Tyre wear

Strider590

WellKnownSid wrote: »

Having the new tread on the front means that there is plenty of grip to steer - but the back end can't keep up. A bit of extra weight, adverse camber and a wet road = oversteer.

Not unless your driving a Peugeot/Citroen.......

I have never gotten oversteer out of any other make of FWD car. Believe you me, i've REALLY tried to see what it takes the put the back end of the Vectra out and believe me when I say that the front loses traction WAAAAAYYYYYY before the back end does (even if the rears are practically bald).

On the other hand, I spun a 1100cc Pug 106 and a 2000cc 306 just by easing off the throttle mid corner.

attila_

motorguy wrote: »

+1

I'd rather have new tyres at the front.

The idea (not that i'm convinced) is for safety. New tyres will grip better, particularly if the newer ones are a softer compound. With that knowledge, its better to have grip at the rear more than the front. Understeer is more manageable than oversteer.

john_white

Strider590 wrote: »

Why?

This is one of those urban myths, the fact is you still get through just as much rubber, only you end up with less thread at the front where a fwd car needs it.

ALL tyre manufacturers recommend putting the tyres with most tread at the rear of a car.


So not exactly a myth is it.


See point 6.


http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/care-guide/ten-tyre-care-tips

john_white

Should add ...


Always drive according to the conditions and make sure ALL tyres have plenty of tread and that should be prevent most issues.

WTFH

attila_ wrote: »

Understeer is more manageable than oversteer.

I would disagree. If you are steering it's because you are trying to change direction. With understeer, you are not changing direction quickly enough. You cannot accelerate out of understeer and if your brake with any force, you'll skid straight into the obstruction you were trying to steer round. To get out of understeer you have to straighten the wheels, wait for them to grip then try again at a slower speed and/or with less steering.
With oversteer, you can drive out of it without having to stop. A bit of opposite lock and a bit of throttle.

gilbert_and_sullivan

john_white wrote: »

ALL tyre manufacturers recommend putting the tyres with most tread at the rear of a car.


So not exactly a myth is it.


See point 6.


http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/care-guide/ten-tyre-care-tips

One size fits all, the solution of the modern age to every question.

Not a bad guide for people who sit at the wheel of their motorised shopping trolley and take about as much interest in piloting and re-tyring it as they would the Tesco push version...and about as competent.

Some others know their cars, and learned how to drive them, and might well have chosen tyres to suit them, as drivers, and their car.

For what its worth i rotate regularly so buy tyres 4 at a time, if i had to buy 2 then they would go on the drive axle, front or rear.

The only exception would be if i bought 2 good quality tyres, i would not want 2 worn Chinese ditchfinders on the rear of a car and two tyres that gripped on the front, but then i wouldn't have rubbish tyres on my car anyway and would be reluctant to buy a car so fitted.

Ultrasonic

New tyres on the rear is not an urban myth, rather a safety recommendation:

http://www.etyres.co.uk/flashmovies/new-tyres-rear-etyres.htm

As for wear, 15k miles on fronts sounds on the low side to me, but as above it will vary wildly with driving style and the tyre compound. Better (safer) tyres will in general have softer compounds that wear a bit quicker. My Dad has some Toyo tyres that hardly seem to wear at all, but I'd rather have tyres that grip the road better.

Strider590

john_white wrote: »

ALL tyre manufacturers recommend putting the tyres with most tread at the rear of a car.


So not exactly a myth is it.


See point 6.


http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/care-guide/ten-tyre-care-tips

For the same reason that car manufacturers set up their cars to understeer.......

MOST people haven't got a ***king clue how to drive a car at the limit or how to get a car back when it goes beyond.
Most people will back off or brake when the car loses traction and ironically, the methods for regaining control of a car would be seen by most as "dangerous".


In an understeer situation this won't make a bit of difference, but in oversteer it'll send you into a full 360.
By the same token, the number of people who brake mid corner is just astonishing.

In a FWD for example, to pull back oversteer, you need to accelerate and to pull back understeer you need to ease of and try to break traction at the rear instead.
In RWD you'd ease off to stop oversteer and you'd carefully give more throttle to correct understeer.
Traction control is widely used in high performance cars because it's widely recognised that "those who can afford them, normally can't drive them".

Car manufacturers don't want to get sued for making a car that the average numpty could crash the first time they go around a bend.
Tyre manufacturers exactly the same........ The average driver would probably blame their tyres if they drove out on two new fronts and spun the car 200yrds down the road. You can't tell people "oh it was because your front tyres were new and your rears are old/worn".

As usual it the "one size fits all" approach to protecting idiots from their own incompetence.

marlot

WTFH wrote: »

I would disagree. If you are steering it's because you are trying to change direction. With understeer, you are not changing direction quickly enough...

The theory may be fine, but 99% of drivers on the road will just back off the throttle or brake. Hence most 'normal' cars are set up to understeer - it is safest for the average driver.

Hence the advice to put the best tyres on the rear.

I used to live in Kenya, and spent many hours driving through thick mud on safari tours - I became very, very good at controlling both understeer and oversteer. Unfortunately it soon evaporated when I returned.

retiredin2011

That is interesting, according to this video my tyres are perfectly legal, see second view of tyre.

http://www.etyres.co.uk/flashmovies/new-tyres-rear-etyres.htm

Also I just measured the depth and it is more like 4mm, 2mm was just a guess.

So the tyres are not as bad as I thought.

Still a few miles left in them.