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Where should the "better" tires be on my front wheel drive car?

N

nebula

Golden Member
I have a '99 Cavalier Z24. My front tires are almost gone, but the backs are still decent. When I went on vacation, I asked my FIL if he could take it in to get the tires rotated. My thought, put the better tires on the front, let them wear, then replace all four. Especially, since my front wheels have started chirping around the cloverleaf! Well, they told him that they wouldn't rotate them b/c the better tires should be on the back. After I thought about this for a little bit, this seems completely wrong to me for a front wheel drive car for these reasons:

1) They say if you are sliding with a FWD car, you should step on the gas to pull yourself out of it, i.e. need better traction for that
2) All your stopping power is on the front wheels
3) If you have a blowout on the front, it's harder to control
4) Those are the drive wheels
5) The car will hold corners better

Growing up, I knew my share about cars, am I that much out of it now or was that guy wrong? I would say his statement was more correct for a RWD car.
 
Originally posted by: nebula
I have a '99 Cavalier Z24. My front tires are almost gone, but the backs are still decent. When I went on vacation, I asked my FIL if he could take it in to get the tires rotated. My thought, put the better tires on the front, let them wear, then replace all four. Especially, since my front wheels have started chirping around the cloverleaf! Well, they told him that they wouldn't rotate them b/c the better tires should be on the back. After I thought about this for a little bit, this seems completely wrong to me for a front wheel drive car for these reasons:

1) They say if you are sliding with a FWD car, you should step on the gas to pull yourself out of it, i.e. need better traction for that
2) All your stopping power is on the front wheels
3) If you have a blowout on the front, it's harder to control
4) Those are the drive wheels
5) The car will hold corners better

Growing up, I knew my share about cars, am I that much out of it now or was that guy wrong? I would say his statement was more correct for a RWD car.
Click to expand...

Yea whoever told you that is an idiot.

I would understand the giving gas to pull yourself out of the corner on a rwd butif you give it more gas on a FWD, it looks like the guard rails all the way.

Also since your car is FWD, it's apparent your front wheels will wear faster.

Rotate the rears to the front.
I rotated my familys minivan tires last week because it had a lot of wear on the front tires.

 
It's up for debate. If you're a good driver. And by good I mean skilled, not just careful. Put them in the front. If you're not really good put them in the rear. The worn tires being in the rear will increase the tendancy of the car to oversteer, which for most people is a major problem, so the general reccomendation is to have the better tires in the rear so the car will understeer first. If you can handle oversteer, then there's no problem with the good tires being at the front.
 
Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
It's up for debate. If you're a good driver. And by good I mean skilled, not just careful. Put them in the front. If you're not really good put them in the rear. The worn tires being in the rear will increase the tendancy of the car to oversteer, which for most people is a major problem, so the general reccomendation is to have the better tires in the rear so the car will understeer first. If you can handle oversteer, then there's no problem with the good tires being at the front.
Click to expand...

Would it also oversteer even if it's fwd ?
 
I say front is a much better idea for a front wheel drive car....my fronts are very worn nearing replacement time and my rears are not too bad....I am gonna buy some new front tyres and I reckon the wear will mean all 4 will need replacing early 2005.
 
Originally posted by: isekii
I would understand the giving gas to pull yourself out of the corner on a rwd butif you give it more gas on a FWD, it looks like the guard rails all the way.

Also since your car is FWD, it's apparent your front wheels will wear faster.

Rotate the rears to the front.
I rotated my familys minivan tires last week because it had a lot of wear on the front tires.
Click to expand...

When I migrated from a RWD to a FWD, someone told me if you're sliding around a corner(think snow packed road) giving gas will stop the slide. I tried this many times b/c I didn't believe it either. Grew up in a small town, could get away with this crap! Anyway, I think if you're sliding towards the "guard rails" or whatever, then gunning it slows the slide towards the thing you dont want and starts to pull you somewhat forwards again. With a RWD, the @ss end kicks out even more, oooh the fun!

