I'm in a little tire situation. AWD

[e36cruiser]

So I am running 18x9.5's with 215/40's and I was about to flip them on the wheels because of the camber wear but I got a bolt right through the wear spot. I need one new tire but because I am AWD do I NEED to get four new ones? My theory is that my tires are all like new on the outside so once I flip them on the wheels they should all be the same tread height as the new one... the only difference will be that the new one will have tread on the outside and the rest be pretty much bald.

Any input?

Thanks,
Carl

[Schultz28]

just buy 2 new ones...

[Danny5]

There is nobody in the Subaru community who will tell you to buy 1, 2, or 3 tires if pattern baldness is an issue.

Are you an automatic or a manual? You can get away with 2 new tires if you are an auto, but only by running the car in fwd mode.

[Strawhat]

^^What that guy said.
That being said, I have run 4 different tires all at once, with no negative repercussions so far.
I got a nail in one of my tires Thursday and just bought 1 single new tire.

[MrZog]

if there are bold spots . . c'mon then, buy new tires (4 of them!!). . and if you can't afford 4 new tires now and then, you should stop driving so much camber . .
"looks" and "style" is all good and fun . . but in the end your tires are what holds your car on the road . . AWD or not . . if you have bad wear . . get new tires! . . and if you have AWD and need to replace any tire . . get 4 . . just because a transfer case is much more expensive than a set of tires . .

That being said, I have run 4 different tires all at once, with no negative repercussions so far.

well . . 4 different tires is sure not a good idea . . even though I belive that you don't feel it while normal driving . . in a emergency maneuver, the car will handle very unpredictable . .