Different tread pattern on front and rear. Is this safe?

[MitchT]

I'm keeping an eye on E36 M3 Evos and have uncovered this which I rather like. However, I notice from the photos that the tread pattern of the front tyres is completely different to that of the rears. Surely that is going to upset the handling of the car, particularly in heavy rain... or am I talking rubbish?

[TheEnd]

No, it won't be a problem, if anything, i guess the best possible set up would probably have 2 different designs, one for steering, avoiding tramlining etc, and the rear having something a pattern for better grip.

[TomM]

Nothing to worry about, I have often had different rears to the fronts on RWD cars.

Different tyres on each side would put me off though.

[pits]

Wouldnt make much of a difference its mix and matching on the same axle which upsets the car, radial with V tread etc

[davepoth]

Unless the front and rear are drastically, drastically different (fronts being nankang ditchfinders and rears being cut slicks for example) It won't cause a problem.

[Justin-W]

Nothin wrong with that, as others said keep the tyres on each axle the same and don't use cheapies.
Fella I once met brought a lovely M3, changed the tyres for some cheapies and within a week he stacked it into a brick wall.

[OnTheOverrun]

Shouldn't be a problem unless the fronts are 888's and the rears are LingLong Teflon ditchfinders!

Personally I never mix tyres and have to have the same all round as I'm a bit OCD, but I wouldn't call mixing similar spec tyres unsafe.

[wildoliver]

As above not an issue at all. My old 911 had a wide variety of tyres fitted very rarely matching! You honestly could not tell a difference even on the ragged edge on track with odd tyres ACROSS axles!

However when selling cars or buying cars I am a big believer that matched tyres say a lot about how the car has been maintained, I would want to see matching tyres across axles at the least, ideally 4 matching gives me that nice warm fuzzy feeling!

[jamoor]

Just make sure the front tyres arent ditchfinders and you should be ok.

[chimera40]

wildoliver said:

As above not an issue at all. My old 911 had a wide variety of tyres fitted very rarely matching! You honestly could not tell a difference even on the ragged edge on track with odd tyres ACROSS axles!

However when selling cars or buying cars I am a big believer that matched tyres say a lot about how the car has been maintained, I would want to see matching tyres across axles at the least, ideally 4 matching gives me that nice warm fuzzy feeling!

Remind me never to buy a car off you then

[rottie102]

Gaz. said:

I'd be concerned that the tyres are different in construction, compound, load caperbility, how they react to temperature, stress etc.

Given the tyres are the only thing keeping you on the road it surprises me that people have such a blase attitude towards them.

My tyres shout at me when they're stressed, what do yours do?
So you would replace two perfectly good tyres on a newly bought second hand car (more than £100 each) because they don't match the other axle? You're more than welcome to give them to me, I'll risk my life driving on them.

[rottie102]

Gaz. said:

rottie102 said:

Gaz. said:

I'd be concerned that the tyres are different in construction, compound, load caperbility, how they react to temperature, stress etc.

Given the tyres are the only thing keeping you on the road it surprises me that people have such a blase attitude towards them.

My tyres shout at me when they're stressed, what do yours do?
So you would replace two perfectly good tyres on a newly bought second hand car (more than £100 each) because they don't match the other axle? You're more than welcome to give them to me, I'll risk my life driving on them.

I just wouldn't buy that car.

Because it had two different tyres?

[Pothole]

Gaz. said:

I'd be concerned that the tyres are different in construction, compound, load caperbility, how they react to temperature, stress etc.

Given the tyres are the only thing keeping you on the road it surprises me that people have such a blase attitude towards them.

you know enough about physics to be concerned, but not enough about the language you use to communicate with the world to spell capability..you'll be fine.

[MitchT]

Gaz. said:

I just wouldn't buy that car.

Problem is, totally standard E36 M3 Evos seem far and few between.

Gaz. said:

No becuase I'd wonder where else money has been saved.

That's a good point actually.

[rottie102]

MitchT said:

Gaz. said:

I just wouldn't buy that car.

Problem is, totally standard E36 M3 Evos seem far and few between.

Gaz. said:

No becuase I'd wonder where else money has been saved.

That's a good point actually.

Well, I'm inteligent enough to check receipts/service history and know enough about cars to know which one is a lemon not relying on what tyres the car is on. Especialy with powerful RWD car like M3. It's normal that you change rear tyres much more often than the front ones.

[MitchT]

M3s can throw up some pretty big bills so if I were actually going to buy it I'd have it thoroughly inspected by an expert and buy on its actual condition rather than receipts or service history. My main curiosity was regarding the effect of having a different tread pattern on the front and rear tyres and if it would give cause to drive with extra caution.

[HellDiver]

Depends - some cars don't work well with odd tyres. My Lancer was undriveable with Yokohamas on the front and Toyos on the back. Four Toyos on it, it's fine, and it was fine with 4 Yokos as well.