Now, I just need to find someone who will rotate them, I don't have the jacks or anything anymore.
 
nebula: With RWD, it's a balencing act. Just punching it won't work. Hitting the brakes can cause the rear end to kick out as easily as hitting the gas. Especially in a light+torquey pickup.
 
All tire manufacturers recommend that the good tires go on the REAR, regardless of whether or not your car is FWD or RWD.
 
Unless I get to enthusiastic with acceleration, I find that my front tires wear out faster than my back tires on all my RWD cars. So I rotate them and then replace all four when the time comes.
 
Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
It's up for debate. If you're a good driver. And by good I mean skilled, not just careful. Put them in the front. If you're not really good put them in the rear. The worn tires being in the rear will increase the tendancy of the car to oversteer, which for most people is a major problem, so the general reccomendation is to have the better tires in the rear so the car will understeer first. If you can handle oversteer, then there's no problem with the good tires being at the front.
Click to expand...

Maybe the guy at the shop thought the car was his, he's 70, and thought it was better for him. How serious of an oversteer are we talking? I mean will the car jerk or just tend to drift more than needed? The thing that bugs me now is the squealing around the cloverleaf and I don't trust the stopping ability of my car right now. Also, if I over gas from a stop, it's pretty easy to "light 'em up", which I don't want, I want traction man!

Maybe instead of rotating them, I should just get new ones for the front now, and replace the rears maybe next summer. But sometimes you can get deals if buying four tires at once, correct?

EDIT: typos, grrrr
 
I think you just need new tires.

Edit: remember, all that slipping at the front will be at the rear, and it'll increase ALL tendancies for oversteer. Not just the potentially desireable ones.
 
Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
I think you just need new tires.

Edit: remember, all that slipping at the front will be at the rear, and it'll increase ALL tendancies for oversteer. Not just the potentially desireable ones.
Click to expand...

You're probably right, IIRC, they measured the fronts at 2/32", rears I don't recall. The fronts are probably trash, but I think the rears are good for some time yet, looking at them visually.

EDIT: It's not the cost, just don't want to through away good tires.
 
If you can put new tire on for your winter driving.

It has been my experience that most flats are on the rear, m/c or car.

The front flips it up, the rear picks it up. Just a consideration..
 
I believe this has been posted before. The suggested solution was to put the better tires in the back, however given that there probably isnt much of a difference between the actual grip levels between your various tires....any situation in which there is significant slip of the bad tires probably means you overcooked it anyways....where it really wouldn't ahve matter what tire you had there in the first place.
 
Total nonsense. The best tires should go on the front with FWD. Most of the weight is there, all the traction, and most of the braking stress. I don't see how it could be more obvious, especially if your driving in snow or rain alot.
 
You turn into the direction of the slide to stop the slide.

You trail brake to prevent losing control on a higher speed turn (technique used in autocrossing and should be for regular driving)...ie do not brake while turning.

Why don't you just spend the money and get 4 good tires instead?
 
Originally posted by: J0hnny
You turn into the direction of the slide to stop the slide.

You trail brake to prevent losing control on a higher speed turn (technique used in autocrossing and should be for regular driving)...ie do not brake while turning.

Why don't you just spend the money and get 4 good tires instead?
Click to expand...

I guess I'm thinking that the ones on the rear now are still good, at least till maybe next summer. Let's say they are, can you give me a reason why to get 4 new tires and throw away two semi-good ones? Maybe it's easier to do them all at once, maybe it doesn't matter...
 
My last couple of cars I've done a "6 tire cycle" where the drive wheels get replaced twice as often as the fronts. Never been a problem.
 
I would put better on front. Anyway, in the meantime switching it is called rotating the tires. If I bought new tires everytime the ones on the front of the maxima went low I'd be spending a ton of money.
 
Am I the only one that agree that worn tires go in the front? I have a FWD car as well and my worn tires are in front. As someone mentioned before, the reason for this is the oversteering. I bet 80% of the general driver population don't know how to handle oversteering. I mean it's not a common knowledge that accelerating actually help you control oversteering. When you lose control of your vehicle due to your car hydroplaning, I bet a lot of people will try to slow down. That would help you if you are understeering, but will make it worst if you are oversteering.
 
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