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Tire flatter than a pancake but holds pressure but may need new tire - 2 or 4?!


Cyberdave

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Hi, I have a 2013 Edge SEL AWD. I discovered a front tire flatter than a pancake. I put on the spare and inspected the tire and can find no visible damage. I filled it up to 32 and after a couple days in the trunk it's still holding pressure. But I suppose that doesn't mean it's not damaged and if I were to put it back on then under pressure it could go flat again?

 

I'm going to take it to my local Ford service where they can check it and see if it can be patched if needed.

The front tires I measured at 6/32 and the rear which are a toss up between 7 and 8/32.

I spoke to a parts guy in the event I have to replace the flat tire (and thus at least the two front tires).

But he said there can't be greater than 2/32 difference between the new tires and the remaining tires without risking transfer case / transmission(?) problems with the AWD system. He said the new tires come with 10/32.

 

So theoretically I should need only two tires but what if they say the rear tires are more at 7/32 and I need to get 4? Are they right or can I squeak by with just two? Yes I'm trying to save money but ultimately if the AWD system is damaged it's going to cost me far more!

 

Any help or ideas would be appreciated thanks!

 

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So the tire suddenly went flat, but it is holding pressure when not mounted to the vehicle? If it's been slowly losing pressure for a while, I'd might have suggested checking the wheel for signs of rust, as that that will create slow leaks.

 

The AWD system takes about 3% variability max (though I have read reports that it doesn't matter at all) between tires. This is tire height, not tread depth we are talking about. If you go to Ford, though, the answer will likely be replace all 4, because that is their standard recommendation; I don't blame them for that. Definitely do not mix tire heights/tread depths on an axle.

 

I think you'd be ok with just 2 new tires, but you probably want to leave them on front so they wear down faster than the old tires in the rear.

 

Lets take the example of Sport tires:

265/40R22 tires are about 30.5" tall.

 

So 3% of 30.5 = 0.915", or almost an inch of height.

 

I dont think the AWD will have an issue handling the difference. Now if you have Ford warranty, if something goes wrong with the PTU, they could likely blame the tires. So in order to close that loophole, either fix the "bad" tire, or replace all 4. If you do not have warranty remaining, then it is your call: fix, replace 2, or replace all 4. Since I am OCD, you know what my answer will be :) There are tire deals that abound (even thru Ford) so I would shop online and ask them to match or do 1 better.

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Some kid walk by and let pressure out through the valve stem. Pissed anyone off lately?

 

Lol nah! I had driven the car one day and all was fine. Put it in the garage and left it there and the next day about 24 hours later it was flat.

I had, because we were going to be taking a road trip, checked the tires that day or the day before and all was good. Weird situation!

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So the tire suddenly went flat, but it is holding pressure when not mounted to the vehicle? If it's been slowly losing pressure for a while, I'd might have suggested checking the wheel for signs of rust, as that that will create slow leaks.

 

I dont think the AWD will have an issue handling the difference. Now if you have Ford warranty, if something goes wrong with the PTU, they could likely blame the tires. So in order to close that loophole, either fix the "bad" tire, or replace all 4. If you do not have warranty remaining, then it is your call: fix, replace 2, or replace all 4. Since I am OCD, you know what my answer will be :) There are tire deals that abound (even thru Ford) so I would shop online and ask them to match or do 1 better.

 

Yes it just went flat but I had just checked the tires for a trip that day or the day before and all was good.

 

It has 43k miles so I still have the power train warranty. . . .

I searched on that and found this discussion:

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/7620-ptu-not-covered-by-the-powertrain-warranty/

about that which is interesting.

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Lol nah! I had driven the car one day and all was fine. Put it in the garage and left it there and the next day about 24 hours later it was flat.

 

Let's rephrase that. Pissed off your wife or kids lately?

 

Best guess (ruling out the above) would be a puncture or leaky bead that only leaks while on the vehicle. Check again very carefully looking for headless nails or some other type of puncture and check the bead area. You could also try putting the max psi in it while it's off the vehicle (based on the rating on the tire).

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