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View Full Version : New pair of tires on a FWD car... front or rear?



gold-n-rod
03-23-2009, 09:05 PM
The is completly opposite of what I've been taught. Yesterday, I read in Click and Clack's column that tire and vehicle manufacturers are now calling for the newest pair of tires to go on the rear axle. WTF?

I've been taught that, for traction reasons, the new pair goes on the front. The article says that some tire installers will only install a new pair on the rear... no exceptions.

Here's some support for this theory...

http://www.tiresnotes.com/car-tires/...w-tires-64.php
http://www.hogantire.com/tcinstallingpairs.htm


I'm fixing to buy a new pair of tires for my son's FWD Olds and this has me shaking my head.

zelatore
03-23-2009, 11:18 PM
You're kidding me, right?



















You actually listen to those two idiots?

zelatore
03-24-2009, 12:05 AM
You're kidding me, right?



















You actually listen to those two idiots?

Ed Donnelly
03-24-2009, 01:19 AM
Tire shops here in Toronto will ONLY install new tires in the rear..

There are a few shops in Toronto that will refuse to install only one new tire , if there is over 40% wear on the opposite tire.............Ed

Conquistador_del_mar
03-24-2009, 10:37 AM
I have never owned a front wheel drive car, but I know they tend to wear out the front tires even faster than the rear wheel drive cars for obvious reasons. I am fairly conservative on replacing tires since we have many roads with heavy ruts from use that tend to collect water during heavy rain. I will not wait for the wear mark bars to show before replacing my tires for safety reasons, but I have always installed new tires on the front of my vehicles and I usually go with good rain type tires with grooves leading out from the main treads. The few times I have accelerated my truck too much on rain, it is easy to keep the rear end from skidding by simply letting off the gas. I would much rather have my best tires on the front to keep from losing steering control, but I also keep a good set of treads on my rear tires. I see many sets of tires that the owners ride until they are bald or steel coming through - I suppose due to their lack of money or safety knowledge. That worries me every time I am approaching "beaters" on our two lane highways in the rain. Anyway, back to your topic. I still believe it is better to have the new tires installed in the front to help with both steering and braking since most of the braking is done with those front tires in the rain. No one will convince me that it is better to put the best tires on the rear. Bill

VetteLT193
03-24-2009, 10:49 AM
I think it also depends on the car. My wife's old altima would eat front tires at least 3X faster than the rear.

a couple times I put the old tires on the front just to keep things semi-even.

That car was a hunk of crap though... hopefully the last FWD car I ever own.

Ed Donnelly
03-24-2009, 10:51 AM
They say the idea of the new tires in the rear, is, wait for it...
So the back of the vehicle doesn't come around to bite the front of the vehicle in the ass:rlol:.. Thats what all the articles say........Ed

P.S. I replace all 4 at about 20,000 miles, as I drive the snot out of my truck every time I get in it. Oh and the brakes at the same time...........Ed

zelatore
03-24-2009, 10:59 AM
Given the amount of understeer designed into every new car (fer Christ sake, even a new 911 understeers!) as demanded by the safety nannies, I'd say the chance of the rear coming around is about as likely as this board suddenly praising Pelosi.

handfulz28
03-24-2009, 11:27 AM
Let 'em install the tires on the rear, make them throw in a free rotation. Just as they're lowering the car....WAIT WAIT...I want my free rotation now please.
:wavey:

mattyboy
03-24-2009, 11:28 AM
marketing ploy to get you to buy 4 tires, seriously i have been driving a frwd service vehicle for close to 30 years now over a mountain 2 times in a day in all weather conditions mostly with new rubber up front and boloney skins in the back and never had the back end try and pass me

Ghost
03-24-2009, 11:50 AM
I'll offer up an unplanned marriage of convenience: marketing ploy PLUS crazy-litigious society. Some jackass does one study and shows that there is a tradeoff-argument for rear-only, and the legal infrastructure stands ready to annihilate the first guy who puts rear tires on a car and the driver wrecks it. But the legal infrastructure is SO entrenched that they already have channels to push out the warning (at a price) to everyone in the tire business.

This is the legal product safety equivalent of the smooth, quiet-times in the mafia, when no families are fighting, and instead they can spend their time happily collecting from their protection rackets.

BTW: to a point, such legal infrastructure can be an efficient and good thing. We're just well beyond it.

MOP
03-24-2009, 12:55 PM
Won't say this is true in all cases, I have had blow outs the rear blow out caused the car to fish tail left me with a feeling of no control. When I blew a front tire the steering wheel nearly got away from me but I still had control though it was hard.