Is it ok to put mis-matching tyres on my Toyota RAV4?

Would it be okay to put tyres not matching on my 2006 Toyota RAV4 D4D? Could it interefere with the four-wheel drive engaging automatically and are there any other things I should be aware of? These tyres are brought in from abroad and almost new and it's tempting to buy them as they are a fraction of the price of new ones.

Would really appreciate your advice on this.

Thanks

Valerie Evans (Cork)

Sep 2012 Filed under: tyres

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Expert answer

Hi Val,

Generally it's a bad idea to fit mis-matching tyres across the same axle of a car (i.e. both front tyres should be the same and both rear tyres should be the same, but front and rear can be different brands etc. so long as the size is within manufacturer guidelines). In an ideal world all four tyres would be matching, but we realise that people need to save money.

On that note, we'd urge caution with regards to buying second-hand tyres. You can't possibly know their history and though they might be fine, it's still not a great idea.

Final point from us: a tyre is one of the most important parts of your car to maintain safety. Please don't scrimp on that.

Hope that's been of assistance.

Shane O' Donoghue - Complete Car Adviser
@Shane_O_D