Question, I have 2 new Dunlop SP40's in front of my sedan, and in the rear, I am thinking of getting something better, like Michelin HydroEdge.
Is this a good idea or should I keep all 4 tires the same, plus the spare? (this would allow ease of rotation)
Dunlop SP40 seem OK, don't know how they perform in the rain.
This comes down to opinion, as much as anything else. I personally do not like to mix brands on a car. I will NOT mix brands or sizes on an axle.
Do what you wish.
Put your best tires in the back. Best for grip on snow and ice. And you wont have problems of the rear end sliding sideways if you make sharp turns. Once i put best tires in front and several times almost spun out when rear end got away from me.
I would NOT buy/install them without comparing measurements--altho' not as bad as the old HR70's & -60's, tires from one mfg., same sizes, often do not match another mfg's. Those olders often could be over an inch difference in height. Even PepBoy's own 'best' popular sizes for like LeSabres, Parks, B'bille, Lucerne, etc, can be noticeably narrower than say same sized Michelins. Good luck. BTW: If you are sold on the Mich. quality being superior, how about getting 4, and advertise/sell the Dunlops even at a bargain? Problem solved and no guesswork. s
It's obviously not a good idea to install different brands on the same axle.
But is there a problem with having brand X on the front axle and brand Y on the rear axle? And when rotating tires, just moving two rear to the front and vice versa? And/or moving the left tire to the right?
My only concern is the spare. No matter what brand you choose, if for example you need to replace the front tire, and the spare happens to be the brand like the rear set, you have may issues.
the "company line" is all 4 tires should be the same brand and same size.
in reality, you can mix and match, but it's only a good idea if you're considering $ as the only factor. Brand X tires grip differently than Brand Y, so in situations like ice, snow, rain, max-g cornering, you might get dealt a nasty surprise when one end loses it's grip on you.
Unless you have a need to mix and match, I suggest keeping all 4 the same just because it reduces the chances of surprises. (that said, the Beretta has two BFG's on the front and two Canadian Tire specials on the back...)
It's a good all-season compromise tire for small family sedans and economy cars at an attractive price, in my experience at driving two cars' worth of 'em for the past few years in varied conditions (dry roads, rain, and light snow). If I had to deal with serious snow and ice, I'd get four junkyard rims and put real snow tires on 'em, seasonally, no matter what my three-season tire was.
I drive as though the car, the tires, and my safe-driver insurance discount all need to last me a long time. People who like to push it hard may have more-exacting requirements.
Never driven the HydroEdge and have only small experience with Michelins in general.
I try not to mix tires, though I've certainly done so to save money on beaters driven conservatively under benign circumstances that only needed two tires. Certainly wouldn't mix 'em on an axle.
BTW, the wisdom these days is that if you are only buying two new tires, whatever the brand, they should go on the rear, a 180-degree reversal from the thinking of days of old.
--Joe
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