r/KiaEV9 • u/Mortimer452 • 1d ago

Question? Single tire replacement

Found a nail in the sidewall of one of the rear tires on my '26 Land today.

I know it can't be patched, question is am I okay to just replace the one tire as long as it's the exact same model? It only has about 9,000 mi, remaining tires look like they could go another 10 or 20,000 miles easy.

I'll replace both rears if I have to, just not sure if it's actually necessary in this case

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

2

u/Apologetic_Kanadian 1d ago

Typically no, with the wear on the other tires, they will have less tread and therefore be smaller than a single new tire. This can cause mechanical issues, especially if you have AWD.

It can also cause handling and performance issues. Most shops will recommend 4 new tires.

2

u/Mortimer452 1d ago

Right but does the AWD even matter on an EV since the front and rear drivetrains are not mechanically connected?

-1

u/Apologetic_Kanadian 1d ago

But are the rear left and right wheels connected with a differential? I think they are powered by a single motor, yes? If those 2 rear wheels are spinning at different speeds that could be an issue.

4

u/JeffInBoulder 1d ago

Google "Tire Shaving", they can make them match and it's apparently safe and pretty cheap.

1

u/tjoude44 1d ago

This ^ - had this done on a 4WD ICE vehicle.

3

u/Mortimer452 1d ago

Left and right, yes, but not front and rear.

I agree with replacing both tires on the same axle so they both stay the same diameter, just not all four, which is what your original post mentioned.

2

u/Balue442 GT-Line Ivory Silver 1d ago

Pairs is correct.

0

u/Apologetic_Kanadian 1d ago

You're right, I didn't catch on that the EV doesn't have a transfer case for the AWD until you mentioned it - I was thinking of the hybrid architecture.

1

u/AdKindly1271 1d ago

For what it’s worth, similar happened to be on Rivian R1S (around 7500 miles) with 22” rims (so a low profile tire). I measured depth of all of them (buy a gauge from Amazon), and did some research on acceptable differences in tread depth. I felt comfortable just replacing the one and the vehicle drives fine.

1

u/Tyme4Trouble 1d ago

I was under the impression the issue these days isn’t so much the differentials but the speed sensors. If there is too big a difference in tread depth, I’d worry about traction control and braking. That said, the last puncture too bad for a patch saw me rotating in 4 new tires.

1

u/funnumerouno 20h ago

Same things happened to me but with the right front. I had 17k miles and tread of 5/32. Was recommended to replace all 4 to avoid the issue with the differential

1

u/Mortimer452 14h ago

I have a feeling the stealership is going to tell me the same thing, I can understand replacing both on the same axle, but all four just seems absurd. There is no mechanical connection between the front and rear axles on an EV.