Tires: buying a tire, scion tc, 2007 scion tc

Question
Hello Barry.  Thanks for your help in advance.  I recently got a nail in one of the tires of my car (2007 Scion TC).  When I took it in to get patched they said that it would not be a good fix because it was to close to the side wall.  So I am currently trying to find a replacement tire.  The tires are not that old (bought the car April of this year) so I am only getting the one tire replaced.  My question is what are your thoughts on not getting that exact same tire to act as a replacement?  The tire is a Yokohama S32a and the prices I've seen on these on the web go upwards of $200.  I was wondering if it's a possibility to try to find a more reasonably priced tire that would be similar enough.  If this is a viable alternative, which specifications should I make sure are exactly the same and which areas would I have some leeway with?  Thanks again for your help Barry!

Answer
Tom,

I am not a fan of replacing a single tire.  Research in the early days of ABS revealed that an ABS equipped vehicle would tend to rotate around the odd tire under heavy braking.  And odd didn't just mean a different brand or type.  It also included tires with different amounts of wear.

If you are really set on going to a cheaper tire, then you should at least do a pair.

For best results, you'll want the same size and speed rating.