Question about changing tires.

Question

I was getting my front tires changed and the person said that the new tires must go in the back (he was going to put the old tires in the front). The stated reason was that it could lead to an accident if the new tires are in the front.

Can you explain how this can lead to an accident?

Answer 1

Dude's a dork. You put the new tires on the front... I would. It is easier to control a blowout on the rear than it is on the front.

Answer 2

Normally, you want your best tires on the front. The only reason I can think of not to would be if they are not the same size. That's not as common as it use to be.

Answer 3

It can't, you tire guy is a buffoon.

Not uncommon actually. Good help is hard to find.

Good luck!

EDIT: Some of these answers are amazing, tell some people a "study" was done and they throw all common sense out the window. I drive for a living, I also have done all the tire work on my fleet (2 big rigs 4 trailers 3 pickups and 2 cars) for the past 23 years. If all the tires on your car are in safe condition having the 2 best on the front is not a safety hazard! Having them on the rear is not a hazard either.

With all do respect to Walmart of coarse.........Duh.

Answer 4

Depends on a lot of factors, how old the tires are, tread depth and stuff like that. If it is a rear wheel drive and the new tires are on the front, in rainy weather the rear will be more likely to skid. If it is a front wheel drive, will not make much of a difference.

Answer 5

Since the front use is more install them on the front>Better have more tread forward than back>As the rear follow not turn>

Answer 6

Wow, I'm truly shocked.

Someone at the Wal-Mart tire counter that actually knows their stuff. While it may be new at Wal-Mart, my store has been following this policy for several years and we will not deviate from it - even if it means losing the tire sale.

This person is entirely, 100% correct. It has been scientifically proven that the tires with the best traction should be installed on the rear axle for the greatest possible safety, even on a FWD car. This is why all the major tire manufacturers, the Rubber Manufacturers Association and Tire Industry Associations official policy when replacing only 2 tires on a vehicle is to mount them on the rear axle. Michelin even has a 3-minute video on their web site which demonstrates why.

http://www.michelinman.com/tire-care/tir...

The issue is, if the front tires start to lose traction the driver tends to get a fair amount of warning and this condition is usually easy to correct and control. If the rear tires lose traction - say when going around a curve in the rain - the car is more likely to go into a snap spin which gives almost no warning and is nearly impossible to control.

At this point a lot of readers are going to say I'm full of c**p and new tires should be on the front on a FWD car especially because that is where the drive wheels and steering are and that is what we have always been told.

Nonsense.

The reason for years people put 2 new tires on the front was for wear since the fronts wear faster, and for acceleration in snow. Neither of those are safety issues. The rear tires don't just hold up the trunk. They are crucial for vehicle control and stability. If the rear tires lose traction a serious accident is not only likely, it is almost inevitable.

Answer 7

There was a report on accidents that resulted in fatalities years ago. The report found when blow tires resulted in fatal accidents,  they were  most often the tires in the rear the blew.

I think that data is faulty, I want my new  tires up front.

I have had at least three tire blow outs in my driving career and all three were rear tires. I never lost control of my cars.

Now for younger drivers that do not know how to control a fish tailing car,  maybe it is best. But for some one who was drifting years before it became a sport, not a problem.