those would be cross ply's then ?

Tyres always a lively discussion--I'll get me coat

14 minutes ago, cheshire_cat said:

Tyres always a lively discussion--I'll get me coat

 

But people never tire about discussing it!

 

It's tiresome, re-treading the same ground over and over again, these threads just seem to keep on rolling...

The placement of new tyres is always a can of worms on here. The new theory is that the best grip should be on the back so in emergencies loosing front grip (understeer) is better to control than loosing the rear. However I'm still 'old school' and put them on the front. The front wheels do most of the braking, put the power down and clear the water, the rears are just casters. I once put new Conti tyres on the rear and the handling was awful, the rear felt like it wanted to overtake the front. This was due to taller tread blocks (and softer compound) which moved allot. It was cured when I put them on front.

 

Going back to your original question. Buy the best tyres you can afford. It doesn't matter if you have 50bhp or 500bhp, you need to stop in the shortest possible distance in an emergency. Tyres are the only things that have contact with the ground.

Edited 28 December, 20178 yr by Jim H

I agree with @Jim H; the only time that newer tyres on the back might help you out is if you have to perform an emergency stop on a flooded turn with 2-channel ABS. Since any car we're discussing in this thread has 4-channel ABS...