I have a '12 MCS with RFT at about 20k miles. I recently had to replace two of the tires, one on the front left corner, the other on rear right corner. I'm at the point of needing to rotate them. So, should I put the new ones on the front or back? I'm thinking they should be on the front as the fronts wear quicker?

 

With 20k on the old tires, I'd put the new tires on the rear, since after
that many miles, there's bound to be a big difference between the tread
height on the new tires and the older ones. In this case, putting the worn
ones on the rear invites oversteer with spirited driving or in the rain or (in
a few months) snow which will get you into trouble faster than understeer.

If the tread height on the older tires is within a couple mm of the front ones',
you could make a good case for putting the new ones on the front.

 

Good point, thx for the feedback. Another thought is, I was thinking about putting the newer tires on the front as I'd like to replace all of them at the same time with non-RTF. I'm not new to front wheel drive autos, am fairly certain the fronts will wear faster than the rears?

 

Fronts will wear about twice as fast as the rears on a MINI.
How much tread is left on the 2 older tires?

 

I estimate there is about 10k left on the original tires. I believe they are supposed to be good for about 30k under normal use?

 

Your treadlife may vary quite a bit depending on driving style.

I guess I was looking for an answer in mm or 1/32s of an inch.

If the old tires are 2/3 worn and the others are nearly new, then it's best to put
the new tires on the back.

 

The general rule is if you are replacing two tires, put the new tires on the rear no matter what car you have.

More grip on the rear is especially needed to reduce hydroplaning in the wet, if you have worn tires you may end up loosing control of your car with bad results.

If you never see wet conditions then it doesn't matter much where you put the new tires. If you do measure remaining tread depth, 4/32" is the time to replace the tires no matter how good they might otherwise look, again this is related to the ability of the tires to perform safely in the wet.

 

We don't see much rain in Phoenix. Though I do remember reading somewhere that the newer tires should be placed in the rear as a blowout is more dangerous in the rear (no pun intended . Thanks for the feedback, appreciate it...

 

The big decision is if you want to go to non-runflats. Realistically, it won't cost that much more to put a set of decent non-RF tires on, when compared to a pair of matching RF tires.
I bought my car used, and it had 2 RF and 2 regular tires, and the handling was odd. You really don't want to do that.
So, the way I see it, decide if you really need the RF tires or not. If you want to keep the RF, then I agree with the other guys recommendation to put the new ones on the rear.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Yes, my goal is to replace the RFT with non-RFT. I should have stated that in my original post. It would be ideal to replace all four at the same time as I don't want to run a mix.

 

Most RF tires will be about $160-$190 for just the tire. You should be able to get decent non-RF tires for $100-$130 each. I think it would be worth it to change all of them now, rather than just put a pair of RF on now.

Have fun,
Mike

 

You already bought the runflat replacements so just use them up.

You can't mix runflats with non runflat tires, it's unsafe.

Runflats can cost more because they give you more options when there is a flat. Much safer not needing to stop in bad weather, unsafe area or in heavy traffic.

 

As the OP, thought I'd do a final followup. Just got back from Discount Tire, the original tires had a tread depth of about 7/32". The two newer tires are at 9/32". When I explained I wanted them to wear out at about the same time, he put the new ones on the front. If I understand correctly, they should be replaced at about 4-5/32", so I have a ways to go. Thanks everyone for the feedback, appreciate it..

 

7/32 vs 9/32 ... That's certainly close enough. I'd put the new ones on the front, too, in this instance.

 

Minimum for legal road use is 2/32"

 

Yes, but many people replace at 4/32" if they want safe handling in the rain.
The OP indicates rain is rare in his location, so going down to 2-3/32" is probably fine
- he just needs to be very careful if caught in unexpected rain near the end of the tire's life.

With snow tires, many people replace them at 5-6/32".

 

It can be dangerous to drive on tires with less than 4/32" tread if it rains at all, but what about just driving (with low tread depth) over wet roads due to sprinklers, water truck, leaky fire hydrant or any liquid spill. Combine an unexpected wet surface at night and you might have wished for more traction.

If you are out in clear dry conditions and you are not doing anything out of the ordinary then you can take a chance. If you have ever been in a car that lost control in the wet you might not want to take that chance more than once.