ceb0217
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- oregon,corvallis
put the 2 good ones on the left. the worst ones on the right cuse thats the side that parks aginst the curb. also if you have the rule about changing flats,whos ever side its on has to change it.
Worn tires on front or rear?
- Thread starter jesterbomb
- Start date
I think alot of it depends on your driving ability. To get yourself OUT of trouble using the throttle or rear traction, takes a certain amount of skill and nerve. So i would say change the front for the good ones!!!!But i guess its abit like abs in the wet, if you know what your doing and can feather the break, better of without it.
Mike Mike
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Tucson Arizona
I was at the GCR tire center and they had a pamplet that said new tires on the rear so the tailend don't pass you up. My Dad always put the new ones on the front and thats what I always did. Now I'm sooooooooooo confused.
joe_peters
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Grants Pass, OryGun
Watch the little BF Goodrich video on replacing two tires here:
http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/bfgapp/catalog/index.jsp
All of you "new on front" guys must like driving blue cars!
http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/bfgapp/catalog/index.jsp
All of you "new on front" guys must like driving blue cars!
Last edited:
- Location
- Charlotte NC
so hypothetically speaking here..You need to have your good tires on the front reguardless of FWD RWD or AWD...steering is the key word. You can keep digging if you have steering especially with front wheel drive. I mean ya if you can drive correctly you can steer with your rear wheels when your front loses traction, that's easy enough. I don't care if I can't get going in inclement weather, I need to steer the S.O.B. to get the hell out of everyone's way. On a side note, you really do need the better ones on the front because no matter what, the front's wear out the worse in ALMOST every situation, because you steer with those wheels and those are most likely to have bad tire wear due to mis-alignment.
FWD-ebrake steer
RWD-throttle steer
AWD-YEEE HAW
FWD-ebrake steer
RWD-throttle steer
AWD-YEEE HAW
hawk_sixsix
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- L.I. New York
Priority #1: Keep the front of the vehicle in front and the rear in the rear.
+1 for new tires in rear.
+1 for new tires in rear.
JRW7072009
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Bullhead City, AZ
I always put the good tires on the front, this just from living in SLC Utah all my life. If you have bald tires on the front and good tires in the rear, in the snow, slush or ice you rear tires will just push your fronts. If you have good tires on the front and need to throw it in 4wd the front will grip better. If you are to get a blow out it best to have it on the rear.
Plus the better the tires are in the front the better it will handle with steering, driving straight, and driving smoother.
I have been a Mechanic for over 8 years and have always been in a shop that does tires and I have aways been taught to put the good ones on the front, no matter if it Fwd Rwd 4wd 2wd.
Also a bald tire is more prone to getting a flat from debris on the road then a tire with more tread.
Plus the better the tires are in the front the better it will handle with steering, driving straight, and driving smoother.
I have been a Mechanic for over 8 years and have always been in a shop that does tires and I have aways been taught to put the good ones on the front, no matter if it Fwd Rwd 4wd 2wd.
Also a bald tire is more prone to getting a flat from debris on the road then a tire with more tread.
lazyxj
NAXJA Member #1310
- Location
- Los Angeles
Tire Rack recommends installing new or better tires on the rear when installing two tires.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=52
I have found this site to be a good source of information for many years.
Below is a partial excerpt. Read the whole article if you have time, lots of good info.
