Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Originally Posted By: supton
I do not believe tread depth is correlated to blowout. Blowouts come from tire damage, or running a tire with too little air or too much load, causing it to heat up excessively (which is really another form of damaging the tire). Handling issues from lack of tread is something else entirely.
Totally agree with this.
I just can't understand how this issue keeps coming up. The whole idea of putting new tires on the rear of the car is based on faulty reasoning. If you haven't tested your theory on the road, then you don't know what you are talking about.
I Just read the Tire-rack article referenced in the link above. Backward logic, take a circumstance, create a theory of what happened, and work backward until you find a good sounding explanation, then claim it as a proof.
Some years ago Michelin Tire company created a video about the issue. They used 2 bald tires, first on the front, then on the back. They then drove around a test track that had been wet down and preceded to "prove" the theory. They drove "too fast for conditions" and of course the car spun out. See? Theory proved! The whole thing was bogus. Total propaganda.
They could have put 1, 2, 3, or 4 bald tires on that car and lapped that track all day long and not spun out, "if they had driven according to conditions."
The issue here is the condition of the tires, not the circumstances of the road/traffic/weather/competence of the driver/or anything else.
I have been driving for over 60 years, I have driven in 38 states, 3 Canadian Providences and northern Mexico. I have driven in deserts, mountains, race tracks, both dirt and asphalt, extreme heat and cold.
I actually have did my own tire testing while teaching my sons how to drive.
I have always put new tires on the front and I always make sure that all my tires are safe to drive with.
Back in the day, there were no laws governing the condition of tires. Now there are and for the most part they are reasonable. If your tires are legal, it may not matter which end you put new tires on. In general, when replacing just 2 tires, they should be put where the wear is greatest.
This usually will be the front. There may be reasons for doing otherwise, but in general........ Ideally tires will be rotated at regular intervals so that wear will be even and all 4 tires will be replaced at the same time. Life is seldom ideal and stuff happens. We've all been there one time or another. YMMV
Wayne
There are a lot of people that do not drive according to conditions. I rode with someone that was going 75 (in a 65) in heavy rain because that's how fast traffic was going. Their car had bald tires ... literally BALD to the point they wore the wear bars off!
I ended up telling to slow down the *expletive* *expletive* car before we both end up dead.
It's pretty common. The only time people attempt to slow down is in the snow. Even then, the first snow storm always gets a few people that do not remember to slow down.
I always put the more worn tire on the rear of my front driver, same on my Cherokee. My tires are all pretty close and a matching set. Keeps treadwear pretty even.
I do run my summer tires pretty close to the 2/32'' limit. They don't have to perform in the snow and I always drive easy in the rain.