Why is everyone recommending newer tires on the rear of a FWD car??????????

[vwguy3]

I cant believe that everyone recommending when you buy two new tires on a FWD car that you put the new ones to the rear. I keep getting into an argument with my father in law thathe says they are now saying to put the better ones to the rear! I tell him that your acceleration, braking, and turning is with the front. Even tire rack is saying to do it. What are you guys doing?

Thanks
Justin

[OddJobb]

Most people buy 4 tires at once. If you rotate them like you are supposed to, all 4 tires should be ready to replace at the same time. And no, you do not put the tires with more tread on the rear if you buy just two. You move the fronts to the rear and new ones go on the front on front wheel drive cars.

[vwguy3]

Thats what I'm saying too. But I was at Walmart the other day and they even had posters on the wall that talked about when you only buy two tires to put them on the rear. they say that it helps the rear from hydroplaning and sliding out from under the car when icy. My thought is that if you dont have the good tires up front in the winter or not going to be able to turn, and when wet your not going to be able to make though the puddles. If you do a google search you will find the tire rack article.

Thanks
Justind

[JTB488]

From an article on Tire Rack....A PAIR OF TIRES?

If two of your tires have a lot of remaining tread depth, but you need to replace the other two because they were damaged or have worn out, you should replace them with a pair of tires that come as close as possible to matching your existing tires. While identical new tires are desirable, others of the same size and type can also provide good results. Only consider selecting new tires that are from the same tire category as your existing tires. New tires should be installed on the rear axle.

[typeSLone]

Been in the auto industry a long time. This topic has always been debated over and over and will continue to be debated. Hell I think VW actually send us a notice here in dealership world recently to make sure we are putting them in the rear of the vehicles.

But in the end, the tires with the better tread depth are "supposed" to go in the rear of the vehicle. Having brand new front tires on your fwd car won't help you when you go around a turn in the rain or snow and the rear of your car kicks out because you have bald tires. The bulk of United States doesn't know how to drive properly and most likely would have no clue how to correct the action of the rear sliding out in those situations. That is the sole reason they should go in the rear of a fwd vehicle. I'll even go ahead and say this should be true for rwd and awd vehicles as well. Awd is a whole topic in itself since those systems are sensitive to tires with varying tread depth and height.

Yes, if you installed them in the front of the car you would have better traction to the drive axles and better steering which does make a huge difference. But only gets you so far when your sliding sideways down a freeway off ramp. I keep my cars aligned, tires pressures proper and rotate frequently so when I need tires, its almost always a set of 4. No need to worry about new tire placement when you replace all 4.

[cloud9vw20]

What Ive learned in my dealings with Discount Tire and Tire Rack is that based on most peoples driving skill, the backs is where to put them on as far as their recommendations are concerned. They look at everyone as the same type of driver and most people function in only straight line reactions. Their idea is that if you slam on the brakes, the ass end of the car will come around since the rears aren't there to 'guide' the car in a straight path. This isnt true for better drivers and people who pay a little attention when driving. Their recommendations are just for the majority of drivers out there.
As mentioned above, if the tires are getting rotated properly, all 4 should need changing at the same time anyways.

[mumixaM08]

They just don't want this to happen

[EJGus3]

I have had the same questions when getting tires, however, I do always try to get all 4 at the same time. Years ago I recall being advised to put new tires on the front since they are the drive wheels. This makes sense to me. My most recent trip to the tire store I asked why they would go on the back and they advised me to read up on Michelin's website and this is what I found:

Michelin recommends replacing all four tires at the same time, however if replacing only two new tires, be sure that the new tires are the same size & tire type as the current tires and that the dealer always installs the new tires on the rear axle of the vehicle. Click here for more information

Why Put the 2 New Tires on the Rear Axle?
•The New tires will provide better wet grip than your half-worn tires.
•It will help reduce the potential for the vehicle to fishtail and lose stability in wet conditions

So it appears that the concern is for wet traction control. But whatever, go with replacing all 4 at once and never have to deal with this issue

[1.8Tango]

I'd argue that there is a greater chance for the vehicle to hydroplane with the old tires upfront. Then you won't have to worry about the rear sliding out because your front is now all over the road.

I'll stick with new up front if I ever have to only replace two.

[notajetta]

in general the automobile manufacturers DESIGN their cars to understeer and most vehicles impact protection is set up for a front-end collision... so yes, as enthusiasts who typically can drive better than the average joe/jane we want more traction up front... but these directions are not being handed down from corporations with us in mind

[GTarr]

In the winter, I definitely prefer to have the "better" two of my four snows on the rear. Having the better ones on the rear helps prevent rear wheel sliding / fishtailing. It's easier / more natural (and somewhat self-correcting) to recover from a front-wheel slide, as opposed to a rear wheel slide, where the natural instinct to get off the gas (or hit the brakes) just makes it worse.

GTarr

[CAH8]

Thats what I'm saying too. But I was at Walmart the other day and they even had posters on the wall that talked about when you only buy two tires to put them on the rear. they say that it helps the rear from hydroplaning and sliding out from under the car when icy. My thought is that if you dont have the good tires up front in the winter or not going to be able to turn, and when wet your not going to be able to make though the puddles. If you do a google search you will find the tire rack article.

Thanks
Justind

It seems like they are saying it from the point of view of beeing safe. Where as you want performance rather than worrying about the back end sliding out or hydroplaning