[FONT="]“Intuition suggests that since the front tires wore out first and because there is still about half of the tread remaining on the rear tires, the new tires should be installed on the front axle. This will provide more wet and wintry traction; and by the time the front tires have worn out for the second time, the rear tires will be worn out, too. However in this case, intuition isn't right...and following it can be downright dangerous. When tires are replaced in pairs in situations like these, the new tires should always be installed on the rear axle and the partially worn tires moved to the front. The reason is because new tires on the rear axle help the driver more easily maintain control on wet roads since deeper treaded tires are better at resisting hydroplaning….[/FONT]
[FONT="]If the front tires have significantly less tread depth than the rear tires, the front tires will begin to hydroplane and lose traction on wet roads before the rear tires. While this will cause the vehicle to understeer (the vehicle wants to continue driving straight ahead), understeer is relatively easy to control because releasing the gas pedal will slow the vehicle and help the driver maintain control.[/FONT]
[FONT="]However, if the front tires have significantly more tread depth than the rear tires, the rear tires will begin to hydroplane and lose traction on wet roads before the fronts. This will cause the vehicle to oversteer (the vehicle will want to spin). Oversteer is far more difficult to control and in addition to the initial distress felt when the rear of the car starts sliding, quickly releasing the gas pedal in an attempt to slow down may actually make it more difficult for the driver to regain control, possibly causing a complete spinout.” [/FONT]
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=52
I have found this site to be a good source of information for many years.
Below is a partial excerpt. Read the whole article if you have time, lots of good info.
[FONT="]“Intuition suggests that since the front tires wore out first and because there is still about half of the tread remaining on the rear tires, the new tires should be installed on the front axle. This will provide more wet and wintry traction; and by the time the front tires have worn out for the second time, the rear tires will be worn out, too. However in this case, intuition isn't right...and following it can be downright dangerous. When tires are replaced in pairs in situations like these, the new tires should always be installed on the rear axle and the partially worn tires moved to the front. The reason is because new tires on the rear axle help the driver more easily maintain control on wet roads since deeper treaded tires are better at resisting hydroplaning….[/FONT]
[FONT="]If the front tires have significantly less tread depth than the rear tires, the front tires will begin to hydroplane and lose traction on wet roads before the rear tires. While this will cause the vehicle to understeer (the vehicle wants to continue driving straight ahead), understeer is relatively easy to control because releasing the gas pedal will slow the vehicle and help the driver maintain control.[/FONT]
[FONT="]However, if the front tires have significantly more tread depth than the rear tires, the rear tires will begin to hydroplane and lose traction on wet roads before the fronts. This will cause the vehicle to oversteer (the vehicle will want to spin). Oversteer is far more difficult to control and in addition to the initial distress felt when the rear of the car starts sliding, quickly releasing the gas pedal in an attempt to slow down may actually make it more difficult for the driver to regain control, possibly causing a complete spinout.” [/FONT]
Put the good tires in the rear.
all those guys who say "It's important to be able to steer" are forgetting that once you start steering with those good front tires, the back tires will fishtail away, and you end up spinning into oncoming traffic. And it's a similar situation for braking, too. A car sliding straight ahead is always going to be easier to control than a car fishtailing around.
Also, I believe that it is policy for every single tire store out there to always put the new tires in the rear, no matter what, without exception.
all those guys who say "It's important to be able to steer" are forgetting that once you start steering with those good front tires, the back tires will fishtail away, and you end up spinning into oncoming traffic. And it's a similar situation for braking, too. A car sliding straight ahead is always going to be easier to control than a car fishtailing around.
Also, I believe that it is policy for every single tire store out there to always put the new tires in the rear, no matter what, without exception.
- Location
- Southern Maryland
Actually no. I took my Cadillac to a tire shop for an alignment after replacing the front half-shafts and the shop manager volunteered to put the best two tires moved up front. Also my dad had two tires replaced on his Taurus recently and they were put up front.
Interesting reads here, I learned something
heyhar
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- PA (near Poconos)
IIRC, on a vehicle with 4WD, meaning that the front and rear can be 'locked' together, you should have identical tires at all four corners. If you'll notice, the tire inflation sticker in the glovebox recommends same inflation at all four corners. I think they are shooting for the same circumference on all tires, to minimize drivetrain loading when in part-time 4WD. There are differences in diameter and circumference among different brands, even in the same size. I know it's tough to pop a lot of money for a set of new tires, but it may help you to live long enough to pay them off. Other vehicles with AWD have sophisticated ways of compensating for different tire sizes. Our vehicles, especially with a 231 tc., do not. Don't mess with your safety!
