Better to have new tyres at the front or at the back?

Ken

Ken

Ken

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Joined
28 Apr 2004
Posts
1,067
Hi,

About to have the front tyres changed on a RWD car. Rear ones are not due yet but would it better to move the rear ones to the front and have the new ones at the back?

Thanks. :)
 
Depends who you speak to but if you leave the rears on they should wear down sooner, then when you replace them, move the fronts to the back and new ones on the front that way you keep renewing tyres without having old ones on there for ages.
 
New tyres on the rear of the car, unless its a BMW Sport model, in which case you are stuck with new tyres on whatever axle the old ones are on :p
 
I can see the sense in doing that too, especially for wet weather driving I guess as the new tyres should work better.
 
new tyres on the driving tyres, but its down to opinion, on fwd cars its best at the back as its easier to control under-steer then over steer

but with a rwd car, over steer is more controllable, on my bmw i stick new tyres on the back till there half worn swap to the front, then new tyres on the back as a routine. reason being is the front wear half as quick as the rears

so i always have tread allround
 
I'd personally have the better tyres on the front as I prefer to be able to steer and brake, plus having less grip on the rear is more fun.
 
There aren't many accidents caused by "losing the front end" would be my justification for having the best tyres on the back. :p
 
Oh my god there's worms everywhere!

Yea, the thing is the spin that kills you will be when you're completely un-prepared to reel it back in, unless you regularly drive with the tail dangling out, and I mean Sebastian Loeb regularly.
 
I prefer having my best/newest tyres on the front but it isn't recommended.

Put them on the back.
 
Gribs said:
I'd personally have the better tyres on the front as I prefer to be able to steer and brake, plus having less grip on the rear is more fun.
Click to expand...

...and when the back end switches with the front and you're heading into a field backwards ...are you still having fun ?

It depends to what degree you really mean of course though, I'm thinking extreme in extreme conditions.
 
For whatever reason, it is company policy to stick new tyres on the front. It was never explained to be properly, but I think the justification was that Fronts tend to wear out quicker than the rears, none of this Oversteer/Understeer business.

That STUPID 5th Gear video aside I really cannot see it making a massive difference expect in the most extreme cases, and even then Understeer is hardly "Safe".

It doesn't effect me and my car though. Like all REAL men, I have staggered tyre sizes :D.
 
Moeks said:
...and when the back end switches with the front and you're heading into a field backwards ...are you still having fun ?
Click to expand...


This... As it happened to me... Use my dads theory of "chuck em on the back they'll last you longer" when my fronts wore down a bit... Corner + rain = incredible over-steer :(

I've learnt since then and tyres are changed way before the legal limit... with new always on the back :)
 
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