Discussion
Recently had a tyre replaced due to it running down low 2.9mm.
I now have
Front Passenger: 6mm
Front Driver: 5mm
Rear Passenger: 7mm ( new tyre )
Rear Driver: 4mm
Would it be worth rotating the Rear Passenger with the Front driver ? So I have 6mm and 7mm at the front, then 4mm and 5mm at the back to reduce the difference in tyre tread on each axle. ? Or would it not make much difference ? I read online that as long as the difference is no more than 3mm then it's fine
I now have
Front Passenger: 6mm
Front Driver: 5mm
Rear Passenger: 7mm ( new tyre )
Rear Driver: 4mm
Would it be worth rotating the Rear Passenger with the Front driver ? So I have 6mm and 7mm at the front, then 4mm and 5mm at the back to reduce the difference in tyre tread on each axle. ? Or would it not make much difference ? I read online that as long as the difference is no more than 3mm then it's fine
Front Passenger: 6mm - to rear driver
Front Driver: 5mm - to front passenger
Rear Passenger: 7mm ( new tyre )
Rear Driver: 4mm - to front driver
This in my opinion is the best set up. More tread on the rear, and on the left. Good for wet roundabouts and will even out wear
This assumes you can swap your wheels/tyres easily. If it's too much of a faff leave them be, it won't make that much difference as they all have fair life left.
Front Driver: 5mm - to front passenger
Rear Passenger: 7mm ( new tyre )
Rear Driver: 4mm - to front driver
This in my opinion is the best set up. More tread on the rear, and on the left. Good for wet roundabouts and will even out wear
This assumes you can swap your wheels/tyres easily. If it's too much of a faff leave them be, it won't make that much difference as they all have fair life left.
E-bmw said:
Unless you are in a car with a staggered set up, which will kill you on the first corner when you only needed to replace the fronts.
I had to sign a waiver before Costco would allow me to drive away with new front tyres after I stopped them putting the wider rears on the front.In the car’s (Merc C Class) handbook it said if you’re only buying two tyres then MB’s ESP is so good that they’d be best on front so you get benefit from improved steering and front wheel braking.
OP - which car is it? You mentioning 3mm has me wondering if it’s got AWD?
Sheepshanks said:
I had to sign a waiver before Costco would allow me to drive away with new front tyres after I stopped them putting the wider rears on the front.
In the car’s (Merc C Class) handbook it said if you’re only buying two tyres then MB’s ESP is so good that they’d be best on front so you get benefit from improved steering and front wheel braking.
OP - which car is it? You mentioning 3mm has me wondering if it’s got AWD?
I had to sign a waiver when I had new tyres fitted on my old e39 BMW 535i. Although it had the V8 it was SE spec so no staggered wheel setup. The tyre place were certain that all V8 e39s had a staggered setup and not to was a modification and therefore unsafe. In the car’s (Merc C Class) handbook it said if you’re only buying two tyres then MB’s ESP is so good that they’d be best on front so you get benefit from improved steering and front wheel braking.
OP - which car is it? You mentioning 3mm has me wondering if it’s got AWD?
From another thread:
MakaveliX said:
Got a MK2 Yaris 08
Pebbles167 said:
Front Passenger: 6mm - to rear driver
Front Driver: 5mm - to front passenger
Rear Passenger: 7mm ( new tyre )
Rear Driver: 4mm - to front driver
This in my opinion is the best set up. More tread on the rear, and on the left. Good for wet roundabouts and will even out wear
I'm interested in your comment about more tread on the left for wet roundabouts. Are you saying this because driving anti-clockwise transfers weight to the left and therefore you should have the greatest tread depth on the left? I'm just wondering whether the right, which will have weight transferred away from it and therefore already has less grip and ability to cut through surface water would benefit from the extra tread?Front Driver: 5mm - to front passenger
Rear Passenger: 7mm ( new tyre )
Rear Driver: 4mm - to front driver
This in my opinion is the best set up. More tread on the rear, and on the left. Good for wet roundabouts and will even out wear
Edited by trevalvole on Saturday 18th June 17:33
It's a Yaris SR MK2, so nothing particularly fast but it handles and drives really well.
I'm doing some research before considering getting the tyres rotated to 6mm and 7mm at the front, and 4mm and 5mm at the back.
As my car is front wheel, having 3mm difference between the back two, is it dangerous at all ? Kwik Fit's website say 3mm difference maximum is ideal.
I understand it can affect handling if on the front due to it pulling to one side etc. But as they're on the back then I'd assume it's ok
Tracking has been done recently
Thanks
I'm doing some research before considering getting the tyres rotated to 6mm and 7mm at the front, and 4mm and 5mm at the back.
As my car is front wheel, having 3mm difference between the back two, is it dangerous at all ? Kwik Fit's website say 3mm difference maximum is ideal.
I understand it can affect handling if on the front due to it pulling to one side etc. But as they're on the back then I'd assume it's ok
Tracking has been done recently
Thanks
Edited by MakaveliX on Saturday 18th June 17:58
You seem to be over thinking this.
Leaving your tyres as they are will be fine.
Better to put the 4mm and 5mm tyres on one axle and the 6mm and 7mm tyres on the other axle.
Most tyre manufacturers recommend fitting newer tyres in the rear. If you wish to have the tyres with more tread on the front then that will be fine.
(I assume your tyres are all the same type)
Leaving your tyres as they are will be fine.
