New tyre fitting - best strategy?

Vampire · 16 Nov 2009 at 20:43

Hi,

I have an Accord 2.2 CTDI, which has Bridgestone ER300's on the back with plenty of tread left on, and some horrible brand of ditchfinders on the front which are about down to the wear indicators. They have started understeering badly in the wet so need to be replaced pronto.

I'm happy with ER300's (I liked them on my old Golf, and they were OE on the Accord), so I have ordered a pair from Black Circles to be fitted at my local garage on Saturday.

I do approx 500 miles a week, the back ER300s are only 6 months old, and maybe have another 6 months left in them if I leave them on the back.

Question, should I?

1. Just replace the ditchfinders and stick the brand new ER300's on the front.

2. Swap the part worn ER300's currently on the rear to the front, and put the new ones on the back.

Suggestions? (with reasoning please)

Cheers.

whitecrook · 16 Nov 2009 at 21:10

Option 1.

The rears will be bedded in now, moving them to the front may introduce other issues.

Put 2 new on the front, in 6 months put 2 new on the rear and then in another year (18 form now) put 4 new on all round?

Duke · 16 Nov 2009 at 21:13

I thought it was generally better to have the newer tyres on the front?

mjt · 16 Nov 2009 at 22:10

Duke said:
I thought it was generally better to have the newer tyres on the front?

that's what i thought too, but i read that the tyre companies recommend new ones on the back. it was on the Conti site..
there was also a feature on 5th gear where they showed the difference in the wet with worn tyres on the front and back.

your choice depends on whether you want to see the tree you crash into or not

Clarkey · 16 Nov 2009 at 22:21

How do you wear out a pair of rear tyres on a FWD car in only 12 months? You must do mega mileage AND screw the hell out of it permanently to manage that?

For me, I'd just put the new ones on the front, because after 6 months the rears would still be virtually untouched anyway. If the rears were half worn though, I'd put the new ones on the rear.

Howard · 16 Nov 2009 at 22:23

Option 1

I'm as curious as Clarkey though.. Underinflated? Enjoy lift off oversteer?

whitecrook · 16 Nov 2009 at 22:25

Just replace the worn tyres with new ???

if it really worries you that much, just get a whole new set of 4 and keep the 2 half worn for spares/ flog the mas part worn for 20 quid or something.

Vampire · 17 Nov 2009 at 07:49

Hi,

Cheers, I'll just replace the fronts with the new tyres then.

Basically I've done a little over 25k miles since March this year, I have to do a lot of driving with my job. The fronts were some horrible far eastern die yungs put on by the dealer (The Car Shop) when I bought the car, I'm surprised they've lasted as long as they have. The front nearside is pretty much down to the wear markers, the front offside has a bit of life left in it but the nearside needs doing now so the pair have to be replaced.

I don't drive it like I stole it, but I do like to make progress.

Ta all.