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Anyone know what the deal is with replacing one tire that has gone flat?  I can't patch it so I have to buy a new tire.  The tire is a michelin and costs roughly $190 but can I get away with buying another michelin just different type for cheaper?  Also, can I just buy one or should I replace in a set?  

It's always best to have 4 of the same brand, make, model, and state of wear.  The more different the odd tire, the more the problem.  Vehicles tend to pivot around the odd tire in emergency manuevers.

But AWD's and 4X4's are really sensitive to differences in tires, so the rule is 4 identical tires.  On these vehicles, the drivetrain could fail if the tires are different enough.  

So how much difference is too much?  I had a flat in September, replaced all four tires but kept the three that were not flat.  Another flat in January, with only 10,000 miles on the tires.  Can I use one of the original 3 from the first incident?  How close does the measurement have to be and how do you measure?  Thanks,  

there are several thing to decide when you have to replace only one tire...    

what kind of car you have ...

is it all wheel drive?     if so.. some cars and trucks with all wheel drive will cause excess wear to the drive train parts.. some of the center differentials are a ton of money to  replace...  with the fronts and rears turning at a slightly different speed.. the center differential will not handle that much for very long..

do you have a limited slip differential ????   same problem... with one tire a different size.. the differential gears inside the differential are spinning a lot more than they were designed for..    the clutches will overheat and will wear away ..

does it have antilock brakes...   with 4 wheel antilock brakes... depending on the type.. and the amount of teeth on the reluctors on the hubs.. different sized tires might cause the antilocks to cycle on..  antilocks do look at the difference in wheel speed...

traction control.   traction control units look at the wheel speed all the time..   they can also be fooled into acting strange... or turning on the traction control light..  no damage to this unit will happen from different sized tires.. just the lamp on...

built in GPS,    some built in gps units also look at the wheel rotation to calculate location while the signals are blocked by obstructions    no damage to these either.. just know knowing exactly where you are within a few yards..

so it really depends on which car and which options you have...

if the tire is very close to the others.. probably just fine...  most of the better tire shops that i have been in lately.. have a tape measure they can wrap around the tire tread... to see how much the tires are different in diameter...

A tip for those who read this all the way to the end... if you have a noisy limited slip differential...  clicks when you turn... if it is not a detroit locker...     find a large paved area.. at 5 mph drive a dozen tight circles to the left, then a dozen tight circles to the right...   this works lube in between the clutches and quiets them down.. also takes off any burrs..  

I agree the more different the odd tire , there would be problem.  
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