Well I learned a very valuable lesson yesterday: find a SPARE tire to keep in the back on long road trips. I was driving up bumpy Hwy 83 in south TX near the border, which feels similar to a mine field with the SRT suspension. Somewhere along the route I run over a nail, which I discover a few minutes after the fact when I see the low tire pressure lit on my dash. Long story made short: I decide to re-inflate the fast deflating tire and drive it to the nearest tire shop in a tiny town 20 miles away.

When I arrive, the tire attendant removes the tire off the back left wheel and immediately determines that my tire is out-of-commission. Inside the tire well is heaping mess of rubber splinters piled up to the inner diameter of the sidewall. Apparently the tire ran out of air very quickly on the 20 mile trip (stupid me) and the heat from the friction disintegrated much of the inside of the tire sidewall. I decided to take the risk and drive the 90 miles back to my town with a patched-up, dangerously-weak tire at 55mph on the shoulder. Fortunately, I made it back without incident and sit here now trying to choose between purchasing a new left rear tire or replacing all 4 with Hankooks.

The rear tires are 4 month-old, size 285 Continental DWSs with 3k miles on them. The front are the OEM contis that have been on the car since 2005: they still have plenty of tread, but I am starting to see some age-wear near the sidewall.
So..opinions. Is it wise to replace just one rear tire? If so, could I use a less expensive tire brand in order to even out the tire wear of old, good tire vs. new, not-as-good tire? I'd rather not spend the ~$700 to replace all 4, but I will be doing alot of traveling this summer, hence the nagging in my conscience to buy the solid-gripping, summer Hankook Ventus..
All opinions welcome! Thanks for reading.

 

I had this same problem. I lucked out and found a used exact match at a local used tire store. If I b
Had not I had decided to just buy another DWS of the same size (285's) I had before.

 

Same boat.. different stroke.. I carry a tire plug kit to avoid your situation..cheap helping hand..



Walked to salvage yard 400 yards down the street.. 99 SLK 230 8" rim




New wheel in today..



Still at least 5 thousand miles left on drivers rear.. mix and match or save other tire for another bolt..

 

Haha, I like that old Mercedes wheel idea. Buying a brand new DWS crossed my mind, but the one I have on the right rear already has 5k miles on it. A used one would be swell, but the part of TX I'm in is more conducive to buying chrome wheels and giant pickup truck exhaust kits than over-sized low profile tires. I'm leaning towards a new set of 4 all around, since I'd likely need new front ones in about 5k miles anyway.
Hankook Ventus tires or G-Max AS-03...what do you think? I've been scouring the forum looking for the best blend of low-cost and quality, but there are so many opinions on tires it is hard to decide between one or the other. Most of my next 10k miles will be in warm weather in the lower half of the US. I aim to decide on a set of 4 by tomorrow, so all recommendations are appreciated. Thanks!

 

G-Max AS-03, think these will be my next purchase. Seems the reviews are pretty good on them. Running the Falkens now. Can tell you they aren't "bolt proof".. LOL, but looks like the typical 20K miles. Road noise hasn't been an issue either.

 

Kumho Ecsta 4x from Tire Rack. $200 per tire and the only brand/model I have found so far with a 6 year 40k warranty in our sizes, front and rear tire.

Kumho Ecsta 4X

 

Don't ask me, I have been 4 yrs now trying to decide which rims to buy....

 

Christ! Where do you guys live? Next to a wrecking yard?

A BOLT? THROUGH the wheel? Maybe in Kenya...and I'm in Alabama. All I see on the road is the odd bumper or fender.

Oh-and a rear seat from a '70's GM fullsize last week. But nothing I couldn't avoid, though! Probably fell through the floorboards.

 

LOL..happened 2 miles from work.. and did you note I said I walked 400 yards to the salvage yard..6 years of driving down that way without a thought.. SURPRISE...

Still haven't checked to see if the wheel clears everything on the front..just to happy to have it back off the car!

 

Any updates on the General tire reviews?