Since the MINI is a front wheel drive, we all know the fronts wear faster. It also is safer to have better tires in the rear (to straighten a skid).

Until now I've tried to rotate my tires frequently to balance the wear (wait to long and you're putting worn tires in the back). However, it occurred to me, why not leave all four in place until the fronts need replacing, rotate the rears to the front, then replace the rears.

I would think the total wear would be the same, and it would then mean that you only have to replace half as many tires at a time twice as often. Spreads the cost pain and eliminates the rotation effort.

Thoughts?

 

Better tread tires in the rear to reduce risk of hydroplaning.

One plan is to rotate early and enough to even the wear front and rear.

Another plan is not to rotate and wear out the fronts then replace a pair - moving the worn tires to the front but TPMS is for each wheel so make sure that works after the rotation

 

I'm not sure the total wear would be the same. For that to be true, the wear would have to be linear during the life of the tire. Also, I'm not sure it works unless the fronts are worn out at very close to the mid-life of the tire. But, I haven't really compiled any data, so who knows.

Personally, I like having the tires close to the same on all four corners. By replacing all four at one time, I can also be sure that I have the same tires on all four corners (e.g. if the front tires are discontinued and I have to go with something different).

For me, the rotations themselves are beneficial. I can take measurements and inspect the tires on a more frequent basis than I probably would if I didn't rotate. It also gives me a chance to clean the insides of the wheels and inspect for damage. Likewise, I can visually inspect my brakes and monitor their wear much more closely.

 

Like the OP said, putting more worn tires on the front also helps prevent the rear end breaking loose.

I rotate front to back - no criss-cross stuff. Keeps the wear even and then replace all four tires at the same time when needed. This gives you the option to move to a completely different tire if you want too.

If you rotate frequently enough you won't have a situation where two tires are significantly more worn than the others.

 

We rotate our tires every 5k like clockwork. Just as important is proper inflation. Every Sunday TP is checked along with vital fluids and inspection. We finally replaced my wife's run flats at 37,000 miles.