For a FWD car, if you replace just two tires, should the new tires be mounted on the front axle or rear?
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thescreensavers
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JulesMaximus
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Actually, you should put them on the rear. Newer tires should always go on the rear to prevent oversteer.
Just curious, how worn are the tires you aren't replacing?
Just curious, how worn are the tires you aren't replacing?
You might get a better driving feel and experience if you put them in the front, but for overall safety you want to put them in the back.
JulesMaximus
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Except, of course, when the rear end decides to swap ends with the front because you lost traction back there first...:roll:
I can't believe the idiocy in this thread...
GAAA.
Stop with the YACT misinformation. We can stop it. So can you. If we band together and rigorously spear every misinformed post out there we can make a difference.
Let's make this a pact for ATOT. Spear and shoot down misinformation in car threads.
Join the "stop YACT misinformation team". With the force of Vic and some of the mechanics here we can end it. Roger is mocking us right now.
Just think of the children.
JulesMaximus
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Originally posted by: spidey07
Join the "stop YACT misinformation team". With the force of Vic and some of the mechanics here we can end it. Roger is mocking us right now.
Just think of the children.
Hey, I'm trying!!! :thumbsup:
I miss Roger...
Originally posted by: spidey07
Join the "stop YACT misinformation team". With the force of Vic and some of the mechanics here we can end it. Roger is mocking us right now.
Just think of the children.
the point is that in a FWD vehicle, control is achieved far easier in the front of the car than in the rear, so have as much traction in the back because losing traction in the rear is far worse than losing traction in the front.
Sphexi
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FWD cars are very front heavy, most cars are actually. If you start to slip on ice, if you let up off the gas/brakes the car will naturally straighten out, as long as you have traction in the front. I've driven in the NE for years, on FWD and RWD vehicles, if you have crappy traction in the front you won't be able to stop, go forward, or steer properly, no matter how awesome the back end sticks to the ground.
XZeroII
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That has been my experience too, living in Wisconsin. I've never had my back end slide around unless I was intentionally trying to fishtail on snow or ice. If you have no grip in the front, you don't go anywhere and when you try to turn you just keep going straight. I'm talking about Winter here. This is based on real life experience.
Sphexi
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My first car was a '90 Buick Skylark, thing was heavy as hell, especially in the front. I TRIED to get it to fishtail with my friends on a parking lot covered with ice, it would always straighten back out again. The only vehicle I ever bothered putting good tires on the back was a RWD truck I had, because the bald tires would just spin on ice/snow/rain and I wouldn't move.
JulesMaximus
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Yeah, I'm sure Michelin, one of the largest tire manufacturing companies in the world, has it all wrong and that you are correct. :roll:
XZeroII
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http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/WinterDriving/#tires
If you really have to drive in the snow.
That is, if you can't call in sick or tell the boss you'll be in later. If you live in an area where it snows a fair amount, you should get four good snow tires. Nothing will make a bigger difference. Because it's such a pain to get your snow tires remounted and balanced every year, splurge and get yourself four steel rims and mount the snows permanently on those rims. That'll make the changeover in the fall and spring a snap. By the way, lots of tire shops will offer to store your regular tires over the winter and then store your snow tires in the summer. This is a great deal. The only potential problem is that when they file a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they'll have four of your tires in their basement, so you'll have to break in and retrieve them.
If you absolutely can't afford four snow tires, two new snow tires will be better than whatever you have on your car now. Mount them on the wheels that are driven by the engine. For all-wheel-drive cars, you really should use four snows.
One question we get asked frequently is, "If I have a front-wheel-drive or an all-wheel-drive car, do I need to have snow tires?" The answer is, if you really need to drive in the snow, yes. If you really, truly need to get around before the streets are plowed, four top-quality snow tires are the single best thing you can do. And the reason you'd still want them on a car with decent traction is because they not only help get you started, they also increase your traction when you're braking and turning.
If you really have to drive in the snow.
That is, if you can't call in sick or tell the boss you'll be in later. If you live in an area where it snows a fair amount, you should get four good snow tires. Nothing will make a bigger difference. Because it's such a pain to get your snow tires remounted and balanced every year, splurge and get yourself four steel rims and mount the snows permanently on those rims. That'll make the changeover in the fall and spring a snap. By the way, lots of tire shops will offer to store your regular tires over the winter and then store your snow tires in the summer. This is a great deal. The only potential problem is that when they file a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they'll have four of your tires in their basement, so you'll have to break in and retrieve them.
If you absolutely can't afford four snow tires, two new snow tires will be better than whatever you have on your car now. Mount them on the wheels that are driven by the engine. For all-wheel-drive cars, you really should use four snows.
One question we get asked frequently is, "If I have a front-wheel-drive or an all-wheel-drive car, do I need to have snow tires?" The answer is, if you really need to drive in the snow, yes. If you really, truly need to get around before the streets are plowed, four top-quality snow tires are the single best thing you can do. And the reason you'd still want them on a car with decent traction is because they not only help get you started, they also increase your traction when you're braking and turning.
Yup. I live in Alaska.... and I'd never consider driving without quality snow tires. EVAR. Speaking of which... it's about time to but them suckers on again. yay for snow!
1 I live in Michigan, drive a FWD and I have 4 snows for winter. It will run circles around an awd on all seasons, hands down. The difference on snowy/slushy roads is amazing.
2 Get 4 new tires not 2
3 If you get only two, for god sakes put the new ones in the back. Understeer is a much safer situation than oversteer for normal drivers. By normal I mean everyone not on the WRC circuit. I have personal experience with this. The GF cut down a front tire on her Aurora and they put 2 new tires on the front in the middle of winter. Before I had them switched, I would take the car to a large parking lot and have a good time just turning the wheel and doing some wicked 180s in it on slick frozen asphalt, but it's not a condition you want on the road. I could whip the tail out on every 90 degree turn in town on that that thing with ease with the tires in that horrible configuration.
edit: I forgot to mention teh tray sliding videos - you know, where the kids put the plastic McDonald's trays under the rear tires of a fwd car and do some nice doughnuts. I could basically do that on the frozen parking lot in the aurora with the old tires in the back - except with little throttle. Just turn the wheel and watch it go around. link in case by some slim chance noone has ever seen it before
2 Get 4 new tires not 2
3 If you get only two, for god sakes put the new ones in the back. Understeer is a much safer situation than oversteer for normal drivers. By normal I mean everyone not on the WRC circuit. I have personal experience with this. The GF cut down a front tire on her Aurora and they put 2 new tires on the front in the middle of winter. Before I had them switched, I would take the car to a large parking lot and have a good time just turning the wheel and doing some wicked 180s in it on slick frozen asphalt, but it's not a condition you want on the road. I could whip the tail out on every 90 degree turn in town on that that thing with ease with the tires in that horrible configuration.
edit: I forgot to mention teh tray sliding videos - you know, where the kids put the plastic McDonald's trays under the rear tires of a fwd car and do some nice doughnuts. I could basically do that on the frozen parking lot in the aurora with the old tires in the back - except with little throttle. Just turn the wheel and watch it go around. link in case by some slim chance noone has ever seen it before
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