shet Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 My 2009 Legacy 2.5i Automatic had a flat (front tire) and then it was driven (slowly) 5 miles back home. Would it have caused damage to the differential or any other part? Also the roadside assistance put the temporary spare in place of the front flat. The manual however mentions that the spare is only for rear and a good rear tire should be put in front and the temporary spare should go in rear. The roadside assistance wont come again. Should I swap the two or should I just drive to the dealer (which I have to anyway) with the spare on front ? Thanks to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmarko Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 They probably suggest putting the "donut" on the rear because the fronts steer the car. I'd say you're safe driving to the dealer on the donut. As for driving on the flat, I can't say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I think you will be ok. You drove slowly, so you didn't over-exert the differential, and as for the front/rear issue, you will be ok there as well. The only reason for the tire to be on the rear is for steering/braking concerns with mismatched tires, but will have no more effect on your differentials than if you had it swapped. Any reason you didn't just put the spare tire on yourself when you got a flat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 i drove 15 miles on a flat tire and nothing happened. Front , 5 MTLGT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackfang Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Just jack it up and rotate them. You can also place one of the spare fuses found in the fuse compartment in the engine bay into the FWD socket in the fuse panel and that will deactivate the AWD so you can safely drive it to the dealer. Make sure the ignition is in the lock position first. This is for the AT though. ****DON'T FORGET TO PULL IT OUT ONCE THE TIRE HAS BEEN FIXED**** [SIZE=1][URL="http://public.fotki.com/blackfang/"]Pics[/URL] [B]08 KawasakiZZR 600- exhaust and other mods 98 Camaro Z/28 HT- some mods......street/strip car 07 Legacy 2.5i- SPT exhaust...daily driver[/B][/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shet Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 Any reason you didn't just put the spare tire on yourself when you got a flat? The car is used by my wife and the spare was put on even before I came back from office. And anyway, I would not have been able to change it myself because I do not know/have the socket size for Legacy lug nuts (though I have a 1/2" impact wrench). The car just has 900 miles on it and is relatively new for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanlsb Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I've experienced a similar situation. I wasn't too sure what the socket size was either, but I found that there is a tire iron conveniently located in the trunk for just such occasions... Dodged a huge bullet there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shet Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 Thanks to all of you who responded. I will disable the AWD before using it. Also, increased the spare tire pressure to 60 PSI as recommended. I checked the flat. The rim is bent and also has a fine hairline crack on the inner side. The tire also has a tear where it meets the bent/cracked rim. Does this mean I will have to get a new tire as well as rim. Can the rim be repaired at least? The Yokohama advan A82A costs around $160 and the alloy rim (2008 one, though mine is 2009) costs $300 ($215 online). This sucks. All this because of a pothole..... Fortunately, this happened at 970 miles..else I would have had to replace all four tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackfang Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Thanks to all of you who responded. I will disable the AWD before using it. Also, increased the spare tire pressure to 60 PSI as recommended. I checked the flat. The rim is bent and also has a fine hairline crack on the inner side. The tire also has a tear where it meets the bent/cracked rim. Does this mean I will have to get a new tire as well as rim. Can the rim be repaired at least? The Yokohama advan A82A costs around $160 and the alloy rim (2008 one, though mine is 2009) costs $300 ($215 online). This sucks. All this because of a pothole..... Fortunately, this happened at 970 miles..else I would have had to replace all four tires. Possibly a wheel as well. [SIZE=1][URL="http://public.fotki.com/blackfang/"]Pics[/URL] [B]08 KawasakiZZR 600- exhaust and other mods 98 Camaro Z/28 HT- some mods......street/strip car 07 Legacy 2.5i- SPT exhaust...daily driver[/B][/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golf4283 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 When you disable the AWD with a fuse which wheels drive the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackfang Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 When you disable the AWD with a fuse which wheels drive the car? The front. [SIZE=1][URL="http://public.fotki.com/blackfang/"]Pics[/URL] [B]08 KawasakiZZR 600- exhaust and other mods 98 Camaro Z/28 HT- some mods......street/strip car 07 Legacy 2.5i- SPT exhaust...daily driver[/B][/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shet Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 The rim is bent and also has a fine hairline crack on the inner side. The tire also has a tear where it meets the bent/cracked rim. The Yokohama advan A82A costs around $160 and the alloy rim (2008 one, though mine is 2009) costs $300 ($215 online). Had worry about safety of a repaired rim. Hence ordered the 2008 rim online from 1stsubaruparts ($219 plus $21(S&H) for a total of $237) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhatV8 Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Had worry about safety of a repaired rim. Hence ordered the 2008 rim online from 1stsubaruparts ($219 plus $21(S&H) for a total of $237) Sucks on the repair cost, but likely best that you replaced it. No need to take chances with a cracked rim possibly failing down the line. Drive safely and watch out for those pot holes, if that is what took your tire out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcTec34 Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 hmmmm.. interesting I'm driving around with a slightly smaller spare (stock rim and tire as my spare), but I'm on a litle larger 18 inch wheels/tires Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackfang Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 hmmmm.. interesting I'm driving around with a slightly smaller spare (stock rim and tire as my spare), but I'm on a litle larger 18 inch wheels/tires That's not good. Your center diff/transfer clutches will possibly thank you later on. [SIZE=1][URL="http://public.fotki.com/blackfang/"]Pics[/URL] [B]08 KawasakiZZR 600- exhaust and other mods 98 Camaro Z/28 HT- some mods......street/strip car 07 Legacy 2.5i- SPT exhaust...daily driver[/B][/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcTec34 Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 no, i meant that the spare is in my trunk (im not using it) I had a full size, but then i popped one so i havent gotten to replace the full sized spare yet but i have bad luck, so i should probably get it replaced because ill end up being stuck sometime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shet Posted January 9, 2009 Author Share Posted January 9, 2009 Had worry about safety of a repaired rim. Hence ordered the 2008 rim online from 1stsubaruparts ($219 plus $21(S&H) for a total of $237) Just came back from the dealer. It seems 2 rims (both on right side) have been damaged. Total dealer price for 2 rims + 1 tire + balance/rotate and alignment would be $1000+. Should I buy some other wheel/rim (set of 4) instead of ordering 2 OEM wheel/rims? Are the pothole problem more with these 17" and low aspect ratio tires? Or is that the stock alloy wheels are not that strong? The stock tires are P205/50R17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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