Last Oct I purchased a used car (30000k). Since the front tires had noticable less trend, I assumed the previous owner seldom or never rotated the tires, I rotated them. 8000 k later should I rotate them again? The tires I moved to the rear still have noticable less tread. BTY, winter is coming in northern Minnesota. Suggestions? Thanks.
Keep rotating them as per the owner's manual, eventually things should even out
Buy winter tires. It is not just the tread that is important to traction, but the compound; winter tires are softer but have significantly better adhesion at low temperatures. I know from surviving seven winters in Manitoba.
It's too late to rotate. Tyres with best tread should always be on rear. Then the front's lock up first, you skid in a straight line, it's recoverable simply by releasing the brake. If the rears lock first you are going to find the vehicle swaps ends, you have to be good or lucky to recover from that. Though front heavy empty pickups and FWD cars do tend to do better as the mass wants to lead.
It's normal with FWD to put the new tyres on the back and move the part worn rears to the front. It prevents the situation of having 8 year old back tyres. Also front and rear wear patterns can mean high wear until the tyre had bedded to it's new role of being front or rear.
Disagree. No one should put worn tires on the front. Traction at the front is more important for steering, braking, and accelerating. If you lose the front end, you're done, no matter what the rear is doing. If the front is holding, the rear will come back into line.
As for rotating the tires - the only advantage is that you wear out all four at the same time. If the fronts wear faster on your car but the rears still have more wear, then leave the tires as is.
If the tires you have are still made, and two are still fairly good, run the other until done on the rear and then put new ones on the front, swap the others to the rear. If they are no longer made, rotate to wear them out evenly and replace all four next time.
That's the old conventional wisdom, which I've never had any time for.
I can handle oversteer, but most drivers can't. And that's because controlling it is counter-intuitive.
Furthermore, an understeer crash is likely to result in a severe and very dangerous side impact.
By contrast, the sorts of things a normal driver does when traction is lost tend to assist in controlling understeer. I mean turing into the corner, and slowing (actions which make oversteer worse).
If someone I care about is going to lose traction in my car, I'd much rather they take their chances with understeer than oversteer. So my new tyres go onto the rear.
Vicky's got it right:
That's the old conventional wisdom, which I've never had any time for.
I can handle oversteer, but most drivers can't. And that's because controlling it is counter-intuitive.
Furthermore, an oversteer crash is likely to result in a severe and very dangerous side impact.
By contrast, the sorts of things a normal driver does when traction is lost tend to assist in controlling understeer. I mean turing into the corner, and slowing (actions which make oversteer worse).
If someone I care about is going to lose traction in my car, I'd much rather they take their chances with understeer than oversteer. So my new tyres go onto the rear.
Vicki's got it right:
I never understand rotation.
Stick worn tyres on the back, tyres are still going to wear at the same speed. In fact, if your car is anything like mine, the rear tyres hardly wear. What would you rather do, buy four tyres every two years or two tyres?
And the whole skidding thing makes no sense. I though most cars shifted the brake balance according to weight anyhow and have ABS as standard.
I always prefer better tyres at the front to give me more traction for steering in the wet.
But I think its personal preference.
Rotate if you want all your tires to wear out at the same time. That's useful with older tire styles that they no longer manufacture or if you like to try new complete sets of tires.
Yes, as I posted. I've never had problems with the rear breaking free, always with the most worn tires on the rear, even on FWD cars with
60/40 f/r distribution. Even when I used to take some corners very hard and the rear drifted, I sure wanted the front was held down firm. Oversteer is easy to deal with - understeer is a problem.MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.