With a front wheel drive car changing both on the same axle. The tyre shop says to put new ones on the back with the old on the front then the WOF guy says new ones should be put on the front. Not sure which is best ?
yogibearz,
Dec 18, 3:38pm
If its a front wheel drive car I would put them on the front as they are the driving wheels. The braking .of the vehicle is more than likely biased to the front as well
mals69,
Dec 18, 3:38pm
I would go with WOF guy, you need good grip with front wheel drive and turning. The WOF guy probably got more training than tyre guy.
mals69,
Dec 18, 3:42pm
Good point about brake bias - never given that any thought
Cheers
bjmh,
Dec 18, 4:00pm
front
kazbanz,
Dec 18, 4:04pm
Cessna-what the tyre guys says makes perfect financial sense for the tyre guy. It means you will be back sooner for a new set of front tyres.
msigg,
Dec 18, 4:14pm
Put them on the back, what part of the car comes loose when you slide around a corner, it's the back, the front will pull straight with power, That is what happens, that's the reasoning for putting them on the back. The WOF guy is only concerned with tyre tread type and depth, go with the tyre experts.
bjmh,
Dec 18, 4:23pm
what happens when the bald front tyre blows out,you loose steering . your good tyres on the back aren't going to do frig all steering in this scenario
richardmayes,
Dec 18, 4:31pm
Do what the tyre guy said.
Most cars wear out their front tyres faster than their rears.
Most normal Front-wheel-drive cars wear out their front tyres MUCH faster than their rears.
So putting the new tyres on the rear, and bringing the existing rear tyres to the front, ensures that the oldest remaining tyres are the ones that will get their tread used up next, not the brand new ones.
If you put the new tyres on the front, you could wear through several sets on the front, while the old rear tyres hardly wear down at all, they just get very old, hard and brittle.
cessna3,
Dec 18, 4:40pm
This seems more logical, either way people seem to be split 50/50 what ways the best.
pandai,
Dec 18, 5:30pm
This is what I do - I generally replace tyres because of age, not tread depth. Last set I replaced at 3.5mm tread depth when I started losing grip in the wet. My Michelins used to hold on well despite their age but the Toyo's not so well.
mals69,
Dec 18, 5:56pm
Bugger being on the road with a front wheel drive car over-steering due to poor grip
nightboss,
Dec 18, 6:01pm
Best tyres on front no matter which wheels are driven. Steerage in emergency is paramount.
shaun16,
Dec 18, 6:17pm
probably either way to be honest. I had good tyres on the front and still WOF'able but getting low tyres on the back. I went around a wet corner one day and the back of the car spun out/lost grip and I spun around on the road. thankfully no cars were close to me!
shaun16,
Dec 18, 6:18pm
^^^^^and after that happened I got new tyres that exact same day!
gram,
Dec 18, 6:20pm
+1 Front does all the steering and accelerating and most of the braking.
mack77,
Dec 18, 6:24pm
For safety reasons only, all the authorities always say that the tyres with the greatest tread depth should be fitted to the rear of the vehicle to ensure that you don't risk the rear tyres aquaplaning whilst cornering on a wet road. It is much more difficult to regain control of a vehicle that slides out at the rear rather than one that slides out at the front i.e. oversteers. The tyres person is correct; they know all about tyres and sometimes suspension, but nothing about the rest of the vehicle, whereas the WOF person knows a little about all the aspects of a vehicle. There are exceptions to the above generalisation about tyre people and WOF people of course.
gram,
Dec 18, 6:29pm
You have no idea how much the tyre guy knows. he may have been in the job for 3 weeks. Someone else called him an 'expert' too. Assuming a bit much eh.?
mrfxit,
Dec 18, 6:32pm
2 major points here & both correct, however .
Where is most of the driving done Rural or urban
Rural you need good rear tyres because of higher speeds Urban you need good front tyres because of constant cornering. Either way, it's excessive speed on any given corner that will get you in trouble Both require tyre pressures that suit the vehicle AND tyre sizes AND what road types you drive the most.
Vehicle manufactures recommended pressures are based on FLAT & mostly straight highway roads.
tgray,
Dec 18, 6:51pm
I would put the better tyres on the front.
msigg,
Dec 18, 6:56pm
see mack77, he is correct, and shaun16, his car lost the rear as the rear is so much lighter going into a corner, mack77 is correct, the tyre shop owner has invested alot of money and goes to all the seminars and training days to ensure they know about tyres, that is there expertise, they employ people and tell them how to do the job properly, They are the tyre experts. No doubts.
tgray,
Dec 18, 7:32pm
No it isn't. Slide out at the rear and you simply turn into the skid. Slide out at the front and you lose control of the car. (almost 36 years driving experience)
pge,
Dec 18, 7:40pm
That's all very well --- IF you are a person who takes pride in their driving.
IF you are an average Joe:
Best tyres on the rear.
Understeer, = lift right foot = less power input = slow down = regain control
Oversteer = lift right foot = less power input = more oversteer = further loss of control
It is generally better to hit something with the front of the vehicle than the side
Best of all , not to get into the possibility of it ever happening
(60 years driving)
craigs_workshop,
Dec 18, 8:19pm
especially if FWD
craigs_workshop,
Dec 18, 8:19pm
the grippiest tyres should be on the wheels that do the turning
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