A GOOD tyre question...

[Davey182]

I'm just about to replace my front tyres with new PE2s. The option I'm considering is whether to swap rear and front tyres so that the new tyres will be on the back. This giving the car better stability as better rear grip. However, my Dad, who knows his stuff, says that crash investigation teams have mixed views on this as they argue that on the other hand it is better to stick the newer tyres on the front as a front wheel drive car does all its pulling and braking from the front... but you all know what a twitchy arse a 182 has. So then, what do we think? New tyres at the front or rear??

 

[White16valver]

Rear.

(fred will disagree lol)

 

[edde]

Your dads got the wrong end of the stick best tyres on the front all the time the Clios got a habbit of the back commin out as it is.

Also it helps reduce stopping distance more there been tests by companies Autocar did one some time ago they articles often printed in garages showing the article.

Front all the time. You'll only ever agree though if you crash.

 

[Plimsole]

http://www.michelin.co.uk/uk/auto/auto_cons_bib_pqr_neuf.jsp

and I'm sure that Pirelli had similar advice but I can't find it...

 

[Davey182]

Your dads got the wrong end of the stick best tyres on the front all the time the Clios got a habbit of the back commin out as it is.

Also it helps reduce stopping distance more there been tests by companies Autocar did one some time ago they articles often printed in garages showing the article.

Front all the time. You'll only ever agree though if you crash.

Trust me, he knows what he's talking about, and he reckons I should put the new tyres on the front. I think you might have this the worng way round though. Do you mean put the new ones on the front? Or swap them?

 

[Brasseye]

best of the front for me

 

[edde]

Your dads got the wrong end of the stick best tyres on the front all the time the Clios got a habbit of the back commin out as it is.

Also it helps reduce stopping distance more there been tests by companies Autocar did one some time ago they articles often printed in garages showing the article.

Front all the time. You'll only ever agree though if you crash.

Trust me, he knows what he's talking about, and he reckons I should put the new tyres on the front. I think you might have this the worng way round though. Do you mean put the new ones on the front? Or swap them?

Oops thats a sign I'm to tired best tyres on the back.

 

[Andi-B]

Power steering affects the life of tyres too as "standing still turning" is easier and that it creates flat spots on front tyres. Front here, as thats where the traction and drive is.

I've always been told by my dad if you keep the pressure right in the rear tyres, they'll last years too.. I haven't replaced ANY tyres on the rears of cars I've owned, unless it's been a puncture.

 

[bmh.01]

I went with the best tyres on the front philosopy and won't be doing it again in a hurry. Had Eagle F1s on the front and Avon ZZ1s on the rear and it was leathal in the wet if it did expect it to kick out the back end on EVERY roundabout you went round a more than 15mph.

Stuck it out for a while until it caught me out and I spun it on a roundabout into a curb, luckily wasn't going too fast and the only damage was to a wishbone (bent), front alloy (chunk missing/buckled) and a passenger seat (airbag). Will NEVER be doing it again, best tyres on the back or change the lot from now on. People may dissagree but as far as i'm concerned i've been taught a lesson the hard way and I won't be forgetting it in a hurry. Could have been a lot worse if someone was coming the other way.

 

[manicmonkey]

best ones on back for me, i had a similar ^ incident. Best thing is that the rear tyres dont wear down nearly as much, so they're pretty much new when you swop them to front anyway

 

[chiefsilverback]

New ones on the rear for me too! For a start it's what the tyre manufacturers/safety people recommend and secondly I had the fronts and rears swapped on my LCR and 2 days later lost the backend and cartwheeled it down the road!

 

[speedynz]

I would never put new tyres on the rear.

The front tyres have all the weight over them, they do the steering, they do most of the braking and they take more load during hard cornering.

 

[GordonD]

Understeer is bad. But oversteer is worse. So the best tyres should always go on the rear. Yes it would improve braking and grip most if they went on the front, especially on a front-heavy front-wheel-drive car. But oversteer is so nasty that preventing it over-rides other considerations. As you wear out tyres on the front you move the rears to the front and replace the rears.

On a front-heavy front-wheel drive car you could just keep replacing the fronts, but tyres only last about 5 years before the rubber starts hardening, which affects grip generally, and wet grip a lot. With very old rears and new fronts the grip characteristics of the fronts could be substantially different to the rear and get you into serious trouble on a cold wet road.

 

[edde]

I would never put new tyres on the rear.

The front tyres have all the weight over them, they do the steering, they do most of the braking and they take more load during hard cornering.

Car braking tests even in the wet disagree.