I buy 4 new tyres and swap them when the fronts get to 5mm. The backs will be around 6-7mm and I'll change all 4 at 3mm.

I did some research on this after the comments posted, and the underlying factor for the recommendation seems not to be to do with loss of grip from cornering too hard in the wet, but reducing the likelihood of getting a flat rear tyre at speed, which is harder to control than a flat front tyre apparently.

By always having the 'newest' tyres on the rear, you are more likely to get a flat at the front apparently. All to do with people trying to extend the life of their tyres by putting part worn on the rear and then keep replacing the fronts. If you only did 4K a year you could probably get 10 years plus out of your rear tyres.

Seems a bit of an odd theory to me, and more or less irrelevant if you do high mileage as the tyres will never age as your rears only last a couple of years tops, and a set of fronts less than a year, so ageing of the tyres is hardly a factor.

I agree that oversteer is harder to control for all those who have never had the fun of driving RWD cars, but if a driver is driving at a suitable speed for the conditions and their own ability it all seems fairly irrelevant to me.

I will stick with rotating my tyres for fairly even wear, and repalcing when at 3mm. I wouldn't like to be anywhere near any driver with 1.7mm tread on the front tyres in the current cold rain and sleet conditions - they don't stick much chance of stopping and are likely to be understeering all over the place.

At least one moment of oversteer should hopefully scare them enough in to slowing down and buying some new tyres

I've never ever bother to swap tyres front to back and have never ever had as issue. And I've been driving an average of 20k a year for the last 17 years in all weathers.

But I don't drive like a loon everywhere. If you are aware of your own limits then I really don't think this is an issue in a modern car. If you think you are Ari Vatanen's love child and always drive like you've stolen the car it might be worth following some of the more extreme guidance.

Edited 13 December, 201114 yr by Aspman

Jesus god!! New tires ALWAYS to the rear, people who say otherwise are just miffed at being told different.

Understeer you can control far easier than oversteer.

people who say otherwise are just miffed at being told different.

Nobody could accuse you of being open minded on the subject. I'm not miffed at all, just think reality braking distance is a bigger safety factor than fantasy oversteer.

I'm afraid I'm disinclined just to believe what I'm told by people with a vested interest in us getting to the next visit to the tyre shop as quickly as possible..

Find me some evidence that wet road stopping differences on a front engined car are not negatively impacted by having significantly grippier tyres on the rear rather than on the front and I'll agree that "rear is best".

I can't see that being true though, it makes no sense when the front wheels do most of the stopping.

Edited 13 December, 201114 yr by juan27

Jesus god!! New tires ALWAYS to the rear, people who say otherwise are just miffed at being told different.

I'm definitely not advocating tread below 3mm on the rear -but I'd rather have the brand new tyres on the front on a front wheel drive car. As said most of the braking and traction is required on the front.

I'll bet those videos are of a car with near bald tyres on the rear- not 3mm plus.

I've had enough terminal understeer driving in slush and snow at a modest pace thank you. It's hard to think how I would accidentally induce oversteer with still decent tread on the rear.

I've had enough terminal understeer driving in slush and snow at a modest pace thank you. It's hard to think how I would accidentally induce oversteer with still decent tread on the rear.

In my 30yrs+ experience I've only ever invoked oversteer in a FWD car by backing off/braking whilst cornering way too fast. As that is caused by violent weight transfer to the front the amount of rear tyre tread when over 3mm has a marginal effect at best.

Demonstrating (as I have seen a few times on the web) that at constant cornering speeds nearing the car's grip limit that oversteer occurs when (presumably) significantly grippier tyres are at the front is an entirely unrealistic test and proves very little IMHO.

Edited 13 December, 201114 yr by juan27

Just to show that I do not know everything. December 2011 What Car.".. A6.... even with the stability control system switched on the back end of the car tends to slide if you lift off the accelerator suddenly mid-corner"

Well well well, that design sets us back a few decades. I thought lift off oversteer was the province of 1960's Alfas.

Just to show that I do not know everything. December 2011 What Car.".. A6.... even with the stability control system switched on the back end of the car tends to slide if you lift off the accelerator suddenly mid-corner"

Well well well, that design sets us back a few decades. I thought lift off oversteer was the province of 1960's Alfas.

I've found a Peugeot 206 can fairly easily be provoked into such things. In my experience the tendency was widespread well into the 90s until ESP etc became the norm.

Was the A6 a Quattro?

Edited 14 December, 201114 yr by juan27