I am confused as to where I should put two new tyres, on the front or rear. Most tyre manufacturers say rearand others are equally adamant they should go on the front. Any suggestions! cheers.
gunhand,
Jul 27, 8:13am
Front ive been told, thats where you steer from.But Im sure there will be rasons for the rear as well, like all the grip needed when ya floor it round a corner in rear wheel drive.
unbeatabull,
Jul 27, 8:42am
We get recommended by tyre manufacturers to put NEW tyres on the rear, reasoning for apparently the majority of crashes being caused by spinning or sliding off.
I generally put the above down to poor driving ability!
Anyone in the actual industry with an understanding of a car or any driving/racing experience will tell you they are better on the front, you brake and steer from the front which is by far most important. Most cars also wear fastest on the front.
turton,
Jul 27, 8:44am
i would put them on the rear if car is rwd, otherwise id put them on the front.
donz01,
Jul 27, 8:52am
I always put new tyres on the front. When its wet they clear more water away for the rear tyres which have less tread. Steering and most braking is usually done by your front wheels.
splinter67,
Jul 27, 8:57am
!00% of your steering and 60% of your braking are on the front wheels best place to put them you can have all the traction you like but if you cant steer or stop it means its crash time
kazbanz,
Jul 27, 9:05am
as two others have posted -it depend on if its rwd or fwd
vr4_legnum,
Jul 27, 9:13am
Always put the new tyres on the front. It doesn't matter what kind of car it is, always to the front.
net_oz,
Jul 27, 9:16am
What a load of crap. If you have a rwd vehicle with 2 worn out rear tyres then wtf would you put the new ones on the front!
mugenb20b,
Jul 27, 9:22am
Would that apply to utes and vans that carry a lot of weight or SUVs that tow heavy trailers! I don't think so.
unbeatabull,
Jul 27, 9:29am
You would rotate the tyres that were on the front to the rear and put the new ones on the front. Think about it :P
vr4_legnum,
Jul 27, 9:31am
Why the hell would you put worn out tyres on the front! And ince when the rear make the car steer!You want to able to brake and steer. and have new tyres on the rear will make the car oversteer
Sitting on on trademe and looking up everything on goolge doesn't mean you know what you talking about
poppajn,
Jul 27, 9:33am
Always on the driveing wheel;s
vr4_legnum,
Jul 27, 9:34am
Why would you want worn out car on the front! Why would you want the car or van or what ever it oversteering all the time! I dont think you would
vr4_legnum,
Jul 27, 9:35am
At least one person know what he talking about.
NZTools,
Jul 27, 9:44am
If you want to a practical demonstration on why it is important to put the best tyres on the rear, put an old set on cross plys on the rear and go for a "spirited" drive
Sure some of us can handle oversteerwith ease, but the average joe public cant. What they average joe public can handle is understeer. it comes on relatively gradually and gives the "steerer" plenty of warning that they have reach the limits of traction
They will not get this warning with good tyres on the front and bad tyres on the rear. the first sign they will get is the arse of the car stepping out suddenly, and then comes the usual overcorrction that sends them spinning into the opposite lane.
unbeatabull,
Jul 27, 9:45am
I'd still put them on the front.
At the end of the day (Tyres worn to canvas excluded), the difference between an identical brand and make of tyre between being brand new and anything more then 2mm tread makes Sweet fuck all difference in the dry. Some could argue that they would have more grip when they are slick in the dry.
The difference in tread depth comes down to it mainly in the wet/snow etc. The last thing you want is for the front tyres to hydroplane/understeer straight off the road - majority of people won't know how to combat that and would most likely just hit the brake, which would 90% of the time make it worst. There is nothing scarier then going straight ahead when turning full lock.
Reverse the scenario, they are on the rear. With a heavy load/trailer, it would actually help combat the problem with having more load there giving more grip in the wet. But other then that, if a car starts spinning, the steering wheel naturally locks the other way and most drivers would also counter steer instinctively. Not to mention, generally for the rear to step out you have to be overdriving to the conditions, which is really the main issue with any tyre that is still above min tread depth and the driver loses control
End of the day - I always fit new tyres to the front and rotate next best to rear. I will always rotate tyres at each service if they require it. Only time I would rotate better tyres to the rear is when they are clearly wearing faster on the rear, and only after advising the customer to help save them a couple of $$ in the long run.
unbeatabull,
Jul 27, 9:48am
That is pretty much the same reasoning that we got given by a Tyre Manufacturer (I'll leave nameless)
End of the day, it is up to the driver of the car, and everyone will have different opinions.
TBH, if you replace two tyres and the other two are worn to the point where they can affect driving they should be replaced as well.
NZTools,
Jul 27, 9:49am
New tyres on the rear means understeer, which is a whole lot safer and more controlable than oversteer.
mr40cal,
Jul 27, 9:52am
alright I have been tempted to post, don't know why really, quite alot of know it alls on here already most car manufacturers recommend fitting the tyres with the highest level of adhesion (grip) to the rear - having more grip on the rear INDUCES understeer, which is an easier condition to correct, however alot of cheaper tyres, and some more expensive tyres have excessive mould release, and knobbles and wear in (become grippier) slower if fitted to the rear of a front wheel drive car - alot of cars present to a tyre shop with front tyres that have worn a little uneven due to driving around town, round abouts and alignment most tyres shops recommend therefore to fit the newer tyres on the front, thereby having the nice newly balanced tyres on the front The car then as a reasult of having newer stiffer tyres on the front drives and turns nicer If you fit the new tyres on the rear, and align the car, the car may still pull due to the uneven wear already present on the front tyres, and had the new tyres been fitted to the front this would be less of a problem
gunhand,
Jul 27, 9:52am
I reckon if you get to the point of oversteer in normal or wet conditions with anything but bald tyres, your gong to fast for the conditions or posted limit. And if there was ice or diesel etc mid corner ya fronts gunna go first anyway.
unbeatabull,
Jul 27, 9:53am
Have you been in a full understeer situation over ice/diesel/driving too fast in the wet/snow etc!
mr40cal,
Jul 27, 9:55am
some tyre FITTERS seem to think they know all about everything, which is disappointing, cause typically alot of tyre shop workers just believe the dribble spouted to them from the brand their work happens to sell the most of, and don't stop to think sometimes, but go off raving like they invented the bloody things
mr40cal,
Jul 27, 9:57am
I have, what would you like to know!
unbeatabull,
Jul 27, 9:58am
How did you counter it, and was it what you would expect a beginner/typical unexperienced NZ driver to do instinctively!
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