My aftermarket wheels and tires have slightly varying tread depths, max is a 2 32/2 difference. With that said two tires are at 7, one is at 8, one is at 6. How would you place them on the car? The two tires with the same tread depth on the front and the others on the rear?
Lets talk tread depth for a moment
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Put the two least worn tires - the 8 and the best 7 - on the drive axle.
They should wear out faster than the other two.
You should then rotate them again when you have two pairs of matched tread depth tires.
They should wear out faster than the other two.
You should then rotate them again when you have two pairs of matched tread depth tires.
Originally Posted By: CharlieBauer
Put the two least worn tires - the 8 and the best 7 - on the drive axle.
They should wear out faster than the other two.
You should then rotate them again when you have two pairs of matched tread depth tires.
yep this is what I would do
Put the two least worn tires - the 8 and the best 7 - on the drive axle.
They should wear out faster than the other two.
You should then rotate them again when you have two pairs of matched tread depth tires.
yep this is what I would do
Hopefully you do not have an symetric AWD vehicle.
Nope. Just a Honda
most auto and tire experts will recommend that you put the two best tires on the rear of the car, regardless of the location of the drive axle. I know that this is counter-intuitive, but the theory is that (especially in low traction situations) the average driver can better handle under-steer than over-steer. I have heard this multiple times from multiple sources - most recently was a week ago at a teen driving school run by BMW Club, the Tire Rack, and BF Goodrich.
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
most auto and tire experts will recommend that you put the two best tires on the rear of the car, regardless of the location of the drive axle. I know that this is counter-intuitive, but the theory is that (especially in low traction situations) the average driver can better handle under-steer than over-steer. I have heard this multiple times from multiple sources - most recently was a week ago at a teen driving school run by BMW Club, the Tire Rack, and BF Goodrich.
Yes it's standard advice when installing two new tires.
But it can't possibly be a permanent requirement, otherwise it would that mean you cease doing full rotations any time the rear tires have more tread than the front.
And since fwd cars are always going to wear out front tires faster than rears, that rule / idea also implies a fwd car with four new tires should never have a tire rotation!
most auto and tire experts will recommend that you put the two best tires on the rear of the car, regardless of the location of the drive axle. I know that this is counter-intuitive, but the theory is that (especially in low traction situations) the average driver can better handle under-steer than over-steer. I have heard this multiple times from multiple sources - most recently was a week ago at a teen driving school run by BMW Club, the Tire Rack, and BF Goodrich.
Yes it's standard advice when installing two new tires.
But it can't possibly be a permanent requirement, otherwise it would that mean you cease doing full rotations any time the rear tires have more tread than the front.
And since fwd cars are always going to wear out front tires faster than rears, that rule / idea also implies a fwd car with four new tires should never have a tire rotation!
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
most auto and tire experts will recommend that you put the two best tires on the rear of the car, regardless of the location of the drive axle. I know that this is counter-intuitive, but the theory is that (especially in low traction situations) the average driver can better handle under-steer than over-steer. I have heard this multiple times from multiple sources - most recently was a week ago at a teen driving school run by BMW Club, the Tire Rack, and BF Goodrich.
Yes that's the "official line". But as long as none of them are bald it doesn't make much difference.
Putting the 8/32 tires on drive wheels is fastest way for the OP to make all tires even. Then he can start rotating them normally.
most auto and tire experts will recommend that you put the two best tires on the rear of the car, regardless of the location of the drive axle. I know that this is counter-intuitive, but the theory is that (especially in low traction situations) the average driver can better handle under-steer than over-steer. I have heard this multiple times from multiple sources - most recently was a week ago at a teen driving school run by BMW Club, the Tire Rack, and BF Goodrich.
Yes that's the "official line". But as long as none of them are bald it doesn't make much difference.
Putting the 8/32 tires on drive wheels is fastest way for the OP to make all tires even. Then he can start rotating them normally.
ok - full disclosure - my car has the tires with the deepest tread depth on the front (FWD) - so that I can wear them down to match...
Here's what the tire industry says through their RMA (Rubber Manufacturers Association) publication: Care and Service of Passenger
and Light Truck (LT) Tires
Replacing Less Than Four Tires
When replacing tires on a vehicle, it is recommended and preferred that all four tires be replaced at the same time for continued optimal vehicle performance. However, for those cases where this is not feasible, below are some general guidelines to consider when replacing less than four tires for a light vehicle, whether it is one or two tires.
When a pair of replacement tires is selected in the same size and construction as those on the vehicle, the two newer tires should be installed on the rear axle. Generally, new tires with deeper tread will provide better grip and evacuate water more effectively, which is important as a driver approaches hydroplaning situations. Placing greater traction on the rear axle on wet surfaces is necessary to prevent a possible oversteer condition and loss of vehicle stability.
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Here's where to get the whole publication. It's free and you can download it:
RMA: Care and Service of Passenger ans Light Truck Tires
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For those of you who know me, it shouldn't be a surprise when I say I worked on that part of the manual. There was a lot of discussion about what to say and how to say it.
One of the things that came up was about what guidelines we should give for a difference in tread depth. Michelin volunteered to do a study and they found that tires less than 1/32 of a inch difference essentially behaved the same. The committee decided not to put that in as the verbiage was too long as it was - that the important part was what happens when new tires replaced old.
So in this case, we are talking about 2/32nds difference and that's not much - so the idea of putting the deepest tires on the front of a FWD in order to wear the front down to the level of the rears is a good idea. That should only take a few thousand miles.
and Light Truck (LT) Tires
Replacing Less Than Four Tires
When replacing tires on a vehicle, it is recommended and preferred that all four tires be replaced at the same time for continued optimal vehicle performance. However, for those cases where this is not feasible, below are some general guidelines to consider when replacing less than four tires for a light vehicle, whether it is one or two tires.
When a pair of replacement tires is selected in the same size and construction as those on the vehicle, the two newer tires should be installed on the rear axle. Generally, new tires with deeper tread will provide better grip and evacuate water more effectively, which is important as a driver approaches hydroplaning situations. Placing greater traction on the rear axle on wet surfaces is necessary to prevent a possible oversteer condition and loss of vehicle stability.
************************
Here's where to get the whole publication. It's free and you can download it:
RMA: Care and Service of Passenger ans Light Truck Tires
***************************
For those of you who know me, it shouldn't be a surprise when I say I worked on that part of the manual. There was a lot of discussion about what to say and how to say it.
One of the things that came up was about what guidelines we should give for a difference in tread depth. Michelin volunteered to do a study and they found that tires less than 1/32 of a inch difference essentially behaved the same. The committee decided not to put that in as the verbiage was too long as it was - that the important part was what happens when new tires replaced old.
So in this case, we are talking about 2/32nds difference and that's not much - so the idea of putting the deepest tires on the front of a FWD in order to wear the front down to the level of the rears is a good idea. That should only take a few thousand miles.
Thank you for the link CapriRacer!
I agree with most of the RMA guidelines, however it is filled with a lot of "recommended, preferred, should, and musts" that you have to sort through with common sense. Not everything they say is necessarily "required", even in regards to differences in tread depth, etc. After all it is called a "guide" which doesn't make it a mandatory law in some instances, I think?
On a FWD, if the tires are with in a couple 32/2 then the ones with least amount of wear should on on the front. That is my common sense talking. Other wise how will you ever get all 4 tires to wear evenly?
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