New Tyres - Front or Rear?

[VRS_Dan]

I am swapping out a pair of my Pirelli P Zeros on Saturday for some Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3's but unsure if to get these fitted to the front or the rear.

 

I will be taking the Pirellis off one front and one rear tyre as they are the most worn but not sure if I should or meant to put the pair of new tyres on to the rear (knowing the fronts will wear the quickest and just change these when they are due as both will be on 5-6mm currently)

 

Any ideas?

[Isocrem]

Tyre manufacturers (and tyre fitters I've spoken with) generally recommend having the new tyres fitted to the rear axle, I think on the basis that over steer is harder to correct than under steer so it's better to have more grip at the back. However, they are your tyres.

[banksie]

Tread with most depth always on the back.

It stops the car over steering whilst hard braking and a similar situation can arise in the wet due aqua planing.

If the Pirellis are directional and they are on the same side of the car front and rear, you'll need to get one swapped around as well before putting it on the front. (Eggs and suck...hopefully not!)

Edited 13 December, 2016 by banksie

[VRS_Dan]

They are non-directional so should be ok to just swap over I hope. don't think it'll be too long until the Pirelli's get swapped off anyway, can't say I'm a fan of the tyre.

[pist0nbr0ke]

Personally I have always put new tyres on the front, as they wear fastest. (Mind you I've trashed three on potholes so far, in 8,500 miles on my current car :dull: ) 

 

I then swap them over mid-life, so that all four wear evenly. I usually manage to have similar tread depth on all four tyres this way. Not got as far as a new pair yet, and being 4x4 they may wear a bit differently anyway...

 

If you want rid of the Pirellis, make sure they end up on the front!

[philbes]

I always have the tyres with most tread on the front - braking is more important to me than theoretical oversteer. To my mind I am far more likely to brake than need to combat oversteer.  When front tyres become noticeably more worn than the back then I swap them around.  This means that I usually buy 4 matched tyres at a time. 

[PetrolDave]

Here's what Kumho Tyres have to say on the subject:

 

http://kumhotyre.co.uk/kumho-news/should-you-fit-new-tyres-to-the-front-or-rear/

 

And the AA:

 

https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/safety/car-tyres

 

Item 2 here:

 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a3121/6-common-tire-myths-debunked-10031440/

 

And here:

 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a2479/4243992/

 

And here (attributed to Michelin):

 

https://www.tyresonthedrive.com/blog/tyre-positioning-and-handling-michelins-glove-box-guide/

 

And here:

 

https://www.quora.com/Should-you-put-better-tires-on-the-front-or-rear-of-the-car

 

Seems to be far more experts, motoring organisations and tyre manufacturers who say that new tyres should go on the rear :nerd:

 

I particularly like this quote:

 

As a general rule, the tyres with the least tread will tend to exit the corner first. You get to choose where those tyres are…

Edited 13 December, 2016 by PetrolDave

[VRS_Dan]

Cheers! :thumbup:

 

That's decided, new ones on to the rear.

 

Then all I have to do is wear the (what will be) Pirelli fronts out so will all be on the Goodyears!

[pist0nbr0ke]

Personally I have always put new tyres on the front, as they wear fastest. 

 

Strangely, my Ford Ranger tyres are the opposite, being RWD  :smirk:   :notme:

[fergiet]

New tyres - on the rear, every time. (passenger cars)

[Mallettsmallett]

I always have the tyres with most tread on the front - braking is more important to me than theoretical oversteer. To my mind I am far more likely to brake than need to combat oversteer. When front tyres become noticeably more worn than the back then I swap them around. This means that I usually buy 4 matched tyres at a time.

You do sound like you're thinking that when you brake, only the front ones are applied. Not wishing to be the bearer of bad news but all 4 wheels are braked when you press the footbrake.

Just sayin.

[gregoir]

But iirc 80% of the braking is on the front. The past few years though my Octavia has worn the rears almost as fast as the fronts. So I've bought four tyres when the fronts hit the minimum depth bars. Gone for Barums and got the multi tyre deal from National.

[SC03OTT]

I'd go for new on the rear too. That's the advice from the industry and I am by no means a professional driver, just an Average Joe like 99% of the other driving population.

Some places won't fit them on the front either. Costco springs to mind.

[SkodaVRS1963]

Tread with most depth always on the back.

 

I always thought that but the dealer offering my old VRS for sale did a rears-to-front swap and then made a point in their sale video about how much tread was left on the fronts.

 

I guess £'s out-trump safety.

[banksie]

I always have the tyres with most tread on the front - braking is more important to me than theoretical oversteer. To my mind I am far more likely to brake than need to combat oversteer.  When front tyres become noticeably more worn than the back then I swap them around.  This means that I usually buy 4 matched tyres at a time.

The point is that the braking will cause the car to "over steer" or skid with the back over taking the front. The reason is that if the road is wet then the more tread you have the more the tyre will clear the water to allow the rubber to get to grip the road.

