Would you drive 2600 miles on these?

[thefultonhow]

I'm driving back from Utah to Maryland this July, and I'm a little worried about my tires. They're pretty bald. I can get WRX wheels, but they're from a guy in the Baltimore area and I'd rather pick them up when I get back than pay the $100 shipping to Utah. I'll pay the shipping if I need to, but do you think I can get by on these? I'm taking the long route, which adds up to around 2600 miles. As you can see, the rears aren't too bad, but the fronts have very little tread left. Click on the images to enlarge.

[Manarius]

I don't think I would have a problem driving on those. Normal people drive on less for more mileage. Just take it easy in the rain...

[Legacy777]

Shit.....those things are brand new compared to mine

I'll be picking up another set of GS-D3's...probably this week, (going to the size 205/50 r16), and have them installed once my rims are finished being restored.

http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8 ... es/wheels/

[vrg3]

Uhh... I don't think I would put tires worn so unevenly on an AWD Subaru anyway. Mmmmmaybe I'd put one more-worn and one less-worn tire on the front and do the same on the rear, so the center differential would be happier, but that would be only for a short time because stability in turns would suffer.

Also, consider the fact that you're at the legal limit of tread depth. Regardless of whether or not you can maintain safe control, you are open to a ticket by any police officer who may want to cite you. Moreover, if you are in a collision of any kind you may find that insurance companies would be unwilling to pay for damage that they felt was caused by your car not having legal tires.

And of course, you never know when you might find yourself in a downpour surrounded by people who can't drive, requiring you to push your control over your car to its limits.

Sooo... yeah, you can guess which one I voted for . You're talking a good $400 in expendables just to get your car that distance; I say spend the little extra (it shouldn't cost an entire hundred) to make the trip safer.

[thefultonhow]

I priced out shipping on the wheels and tires. Assuming that WRX wheels and tires are 40 lbs each (a figure that I've seen elsewhere), shipping two of them together from Maryland to Utah via DHL is about $49.50. 2 x $49.50 = about $100. So that's where I got my shipping figure from.

I pointed Scuzzy to the thread while we were on IRC, and he suggested getting two used tires with the same tread depth as the rears. Good idea? Not so good idea? It would probably be under $100...

There is a small chance that I can get my work to reimburse me for the shipping (I have a $500 shipping allowance for moving back, and I might be able to use it in the opposite direction as well for "moving supplies," if you will), so if I can swing that I think you can figure out what I'll do.

[Legacy777]

Oops....didn't notice how much difference there was on lincoln's head.

What's the total difference in circumference between the worn and "newer" tires?

[thefultonhow]

What's the total difference in circumference between the worn and "newer" tires?

Not sure. If you notice, the inside of the front tire is worn significantly more on the inside than the outside, as well.

[vrg3]

A stock WRX wheel and tire weighs a little less than 40 lbs, yes. I know I've shipped them cross-country for around $70. I packed them as two pairs (I put two rims facing each other with padding in between, and strapped them together). I think I used FedEx Ground. It may have been going to a business address, though.

Greyhound should cost less to ship, but you have to drop off and pick up at a Greyhound station.

[thefultonhow]

FedEx is $57.44 per package to ship, and Greyhound is $62.95. So DHL is cheapest. Did you ship only the wheels, or the wheels with the tires? And what were the start and end points?

[vrg3]

Huh. I was shipping wheels with tires from Ithaca, NY to Los Angeles.

But this was several years ago. Maybe the cost of fuel is the primary difference.