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[Willinot]

I'm getting two new front Tyres tomorrow.  Rears were replaced around 6 months ago.  Is it best to stick the new on the front or switch with the rears?

Thanks.

Paul.

[Nosebolt]

bit of a tangent but stick with it, a few years ago when I had Si130 I needed rear tyres and went to the local costco as the had a deal on Goodyear or Michelin or something,

anyway the car had wider tyres on the back than the front but when I got there they insisted they would, if only fitting 2 tyres, fit them on the front and I should fit the fronts on the rear. I tried to explain they were different sizes but the spotty face ejit insisted it was the tyre manufactures 'rules' that new went on the front and old went to the rear.

needless to say I told them to fek off and went to a real tyre centre

back to your question accord to the fuck faced tosser at costco new MUST go on the front

[Bishops Finger]

Buy 5 x MTs...simples

[williecba]

The Costco guys always tell me that they want to put new tyres on the rear because "research" shows that in a skid or accident or whatever it is the rear tyres that lose traction first. Pain in the bloody bum with the Vito as a front wheel drive van steering and driving with the front tyres strips them out miles quicker than the rears AND it was very noticeable last winter that it was the worn front tyres that locked up and slid on bad roads not the rears. I let Costco switch all the tyres round and then went home and switched them round the way I like them.

I found this on the web:


Two schools of thought here and both are right.

1st school of thought. (and a number of large tyre fitting chains will only do this, in fear of being sued for causing an accident)

They should go on the rear, when the rear looses grip on a front wheel drive car it is usually on turn in or mid corner when the driver backs off (puts more weight on the front wheels) basically lift off oversteer, this can happen very very quickly the car snaps sideways, only way to save it is to floor the throttle, as driver has backed off for a reason is likely to be the last thing he will think of in the panik, car oversteers off the road, or spins in the face of oncoming trafic.

If the front wheels loose grip, it usually running wide on the exit of the corner. The driver can simply back off the throttle, and they will slowly and predictably regain grip and there is litle drama. Because of this the best tyres should go on the rear.



2nd school of thought.

I can feel what the back end is doing and control it on the throttle, As long as I can get the thing turned in and pointing where I want, I'm golden. I cant do anything if I'm understeering straight on because the car wont turn in. Add to that the fronts have to steer and drive, so I want the best tyres on the front.

And I also found this:

On a FWD car always put new tyres on the rear. You have no control over the rear in a FWD car so the rear had most grip. Tiff Needell demonstrated this on 'old' Top Gear many years back and even he couldn't catch the back end of a FWD car with worn tyres on the back and new tyres on the front.
And if Tiff Needell can't collect the rear end then you probably won't be able too.

I think what they are saying is that if you go too fast round a bend in a front wheel drive car with good front tyres which grip and then the really bad back tyres lose it you are in a bad skid and there is no way back. ( More fool you for going too fast ).
If you take your foot of the throttle on a RWD car then the engine acts as a brake, slows the rear wheels only, which tends to retard the rear end of the vehicle straightening it up.
If you start to lose the rear end in a FWD car then the back end is accelerating along the original line of direction while the front end slows relative to that line because it is steering off to the side. Take your foot off the throttle then and you slow the front end of the vehicle even more with regard to the rear which spins you round even more.

With my Vito that is the impression I get. I feel that if I push it stupidly fast the rear end will go and then it will all end in tears. However, I don't drive fast like an idiot but I do drive round and round the houses rain or shine and there are kids coming out of school and parked cars both sides and people opening car doors without looking and stupid sods like me in their white vans taking phone calls because they cannot afford to lose business and so if I hit the brakes I want the damn front wheels to stop the van and not slide along the road. I prefer to be prepared for the scenario that definitely will happen rather than the one that only might. And I would rather kill myself than kill a child.
One other point about the van it is always fully laden up to max GVW so there is a lot of weight on the back, but it definitely stopped the fronts locking up to put the new rubber on the front.
My Grand Voyager same sensation that the rear might go but here I definitely put the new tyres on the back because empty it does feel like it might just float away at the rear when going round a bend fast.

However, your Grand is rear wheel drive 100% of the time in high ratio unless the wheels start to slip so you don't have to worry about the FWD scenario. My mate in the motor trade reckons that for most people (except boy racers) who do a lot of surburban driving then the fronts wear more quickly than the back because of turns and parking etc so generally the rears are better than the fronts most of the time. If there is not a lot of difference  between part worn and new then OK to put new on front because they will soon match the rears and then become worse than them.

[Willinot]

Thanks guys for the reply. 

You mention that the grand is rear wheel drive most of the time.  I was always under the impression it was perm 4 wheel.  Does 4wheel only kick in when traction is lost.

I'd always been told to fit new Tyres (can't remember to front or back) due to the transfer box having difficulty shedding the different speeds due to diameter.  Prahaps this is all codswallop though :-)

Thais again for the quick replies.

Cheers.

Paul.

[Dutch]

As far as I know (and that's because they told me on here) you have to change all 4 corners the same time
to prevent 'kin up your drivetrain, UJ's, linkages, transferbox etc.. etc...

But hey......I'm only an honorary member of the bulldog numpty clan so what do I know 

[jay140285]

As far as I know (and that's because they told me on here) you have to change all 4 corners the same time
to prevent 'kin up your drivetrain, UJ's, linkages, transferbox etc.. etc...

But hey......I'm only an honorary member of the bulldog numpty clan so what do I know 

I thought this to, on a 4WD car change all corners - i.e on my scooby this is what I will be doing.

On my Jeep, I will be needed new tires in the next 6months, but the rears have 3mm of tread but the fronts currently have 5-6mm. so does this indicate it runs in rear wheel drive and the 4wd when required??

[Mike Pavelin]

Tyres on a Jeep should be rotated front to rear at regular intervals to even up wear.

[Tank]

I will stick my neck out here regards the mention of transfer wind up and say a mm or 2 shouldnt make much differenced so if 6 month tyres are 7mm and new are 8mm then there should be negligable difference but if worn are say 3mm and new are 8mm then thats different and on a big set of muds,you might have anything up to 10mm or more difference between a worn tyre and a new one which will make a hell of a difference in each wheels rolling circumference

[jay140285]

I will give mine a switch round then to even things up.

Cheers.

[Dutch]

I will stick my neck out here

No need to Tank.  Its just that these Grand Cherokees are pretty fragile beasties........in all departments 

[scrw]

I will stick my neck out here

No need to Tank.  Its just that these Grand Cherokees are pretty fragile beasties........in all departments 

Only diesels   

[williecba]

Willinot.
Search for "WJ Front to Rear 4WD bias"

Currently lurking in Forum General Page 9

For the best description of the operation of a WJ 4WD system that I ever wrote.