Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

[lakelover]

I've come up against this question several times and never knew the answer. I have heard arguments in favor or both, and frankly, have always had the new tires put on the front. (I should say I'm referring to front wheel drive vehicles). After seeing this video, I see why putting the new ones on the back makes more sense & just wanted to pass it along.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

I put them on the front, but we have snow here. Driving like an idiot on a wet road isn't really a good test of where the tires should be if you are not driving like an idiot

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

Even after viewing the video I will still put new tires on the front. I would much rather have a rear tire blow than a front one. Don't see many flats with the tires made these days though.

 

[lakelover]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

oldjeep & Georgesalmon, I see both your points. I'm mostly thinking about my two 20-something sons here, can't control how they drive! So want them to be as safe as possible before inexperience takes over. Myself, I tend to drive a lot more sensibly than I did when I was young. I'm not talking about replacing bald tires, but ones with the tread getting down to the point where you start thinking about it.

 

[rbh]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

On the front.

As long as you have power to the drive wheels pulling you around corners or down an icey road it is very rare for the back end to kick out.

Try doing donuts in a icey parking lot, not very easy to do.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

If you want your kids to be as safe as possible like you stated, replace all four...........

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

On the front.

As long as you have power to the drive wheels pulling you around corners or down an icey road it is very rare for the back end to kick out.

Try doing donuts in a icey parking lot, not very easy to do.

I can't recall ever having the back end break loose in a FWD car and I had a scirrocco in college that I drove in a less than safe manner most of the time

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

As long as you have power to the drive wheels pulling you around corners or down an icey road it is very rare for the back end to kick out...

RBH and Old Jeep, too. I have driven 5 different Chevy Impalas, model years 2000-2004 for a total of at least 300,000 miles, and I will tell you that in snow, the back end steps out of line a lot, in corners. A lot. They almost feel like RWD cars, at slow speeds in snow. Could this be a function of 225/60R16 tires? Maybe, but I assure you that it happens. And ALL these cars had anti-lock brakes and traction control. And I don't drive recklessly, as I never had an accident in any of those cars.
However, they ALL did it with even brand new tires. So on an Impala, I would put the brand new tires on the front, since brand new tires on the rear don't help their traction.

As far as other cars, I'd try them both ways, since I like to rotate tires.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

RBH and Old Jeep, too. I have driven 5 different Chevy Impalas, model years 2000-2004 for a total of at least 300,000 miles, and I will tell you that in snow, the back end steps out of line a lot, in corners. A lot. They almost feel like RWD cars, at slow speeds in snow. Could this be a function of 225/60R16 tires? Maybe, but I assure you that it happens. And ALL these cars had anti-lock brakes and traction control. And I don't drive recklessly, as I never had an accident in any of those cars.
However, they ALL did it with even brand new tires. So on an Impala, I would put the brand new tires on the front, since brand new tires on the rear don't help their traction.

As far as other cars, I'd try them both ways, since I like to rotate tires.

Only Impala I ever drove was a rental car in Bozeman. All I remember about that POS is that you couldn't even get it moving in the snow most of the time. Perfect car for a trip to Big Sky

 

[JRJ]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

Good video. Time on a skid pad should be mandatory for driver training. I always rotate and replace 4 at a time.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

If you want your kids to be as safe as possible like you stated, replace all four...........

I agree. I never just replace 2.

 

[rbh]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

RBH and Old Jeep, too. I have driven 5 different Chevy Impalas, model years 2000-2004 for a total of at least 300,000 miles, and I will tell you that in snow, the back end steps out of line a lot, in corners. A lot. They almost feel like RWD cars, at slow speeds in snow. Could this be a function of 225/60R16 tires? Maybe, but I assure you that it happens. And ALL these cars had anti-lock brakes and traction control. And I don't drive recklessly, as I never had an accident in any of those cars.
However, they ALL did it with even brand new tires. So on an Impala, I would put the brand new tires on the front, since brand new tires on the rear don't help their traction.

As far as other cars, I'd try them both ways, since I like to rotate tires.

Not saying it can't be done, just that with good winter tires we were on a snow/ice covered airstrip for a couple of hours "TRYING" to get the back end to kick out with a "K" car and did not have much luck.
(Not trying to say a "K" car is better in snow than an Impala,, BAHAHAHA )
The tires you had on, where they winter tires?

The thing with Front WD is your being pulled not pushed, so if the back kicks out give it some pedal and it should pull you straight. (same as a 4x4)

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

All my Impalas came with standard all season tires on them. OldJeep, if you had trouble getting 2000 or newer Impala moving on snow, then you needed to turn the traction control "off". I never had any problem getting them to go or stop. RBH, yes, if you turned in the direction of the skid (Bill Cosby wouldn't do this!) you could straighten the car out.

If you are rotating your tires properly, you should wear out all four at the same time. So, like Musky, JRJ and Bruce say, replace all four.

 

[JB]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

It has been about 20 years since I drove a 2WD car, but even then I kept all four rotated regularly and replaced all four at once. Having driven race cars for a while I strongly believe that imbalance between front and rear tire traction is dangerous.

So, like Musky, JRJ, Bruce and TilliamWe, I say all four.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

I prefer to rotate to keep tread-wear equal. However if I did not have that option I would run the deeper tread on the front. Front tires on a FWD vehicle tend to be more sensitive to hydroplaning. When the front tires hydroplane while going uphill it can make you fill like your on ice. I have had this situation happen to me as I attempted to pass a slower car and it would not gain any speed...at first I thought my transmission was slipping until I glanced at the speedometer and it was pegged at 100MPH!!!!

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

Eh....
A tire company doing these tests. Maybe their right, and have your best intentions in mind. Or maybe they want you to throw the older set of tires on the front to be finished off, so they can sell you another pair of tires sooner.....

Some thought... Say you put the tires with lesser tread on the rear, and of course a good tire guy is going to be sure to check to see that the worn tires are at no less then 3/32 tread depth. This is supposed to be the safe minimum tread, right? If tires at 3/32 (or a little better) are that much of a risk, why would the NHTSA not raise the minimum tread depth standard?

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

understeer on a front wheel drive can be worse than the rear stepping out of line so i would change the front tires unless the rears were lower than 2mm then i would replace all four.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

I have driven 5 different Chevy Impalas, model years 2000-2004 .....and I will tell you that in snow, the back end steps out of line a lot, in corners. A lot. ........... Could this be a function of 225/60R16 tires?

Nah....it's a function of "Chevy".... it's built-in...

 

[sublauxation]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

I always buy used vehicles and the last 4 or 5 had burnt out tires on front and good ones on back (guessing they were never rotated). Obviously I'm not going to buy 4 new tires. I've been to 4 different tire shops and each has replaced the two front tires and rotated them (the new ones) to the back. I've questioned them all and they insisted that was the best way to go.....for whatever that's worth.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Two new tires - front or rear? (front wheel drive)

Nah....it's a function of "Chevy".... it's built-in...

Ha! Ha! (once you are used to it, you can make them go anywhere and stop anytime, though!)