- Location
- Rainy side of Washington
... I think what this thread has taught me is that I need to rotate my tires, so there isn't even a question because they're all pretty much at the same tread wear level.
themangeraaad
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Halifax, MA
I actually just bought 4 new tires for my car yesterday, I have always replaced 4 tires at a time, regardless if they were absolutely necesary all the way around or not. If you are replacing with the same tire/size, just keep the old (good) tires as spares if you have the space to do so.
However if you ARE replacing 2 tires, I agree that they should be put on the rear, though that leads to a catch 22. Keeping the better tires in the rear and more worn tires up front will lead to you replacing 2 tires at a time each time that your fronts wear out (since the fronts wear faster than the rears, and the fronts are already more worn down). If you put the better tires up front then in most cases a "typical" driver will have a greater chances of spinning out, but you are more likely to [eventually] have all your tires at the same tread depth since the front usually wear faster, at least in FWD cars.
Long story short, I think it largely depends on the time of year and driving skill. If you are in the winter/rainy season, better tires in rear. If it is dry/summer, throw the better tires up front so that you can get yourself towards a better cycle of replacing 4 tires at a time. Once you get into that 4x tires replacement cycle, make it a point to rotate the tires every couple oil changes. In a FWD/RWD vehicle I would definitely put better in the rear for the winter months, however on 4wd I never bothered. I just kept doing my rotations and called it a day. I could correct oversteer with correct applications of throttle, and 4wd could keep me out of trouble if the conditions got bad enough.
I know that last winter I had better tires in the rear simply because I neglected to rotate them. Worked great for me in my Altima. steering was fine, and as that video stated, I KNEW when I was getting to the limit of my traction and I could adjust speed/steering accordingly. I was never given a "false confidence" because my steering felt solid, only to find out that my rear end couldn't keep traction. Once summer rolled around I rotated the tires (better tires to the front) which made the car feel less stable in rain, but extended the time until I needed to replace the tires. This actually lead to one case where I was going around a highway on ramp in the rain (a bit fast, I will admit.. ironically I was doing so to test the wet traction) and my rear end let go. Suddenly I was staring at a guard rail. Thankfully I knew to point the front tires where I wanted to go and use the throttle to pull myself out of the slide...Most people in a slide like that would have gone straight around or straight into the guard rail (would have used brakes, not throttle). I'm not trying to boast, but just pointing out that the video/new tires in rear theory makes sense and is the most stable way to go in most all situations.. If my fronts had the lower tread I would have felt them losing traction earlier not pushed it into the corner as hard, instead of pushing in hard and losing traction out back.
The only reason I actually needed to get tires now is because I had a front tire blow out on the highway, which left me with 1 blown tire, and 2 tires with low tread (maybe 5-10k miles left on them), so I just replaced all 4 since winter is coming and I would need to replace them within a few months anyway.
However if you ARE replacing 2 tires, I agree that they should be put on the rear, though that leads to a catch 22. Keeping the better tires in the rear and more worn tires up front will lead to you replacing 2 tires at a time each time that your fronts wear out (since the fronts wear faster than the rears, and the fronts are already more worn down). If you put the better tires up front then in most cases a "typical" driver will have a greater chances of spinning out, but you are more likely to [eventually] have all your tires at the same tread depth since the front usually wear faster, at least in FWD cars.
Long story short, I think it largely depends on the time of year and driving skill. If you are in the winter/rainy season, better tires in rear. If it is dry/summer, throw the better tires up front so that you can get yourself towards a better cycle of replacing 4 tires at a time. Once you get into that 4x tires replacement cycle, make it a point to rotate the tires every couple oil changes. In a FWD/RWD vehicle I would definitely put better in the rear for the winter months, however on 4wd I never bothered. I just kept doing my rotations and called it a day. I could correct oversteer with correct applications of throttle, and 4wd could keep me out of trouble if the conditions got bad enough.
