Tyre swap

DUTR

I have a FWD car, there is more than 6mm tread on the front tyres,should I swap front to rear for at least the winter?
I'm not really interested in getting winter tyres to store the current tyres.

Limey

How much tread is left on the rears?

tberry6686

Personally I'd want the best tyres on the front. They have to do the driving, steering and most of the braking so can't see any good reason for swopping them round (unless your rear tyres are brand new)

forgotmyname

Better grip in the driving wheels if you must swap them. I find it a pointless excercise.

They have changed their minds on this so many times. Best tyres on the front, Then they say best tyres on the back..
Every situation will be different. When your spinning the wheels on a wet/icy road the actual tyre design and materials will made a bigger difference than the tread available.

The tread helps shift water out of the path of the tyre to prevent aquaplaning. If its that bad then driving slower is the answer.

Why do you want to swap tyres around?

colino

It is very straightforward, unless it is a good 4x4 or a very rare rear-wheel-steer vehicle, the best tyres go on the back.
No point having fabulous, or winter tyres on the front if the first sign of ice, the (uncontrollable) rear end is trying to overtake you.

forgotmyname

But on the other hand have the rear end not slide all over the road is rather pointless when the front doesnt have enough traction to actually get you moving.

Best tyres on whatever axle they are on and drive accordingly.

DUTR

tberry6686 wrote: »

Personally I'd want the best tyres on the front. They have to do the driving, steering and most of the braking so can't see any good reason for swopping them round (unless your rear tyres are brand new)

I was often on this logic of best tyres on the front.
I remember watching some programme somewhere suggesting it is 'better' to have the better tyres on the rear of a FWD.

I will have to re-check the tread of the rear, but it was more (all the tyres have been on since new <7k miles but over 12 months.

Traceydolphins

New tyres to the front or rear?

Check the handbook first as some give vehicle specific advice.
Generally it's good practice to fit the best/newest tyres on the rear – in wet conditions, this favours understeer rather than oversteer.
So if you have the front tyres renewed it's best to have the rear ones moved to the front and the new tyres fitted to the rear.


The above is according to the AA.

forgotmyname

Yes new on the rear favours understeer, But why dont they try a wet braking test with new tyres on the front and rear and see which comes out better?

6 of one and half a dozen of the other.

Ultrasonic

I'm definitely of the better tyres on the rear persuasion, since this still seems to be the consensus view from tyre manufacturers and safety bodies. The basic argument is that if you have poorer grip at the front you can feel and react helpfully to this via the steering wheel, whereas if you lose grip at the rear you've properly lost control of the car by the time you realise and can do nothing about it.

daveyjp

If the rears have less than 3mm now is a good time to change them. You will then have 6-8mm all round and I would put new on the front of a FWD car.

If the rears have more than 3mm don't lose sleep over the issue.