where to put New tires?

#1

I went to Firestone to have my rear tires replaced on my all wheel drive SUV
and the
mechanic disagreed with me when I told him to take the front tires off and
put them in the back
and put the New tires on the front of the car. I thought this was common
practice.
I ended up buying 4 brand new tires, but I was wondering if I was wrong and
what the reasoning is behind putting
New tires in the rear.

#2

It actually shouldn’t matter as long as all the tire heights are the
same.

Cheers

"don" <don (AT) panix (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

I went to Firestone to have my rear tires replaced on my all wheel
drive SUV and the
mechanic disagreed with me when I told him to take the front tires off
and put them in the back
and put the New tires on the front of the car. I thought this was
common practice.
I ended up buying 4 brand new tires, but I was wondering if I was
wrong and what the reasoning is behind putting
New tires in the rear.

#3

"don" <don (AT) panix (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

I went to Firestone to have my rear tires replaced on my all wheel drive
SUV and the
mechanic disagreed with me when I told him to take the front tires off and
put them in the back
and put the New tires on the front of the car. I thought this was common
practice.
I ended up buying 4 brand new tires, but I was wondering if I was wrong
and what the reasoning is behind putting
New tires in the rear.

On any SUV, 99% + of the time the power is going to the rear wheels and this
is where the majority of tire wear will occur. I've been driving 4wd trucks
and SUV's (as they are now called) for over 40 years and I've never seen
one yet that wore the fronts out first. Ever.

#4

In rain, tread will effect traction.
Who cares in the dry. It is in the wet you want the best traction.

"don" <don (AT) panix (DOT) com> wrote

Quote:

I went to Firestone to have my rear tires replaced on my all wheel drive
SUV and the
mechanic disagreed with me when I told him to take the front tires off and
put them in the back
and put the New tires on the front of the car. I thought this was common
practice.
I ended up buying 4 brand new tires, but I was wondering if I was wrong
and what the reasoning is behind putting
New tires in the rear.

#5

"Bill" <bargerw (AT) bellsouth (DOT) net> wrote

Quote:

In rain, tread will effect traction.
Who cares in the dry. It is in the wet you want the best traction.

You a surely joking....but I sadly supect not.

#6

don wrote:

Quote:

I went to Firestone to have my rear tires replaced on my all wheel drive SUV
and the
mechanic disagreed with me when I told him to take the front tires off and
put them in the back
and put the New tires on the front of the car. I thought this was common
practice.
I ended up buying 4 brand new tires, but I was wondering if I was wrong and
what the reasoning is behind putting
New tires in the rear.

What does your vehicle's owner's manual say about mixing new and used

tires on an AWD model ??

*Most* AWD units will be damaged by mixing the two. The mismatch in
tire diameters causes the AWD unit to be overworked. There may be a
few types of AWD that may withstand such mismatch, so consult the
manufacturer. (the variations by model are endless !)

New on front or rear, etc makes no difference re AWD unit damage.
IIRC, the old rule of thumb was new on front for best braking &
steering action. YMMV.

#7

On Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:07:24 -0500, "don" <don (AT) panix (DOT) com> backed into
a tree whilst ridin inna park then wrote:

Quote:

I went to Firestone to have my rear tires replaced on my all wheel drive SUV
and the
mechanic disagreed with me when I told him to take the front tires off and
put them in the back
and put the New tires on the front of the car. I thought this was common
practice.
I ended up buying 4 brand new tires, but I was wondering if I was wrong and
what the reasoning is behind putting
New tires in the rear.

If you have ever had a blowout in the rear at hwy speeds you would

always put the new/better tires in the rear. It's damn hard to
control the rear blowout walking you across 3 lanes while you havve a
little more control if a front blows out.

Dan

#8

Quote:

If you have ever had a blowout in the rear at hwy speeds you would
always put the new/better tires in the rear. It's damn hard to
control the rear blowout walking you across 3 lanes while you havve a
little more control if a front blows out.

Dan

I would much rather have a rear blowout simply because in the front I would
loose steering ability.........

#9

On Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:19:54 -0500, "don" <don (AT) panix (DOT) com> backed into
a tree whilst ridin inna park then wrote:

Quote:

If you have ever had a blowout in the rear at hwy speeds you would
always put the new/better tires in the rear. It's damn hard to
control the rear blowout walking you across 3 lanes while you havve a
little more control if a front blows out.

Dan

I would much rather have a rear blowout simply because in the front I would
loose steering ability.........

I have had both front and rear. Believe me, you have more control
with a front than a rear. Somehow, I don't think you have had the
expeience of either.
Good luck, it appears you're going to need it.