Hello:
My 2007 mini S - 79K miles has been going through sets of tires - as would
be expected. Running Kumho 205 45 R17 Ecsta Vr Spt.


In previous changes where two new were being mounted - had them mounted to front - and the fronts staying in left /right position moved to rear. Now - finding strong recommendation that the new are to be mounted - consistent with directional indication on tire - that the new must go on back??


Thought front driver works the front tires the hardest and consistent with what would normally be tire rotation - have previously mounted new pair to front. Be interested in knowledgeable opinion on this.
Regards,
Barry

 

my general rule of thumb is the newer tires go in the front.....

....as those are the wheels that handle the driving, steering, and more importantly, the bulk of the breaking.

 

Most of the tire companies and manufacturers recommend new tires go on the rear in order to minimize the chances of an unrecoverable oversteer condition developing.

 

Jump on Tire Rack and read what they have to say. I just finished reading a bunch of info and learned a lot! They say new tires always on rear, and it makes sense why after you read the explanation.

 

If front tires are very worn, in a hard cornering situation the front will plow. If you put the very worn tires on the back and you encounter a very hard cornering situation the rear will break away and oversteer resulting in a dangerous loss of control. This situation may occur on slippery roads. You never want the back of the car to break away as its difficult to control for most drivers. Therefore the reco to put better tires on the rear.

 

I can say that the new tires should go on the rear, its more for braking purposes in the wet/snow. I am in the tire business and have been for the past 25 years. I still get people insisting that the new go on the front and after a little education, we are mounting the new tires on the rear.
As for it being a Run Flat tire, it doesn't matter same rules apply, the fact that the sidewalls are stiffer for RFT doesn't really change that much on tire "rules". Just as an example Bridgestone has developed a run flat tire that is made for almost every passenger vehicle applications as long it has TPMS.
Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I hear this about 10x a day.

 

We always recommend doing sets for four with an alignment. Rotate with every 5K oil change. We also never recommend run flats.

 

the garbage with the other 2 !