. Replaced all tires and problem went away

 

[mals]

Before I purchased my 2005 AWD Yukon I had a 2000 AWD Astro van. The manual for the Astro stated that all tires needed to be within 3/32 to prevent damage to the AWD system.

I have applied that same criteria to my Yukon, and when I needed to replace a damaged tire. I luckily found a pair of matching tires on Ebay, one an exact 9/32" match to my other three tires, and one that was 7/32" that I used to make a full sized 20" rim spare. I figured that way the spare will continue to be a safe match as my other four wheels wear down.