I know that last winter I had better tires in the rear simply because I neglected to rotate them. Worked great for me in my Altima. steering was fine, and as that video stated, I KNEW when I was getting to the limit of my traction and I could adjust speed/steering accordingly. I was never given a "false confidence" because my steering felt solid, only to find out that my rear end couldn't keep traction. Once summer rolled around I rotated the tires (better tires to the front) which made the car feel less stable in rain, but extended the time until I needed to replace the tires. This actually lead to one case where I was going around a highway on ramp in the rain (a bit fast, I will admit.. ironically I was doing so to test the wet traction) and my rear end let go. Suddenly I was staring at a guard rail. Thankfully I knew to point the front tires where I wanted to go and use the throttle to pull myself out of the slide...Most people in a slide like that would have gone straight around or straight into the guard rail (would have used brakes, not throttle). I'm not trying to boast, but just pointing out that the video/new tires in rear theory makes sense and is the most stable way to go in most all situations.. If my fronts had the lower tread I would have felt them losing traction earlier not pushed it into the corner as hard, instead of pushing in hard and losing traction out back.
The only reason I actually needed to get tires now is because I had a front tire blow out on the highway, which left me with 1 blown tire, and 2 tires with low tread (maybe 5-10k miles left on them), so I just replaced all 4 since winter is coming and I would need to replace them within a few months anyway.
Best tires on the back, regardless of FWD, RWD, or 4x4.
Having driven a car with the "best" tires up front, its was not a pleasant experience to drive on ice and snow. The rear end had a nasty tendency to decide to go where it wanted to regardless of what the fronts were doing. Definitely a rude surprise to have the rear end where your rear view mirror was a secodn before.
Having driven a car with the "best" tires up front, its was not a pleasant experience to drive on ice and snow. The rear end had a nasty tendency to decide to go where it wanted to regardless of what the fronts were doing. Definitely a rude surprise to have the rear end where your rear view mirror was a secodn before.
dave92cherokee
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lynchburg, TN
I prefer to have the best on the front not so much worried about steering but if a tire blows at speed and it's on the back it's easy to pull over (believe me I had it happen at 100mph), if it'd been on the front and it blew I'd be screwed because you'd lose almost all steering ability.
theNAST1EST
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- 40°07'02.99" N, 76°28'52.99' W
I'd still rather lose the a** end than plow across the highway.
themangeraaad
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Halifax, MA
Only time I have had a tire blow out was a front tire. I had my 33x12.50s and was cruising at 80mph (+/- 5mph). Something was in the road and wrapped around my tire, left a 3" hole in the sidewall... still have no clue what it was (was at night). I saw a quick shine from the road and a half second later a tire was 100% flat (front drivers side)
Pay attention to the road and you will be fine. I was in the far left lane and was able to keep the Jeep in lane until I had slowed down enough to pull off the highway. There was a quick/hard sudden left hand pull that brought me 2ish feet to the left (even with my steering that is sloppy compared to most other cars on the road), but I was able to straighten it out fine (though I didn't pull off to the right side, I stayed on the left, I wasn't crossing 3 lanes like that).
Yes with less tread you have a greater chance of puncturing a tire, but car tires dont have THAT much tread anyway.. and regarding trucks/SUVs, I feel that if you have 2 new tires and 2 tires you have to be actively worried about getting a puncture... well you still need 2 more new tires. But anyway, whatever floats your boat.
Pay attention to the road and you will be fine. I was in the far left lane and was able to keep the Jeep in lane until I had slowed down enough to pull off the highway. There was a quick/hard sudden left hand pull that brought me 2ish feet to the left (even with my steering that is sloppy compared to most other cars on the road), but I was able to straighten it out fine (though I didn't pull off to the right side, I stayed on the left, I wasn't crossing 3 lanes like that).
Yes with less tread you have a greater chance of puncturing a tire, but car tires dont have THAT much tread anyway.. and regarding trucks/SUVs, I feel that if you have 2 new tires and 2 tires you have to be actively worried about getting a puncture... well you still need 2 more new tires. But anyway, whatever floats your boat.
