Will I cause any damage with a mismatched wheel set?

Asked by: Jon Holland

In addition, mismatched wheels and tires could lead to further vehicle damage. Driving with different tire wear patterns and tire types can alter the acceleration, stopping power, and cornering abilities of your car. Mismatched tires and wheels put additional stress on the car’s suspension and braking system.

Is it OK to run mismatched tires?

Primarily, you should avoid mixing different tire brands and different tread patterns. There are rare exceptions for approved mixed-tire fittings, but in general, manufacturers do not recommend tire mixing at all.

Can I use a different wheel on my car?

Fortunately, it’s possible to use a replacement wheel from any vehicle. However, you should ensure that that the original wheel has the same bolt pattern, wheel offset, and size of the new one. You can find the right size of the substitute by checking the sticker plate on your door.

Can you drive with different size rims?

Having different sizes on some four wheel and all wheel drive vehicles can actually do damage to the vehicle. Since tires vary from brand to brand, and even from model to model, damage can even occur with tires of the same size if they have a large enough difference in circumference.

Can mismatched tires cause transmission problems?

Yes, mismatched tires can cause transmission problems. It doesn’t matter whether you’re driving a two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive vehicle. What is this? Mismatched tires can cause a host of issues in the drivetrain, including the transmission.

Can you mismatch wheels?

We advise against driving with mismatch wheels and tires. Mismatched wheels and tires can cause premature and uneven wear and tear on the new and remaining three wheels. Even replacing a single worn out tire with a new one, could mess with the handling of the vehicle because of the different tread depths.

Does it matter if one tire is different?

Reasons to Avoid Replacing Only One Tire



Replacing one tire at a time can present challenges down the road since the one tire will have a different tread depth and thus different accelerating, braking, and cornering abilities than all of the others.

Can you have 2 different sets of tires on your car?

Is It OK to Mix Tires on Your Vehicle? The short answer is that, in general, manufacturers do not recommend tire mixing at all. For optimal safety and performance, it is recommended that vehicles are fitted with the same tires to every wheel position on your car.

Can mismatched tires cause vibration?

Uneven tire wear can cause your wheels to become unbalanced and unbalanced wheels shake your car! This can be difficult to diagnose but a skilled auto mechanic can find the problem in a flash. Proper maintenance can prevent most shaking and vibration. Don’t ignore these basic auto and tire maintenances.

Is it OK to have 2 different brand tires?

Putting different brand tires on a vehicle seems like a harmless practice. However, it can lead to problems with stability, traction control, and more. This is because no two brands produce tires with precisely the same specifications.

Do tire sizes have to be exact?

How to make sure that rims will work with tires? Width and diameter are the two factors that determine tire and rim compatibility. For diameter you’ll need to be sure that your tires and wheels are an exact match, e.g. a 215/65R17 tire will only fit on a 17″ diameter wheel.

Do 4 wheel drive tires have to match?

Attention! – Matching Tires on Four-Wheel Drive and All Wheel Drive Vehicles: 4WD and AWD vehicles require special attention to insure that all four tires are closely matched in diameter to avoid strain and possible damage to the vehicle’s differentials and/or viscous couplings.

Does changing tire size affect transmission?

Essentially when you increase your tire and/or rim size you are changing the ratio of all the components involved in making your vehicle stop and go. This includes the drivetrain, transmission, brake system, and all the associated parts within those systems.

What happens if your tires don’t match?

If you continually use mismatched tires and wheels they will wear out unevenly and can cause problems later down the road. If you choose to drive your vehicle with mismatched wheels the same issues can result. Mismatched wheels will fit each tire differently causing uneven wear and tear.

Can you drive with 2 different tires?

Is It OK to Mix Tires on Your Vehicle? The short answer is that, in general, manufacturers do not recommend tire mixing at all. For optimal safety and performance, it is recommended that vehicles are fitted with the same tires to every wheel position on your car.

Do all 4 tires need to be the same brand?

Unless you find yourself in a circumstance where you absolutely cannot get four of the same tires, it’s important to have matching tire brands and styles on your vehicle. Mixing and matching can lead not only to vehicle damage but also accidents on the road.

Is it OK to have different tires front and back?

A car with mismatched front and back tires should still be usable, especially if it is a two wheel drive vehicle. Tires wear out at different rates, and if one is more worn than the other, simply rotating the tires may be a possibility to prevent further wear.

Is it OK to have 2 different size tires front and back?

No matter what type of vehicle you have, having mismatched tires front to back can sometimes cause handling problems. Granted, this really doesn’t happen that often, and it is usually no problem to have different tires on a car.

Can mismatched tires cause vibration?

Uneven tire wear can cause your wheels to become unbalanced and unbalanced wheels shake your car! This can be difficult to diagnose but a skilled auto mechanic can find the problem in a flash. Proper maintenance can prevent most shaking and vibration. Don’t ignore these basic auto and tire maintenances.