mx5cartalk.com

Got some Yoko C-Drives fitted to the rear today to replace some aging no names that came with the car. $155 each. I'm not sure that was an amazing price, but I do like the tyres.

On the front I left the 1.5 year old Yoko S306's, look pretty much as new. Generally an all weather tyre, paid $110 each I think. Had no issues with them, they stick well.

So the question is - do you fit your best to front or back? I usually fit to the front, but for whatever reason this time I wanted the nice new C's on the back... a mistake?

Depends on which end you want to hit the tree with first I guess

hahahaha

so you reckon i should flip em over? the current fronts are virtually new... ah crap i probably should.

On the front,
They have to do the steering and majority of the braking.

Hmm, though I'm mostly convinced fitting to the front is the best place for new tyres, theres sure alot of evidence to the contrary...

http://www.michelinman.com/tire-care/tire-saving-tips/replacement-questions/#5
If you’re replacing only two tires, be sure to have the new tires installed on your vehicle’s rear axle.
* When new tires are installed on the rear, it helps reduce the potential for your vehicle to fishtail or hydroplane in wet conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_rotation
Current thinking stresses the desirability of keeping the best tires on the rear wheels of the vehicle, whether it is front, or rear wheel drive. The reason for this is that if the rear wheels lose grip before the front ones, an oversteer condition will occur, which is harder to control than the corresponding understeer which will happen if a front wheel is lost.

http://www.tyresafe.org/news-and-events/detail/motorists-get-their-tyres--back-to-front--/
Britain’s foremost tyre safety organisation, has indicated that over 50% of motorists believe this to be the case and 30% of motorists did not know.
However, recent demonstrations have indicated that it is more beneficial to fit the new rubber to the rear wheels, regardless of whether the vehicle is front or rear wheel drive.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to/4243992.html
Why New Front Tires on Your Back Wheels Are a Good Idea...

---> Though in my only real "crash" I've had (after rain, ehh..), I went around a roundabout lazily, flicking the wheel back right, yet the front tyres kinda kept going straight forward, smashing into the gutter and blowing them - thus why the fronts are relatively new... I guess its right to say which end you want to hit the tree first.

why dont you buy another pair, fit them up and then keep the others as spares? having 4 equal tyres would be the best i'd think.

Never skimp on tyres, buy the best that you can afford.
If yours last 1.5 years, then calculate the value from that, so go and buy 4 new tyres.

No matter what car it is; acceleration, cornering, and stopping all comes down to how they contact the road.

1red5 wrote:Never skimp on tyres, buy the best that you can afford.

Best advice ever

solo22 wrote:Hmm, though I'm mostly convinced fitting to the front is the best place for new tyres, theres sure alot of evidence to the contrary...

the majority of drivers on the road are better suited in a car that tends to understeer rather than oversteer. this is why most cars (even RWD cars) are setup to understeer from the factory when pushed too hard. the natural instinct is to hit the brakes when you lose traction, and in an oversteer situation this will only make things worse.

i'm sure the majority of members on this forum would prefer their car setup to oversteer. many of us would intuitively counter steer and hopefully recover from unexpected situations.

It takes only a few minutes to swap all tyres front to rear, especially if you jack up all of one side at a time. Try it either way and see what you like.

It would be safer to put them on the rear, even in a FWD car. In a pinch people generally react better to understeer than oversteer.

If your a hoon though....put them on the front and you should be able to go faster except off the mark....Depends on your priorities.

Stu wrote:

1red5 wrote:Never skimp on tyres, buy the best that you can afford.

Best advice ever

QFT.

I find that I tend to wear rear tyres faster, so as long as they're both safe, I'll swap the better ones to the back every now and then to ensure even wear and get close to a full year out of a set

Cheers,
Alf

understeer is ghay and oversteer is fooli siK!

I like the worst tyres to be on the back so the ones I tend to skid are the worse ones, that way I don't feel so bad though that may just be a personal thing

I personally would much prefer to have oversteer then understeer, that may just be down to my driving style however I really think that understeer can be much more dangerous but I can understand that some people may react better to it then oversteer?