Better to put the 4mm and 5mm tyres on one axle and the 6mm and 7mm tyres on the other axle.
Most tyre manufacturers recommend fitting newer tyres in the rear. If you wish to have the tyres with more tread on the front then that will be fine.
(I assume your tyres are all the same type)
MakaveliX said:
It's a Yaris SR MK2, so nothing particularly fast but it handles and drives really well.
I'm doing some research before considering getting the tyres rotated to 6mm and 7mm at the front, and 4mm and 5mm at the back.
If you drive at speed around a fast, wet, bend the car is always trying to slip sideways. The issue with having the most worn tyres on the back is that, if the back end lets go (called oversteeer) at speed you'll never catch it and you'll crash (probably). I live in a semi-rural area and it's reckoned this is often the cause of single vehicle accidents that happen around here - and usually it's young lads in hatchbacks.I'm doing some research before considering getting the tyres rotated to 6mm and 7mm at the front, and 4mm and 5mm at the back.
If the most worn tyres are on the front then the car understeers and tends to try and go straight on - it's not so sudden and you notice it through the steering wheel, so you back off and usually everything is OK.
"Modern" cars with stability control can mostly sort themselves out, although in extreme circumstances they can't overcome the laws of physics.
Having said all that it's kind of traditional for people to put the best tyres on the front - just be aware of the limitations. Be especially cautious if other people drive the car.
Dont swap left to right, once a tyre has been subject to load you can get some handling issues changing their rotation direction, even when using none directional tyres.
Front left tends to wear quickest in the UK unless you have a RWD car with decent torque.
Swapping F/R regularly will even out the wear (asuming same size at both ends), but you need to replace all 4 at the same time, so a bigger single cost moment.
Front left tends to wear quickest in the UK unless you have a RWD car with decent torque.
Swapping F/R regularly will even out the wear (asuming same size at both ends), but you need to replace all 4 at the same time, so a bigger single cost moment.
Sheepshanks said:
If you drive at speed around a fast, wet, bend the car is always trying to slip sideways. The issue with having the most worn tyres on the back is that, if the back end lets go (called oversteeer) at speed you'll never catch it and you'll crash (probably). I live in a semi-rural area and it's reckoned this is often the cause of single vehicle accidents that happen around here - and usually it's young lads in hatchbacks.
If the most worn tyres are on the front then the car understeers and tends to try and go straight on - it's not so sudden and you notice it through the steering wheel, so you back off and usually everything is OK.
"Modern" cars with stability control can mostly sort themselves out, although in extreme circumstances they can't overcome the laws of physics.
Having said all that it's kind of traditional for people to put the best tyres on the front - just be aware of the limitations. Be especially cautious if other people drive the car.
Deepest tread should be on the front, it does more work in the wet, the rear tyre runs on a much drier surface due to the front clearing the water off the road.If the most worn tyres are on the front then the car understeers and tends to try and go straight on - it's not so sudden and you notice it through the steering wheel, so you back off and usually everything is OK.
"Modern" cars with stability control can mostly sort themselves out, although in extreme circumstances they can't overcome the laws of physics.
Having said all that it's kind of traditional for people to put the best tyres on the front - just be aware of the limitations. Be especially cautious if other people drive the car.
On a 6 wheel Tyrrell F1 car you can run a wet on the front front and a slick on the front rear and pickup grip.
jsf said:
Deepest tread should be on the front, it does more work in the wet, the rear tyre runs on a much drier surface due to the front clearing the water off the road.
Nope. Do whatever you like, but it's not right. Main issue, like I said, is fast wet bends - so your argument doesn't apply as the tyres aren't on the same line.Watch the tons of YouTube videos that demonstate this. If you've got brand new tyres on the front and half-worn on the back, it can be worse than having four half-worn tyres as the natural sideways forces become unbalanced.
E-bmw said:
I personally would be going with what you thought OP.
Agreed, likely to wear all 4 down about the same so can have a new set all round when the time comes.As for the standard one size fits all newer tyres must go on the rear, that assumes all cars and all drivers are also one size fits all, it also fails to take into consideration that at speed the rear tyres are travelling through a patch of road that had already been cleared of excess water by the front tyres so despite on most FWD cars the rear of the car being lighter they have less water to clear anyway.
As for a front wheel skid being more easy to control as somoone said, really?
My own method of tyre replacement (always rotate so buy sets of 4) if i was replacing 2 is to fit new to the drive axle.
Scrump said:
You seem to be over thinking this.
Leaving your tyres as they are will be fine.
Better to put the 4mm and 5mm tyres on one axle and the 6mm and 7mm tyres on the other axle.
Most tyre manufacturers recommend fitting newer tyres in the rear. If you wish to have the tyres with more tread on the front then that will be fine.
(I assume your tyres are all the same type)
Is this to get even wear or for safety and handling ?Leaving your tyres as they are will be fine.
Better to put the 4mm and 5mm tyres on one axle and the 6mm and 7mm tyres on the other axle.
Most tyre manufacturers recommend fitting newer tyres in the rear. If you wish to have the tyres with more tread on the front then that will be fine.
(I assume your tyres are all the same type)
Yes they're all the same model and manufacturer.
Come to think about it, I've got plenty of tread all round and don't want mechanics constantly messing with the car so I'll leave it.
Edited by MakaveliX on Monday 20th June 18:25
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