The less tread the more likely the tyre will be unable to grip the road as it rises with the weight transfer and the water gets under the tyre.

Remember it's not the tread that gives the grip. The tread is only there to get rid of the water to let the rubber grip the road.

[brad1.8T]

new tyres on rear - as most of the others have said.

 

From a lazy git aligners point of view it's a bit of a pain but it's safer.

[philbes]

You do sound like you're thinking that when you brake, only the front ones are applied. Not wishing to be the bearer of bad news but all 4 wheels are braked when you press the footbrake.

Just sayin.

Yes, I realise that my car has 4-wheel braking.  However, almost all the braking is done by the front wheels.  My last car had new front pads at 52K miles but the rear were still only half worn down when the car was sold at over 100K miles.  No point the rear braking if the front tyres don't have enough tread to clear water and allow the front tyres to grip and brake.

 

I haven't needed to carry out an emergency stop for at least 25 years.  Anticipation and observation?

 

None of the tyre industry videos regarding on which wheels to fit new tyres I have seen have referenced braking.  They have always have shown a car driving on a wet track and oversteering on a corner.  Perhaps driving to the conditions would be an idea?

Edited 14 December, 2016 by philbes

[flybynite]

On the rear is considered safer because it tends to understeer rather than oversteer. Just in the way the majority of cars are set to understeer rather than oversteer. 

 

It is considered easier for the average person to correct (and at least you see what you hit  :notme:)

 

Another advantage is it will be the older tyre that normally gets trashed in the pot holes.

 

Just as you may be able to go round a bend faster with a car set up to be more neutral/oversteer there are going to be occasions when the newer/fresher rubber in the heavier braking axle may give you a reduced overall braking distance.

 

However, in both scenarios above you are more likely to end up in an oversteer and need to have the skill (and space) to correct it. Not always available on public roads. (As a lot of people driving older 911s found out)

 

It is a whole other can of worms as to which is the worst axle to blowout

 

As ever knowing the car, knowing its limits and how it is likely to handle in an emergency, (however it is set up), is the important thing and is one of the first steps on any advanced driving course.

[Petunet]

I always put better tyres on front, but I swap the tyres front to back 4 times a year to make them wear even.

And I buy 4 tyres every time when needed.

[coloneldolomite]

I replaced my worn fronts a few months ago and asked for the new tyres to be put on the back. Although there was loads of tread left on the back tyres, once placed on the front I found that the noise was excessive - almost like wheel bearing drone.

Upon inspection, the tyres had gone out of shape while on the back, with noticeable high spots on the inner edge. I had them replaced this week and all is now quiet. I intend to swap them around more regularly to try and prevent the rears doing the same again.

[BoxerBoy]

New tyres - on the front, every time (FWD cars), because they do All the work.

Rear tyres just keep the back end from dragging on the road :-)

[meta55b]

Would this theory about putting the better tread on the rear not apply anymore due to Abs,ebd and the like. I can't remember the last time a car stepped out on me on the rear. I always put the best tread on the front, as said above, they do all the work.

[blueR36]

When I had my first car and was skint,( I had motorbikes for years but you have to start from scratch again with insurance) anyway needed four new tyres but rears were still legal,so got new ones on the front  came up to a sett of lights and they changed , it was raining and diesel all over the road ( noticed after ) and night time, I spun 180 degrees in the bink of an eye, never again have I done that  again , so always rears for me, but I always buy four at a time thses daysm mind you mine is 4wd

     

[tweenster]

I do think that much of the 'experienced' comment is based on years old experience when rear wheel drive was the norm.I ALWAYS put new tyres on the front because, as some other (clearly enlightened and intelligent) posters have said, they do all the work. How often do you experience oversteer in normal driving conditions? Not often I would suggest.And on a straight road the rear tyres are following in the tracks of the front wheels so if you are sensible and brake in a straight line (trail braking is not good practice on the road) then the front tyres have cleared a lot of water before the rear tyres get to that particular spot of tarmac.

 

At the end of the day, you buy the tyres and you choose.

[pist0nbr0ke]

When I had my first car and was skint,( I had motorbikes for years but you have to start from scratch again with insurance) anyway needed four new tyres but rears were still legal,so got new ones on the front came up to a sett of lights and they changed , it was raining and diesel all over the road ( noticed after ) and night time, I spun 180 degrees in the bink of an eye, never again have I done that again , so always rears for me, but I always buy four at a time thses daysm mind you mine is 4wd

To be fair though, it may not have been all down to the tyres? Older cars had brake bias issues, especially if not maintained 100% (not suggesting you are guilty of that), uneven tyre pressures can contribute to instability, worn shocks etc etc.

Fewer and fewer FWD cars have oversteer tendencies these days (gone is the 205 GTI era!) unless provoked by severe braking during cornering or other more deliberate efforts to unstick the rear. Even most RWD cars are set up to tend towards understeer by default.

Anyway, this is a subject that will never have a definitive answer.