Ideally, you buy tires four at a time. They wear as you drive and tens of thousands of miles later you buy four more.
But the reality is that you may have been doing a lot of burnout accelerating, or your right-side tires were punctured by road debris, or maybe you bought a used car and it came with two good tires and two in which the tread depth won’t pass the Lincoln penny test, or perhaps you simply cannot afford four tires right now but can buy a pair to make the car as safe as possible.
So the question is: Which wheels get the new tires?
Obvious, you say, they go up front, on the tires that steer and do the heavy braking.
I thought so, too. Which means we both were wrong.
Several years ago, I was among more than 15,000 people who at various times took part in a driving demonstration at the Michelin Proving Grounds in South Carolina.
With a Michelin test driver riding shotgun, I was put into a Ford Fusion with worn tires up front and new tires at the rear. The track is wet and the Michelin staffer suggests a faster speed, fast enough that you feel the front end losing traction and back off the gas pedal to get the car back under control.
Next you move into another Fusion, but this time with new tires up front and worn rubber at the rear. You do the same exercise on the same wet track and suddenly the back end suddenly snaps around and you spin out.
Still skeptical, I’m offered a re-run and guess what — the same thing happens.
By the way, the worn tires we used weren’t anywhere near bald. They still had plenty of visible tread.
The point is that with worn tires in front, you feel them as they lose traction and then you react. With new tires in front, you don’t feel the worn rears as they lose traction and next thing you know you’ve done a 180 or a 360.
As the test driver explains, “Steering without stability is useless and braking without stability is useless and accelerating without stability is useless.”
He also explains that it doesn’t matter if the car is front-, rear- or all-wheel drive, a vintage vehicle or new, nor does it matter if you’re riding on all-weather, high-performance or winter tires. And in this case, even Michelin says the brand isn’t important, but your safety is.
The driver gets feedback through the steering wheel. Therefore, you put the two best tires on the rear wheels.
OK, there are exceptions, but they involve drivers, not cars. Of the more than 15,000 people who went through the exercise, only a handful didn’t spin.
Larry,
Does it make a difference whether the car is front wheel drive vs, rear wheel.drive or whether traveling straight line or on a curbe?
Surprisingly, front-, rear- or all-wheel drive doesn’t matter. It’s that the driver can feel through the steering wheel if the front end is losing traction and can adjust accordingly. But with a very few exceptions, such as experienced race car drivers with exceptional feel for their vehicles, there is no warning when the back end brakes loose. That’s why you put the 2 best tires in back.
Very well written and 100% correct. Thank you Larry.
I guess I was wrong too. I always thought that the newest tires should go on the drive wheels; be it front or rear-wheel drive. When it comes to AWD vehicles, ALWAYS replace all 4 tires at a time to ensure matching tread and matching tread wear.
This info and test site is provided by an tire manufacture in the business of selling tires. Keep that in mind. I understand the “feel the road” in the steering to react. Also yes, it would be easy to create the conditions to promote the desired effects on a course. In real time driving conditions at high speeds on wet roads most drivers are traveling in a relatively straight line. Worn tires on the front would not evacuate the water as well as newer tires. The result would be Hydroplaning. The rear tires new or not will follow the front tires off the road. In the event of a curve on wet roads(a curve sharp enough for the tires to NOT follow in the same tread path) you should not attempt at any high speed. Driver 101 you learn this. Lastly if your driving fast enough on wet roads, up to the speed in which you waiting for the “feel” of the loss of control to adjust your speed. Your driving to fast. But I’m not trying to sell tires so don’t listen to me.
P.S. Michelin, I invite you to prove my point wrong. We can test anytime. I’ll provide the vehicle if needed.
Smart counter. It is a controlled test especially on their track. But I will still put new tires on rear going forward.
Maybe, just maybe. A company actually cares enough about people to promote the safer option…just maybe.
AELLIS Im with you selling is all they have in mind FOLLOW THE MONEY. Michelin were the ones that started expiration dates on tires so they could tell drivers that the date made tires unsafe,but all they got was backup of tire inventory. Oh Rats this expiration thing failed back to ththe public drawing board.Lets try worn front tires and new on the back. Since the Front Tires do the steering turns moving the right to left— left to right which tires are worn down on those maneuvers All the turning your vehicle does and what about turning into and out of parking spaces its like a grinder on the front tires. What tires get worn during braking the front due to weight. All the above wears the front tires and when they need replaced it starts all over again, new on back and worn on fronte shaft .
Selling is not all they have in mind. Stop being pedantic about it.