I have a mini cooper s 2009. It has 25k miles on it. My two front tires are almost bald. Uneven wear due to wheel alignment problem which the mini service guy told me.

I bought the OEM Bridgestone Turanza ER 3000 87V Run Flat Tires and brought it to the highly recommended installer recommended by Tirerack.

Four wheel alignements was done. Guy needed to make some adjustment to the front.

I asked about moving the rear tires to the front and the new tires to the back. The service guy said it was best to put new tires on the front...Is he correct?

I have about half year to one year left on the rear tires.

Thanks so much

 

This is a long-standing debate. Many suggest to put the new tires on front, with the idea being those wheels do the turning and could benefit from the extra grip, as well as if they are on the front they will be the tires that will wear faster and possibly even out the wear between old and new.

Michelin actually states that new tires should go on the rear axle, which is what I would do. I've posted the link below, but the short version is that by putting the rear tires in back, you won't get the false impression that the car has more grip than it actually does and in-turn fishtail in poor conditions. Also, the idea that the wear will even out is generally silly unless those old tired have very little wear on them; if you buy two tires, you usually accept the fact that the old ones won't last as long.

http://www.michelinman.com/faq-detai...2C1852527010F0


Hope that helps.

 

I usually get tires changed out by Costco and even though, let's say front wheel drive, they stick the new ones on the back. It's believed that it gives better traction in rainy conditions? I don't know.

 

Thanks very much for your input. I don't know what to do. The highly recommended installer based on Tirerack site said to put the new tires on the front so should I go back and change them to the rear or just rotate after 5k miles?

I don't race the car...I just drive it and i don't have rough rides or turns.

 

I'm under the belief that if it's a front wheel drive car, you'd want new tires on them, not worn down ones from the back.

Why companies say "Yo check it... We recommend putting new ones on the back of a front wheel drive"

Ahhhhh....

Let them put it where they want to, then switch 'em when you get home.

 

Have you ever had a 'worn' tire blow out?
I hate to admit that I have, twice. The one on the back was hardly noticable. The one on the front... pretty much pulled me off the road. Needless to say, I since changed my tire habits to rotate the old to the back and put the new on the front.
I hope this helps.

 

Not so much better traction, as no false sense of more traction than is actually available.

Let's say you have the old tires on the front and the new ones on back in rainy conditions and you're getting off of a freeway exit ramp. With the old tires in front and less tread, you won't take the turn too fast as you'll feel less grip available. The back wheels won't be over-taxed for their available traction the car won't spin out.

If it was the other way around, with new tires in front and the same situation, you may feel that the car has a certain amount of grip based on what you are feeling from the steering and take the turn at a speed faster than if the old tires were in front. In this case, the front tires could out-grip the rears and cause a spin.

Also, you would be less likely to hydroplane/aquaplane as you would be more aware of what the car was doing with the wheels with less tread up front. Imagine if you had more tread on the front tires and they were able to clear away more water than the rears: you could have the rear end actually riding on the water while the front has grip and lead to a spin-out.

 

I am more confused than ever as to what I should do. I live in Southern CA so it hardly rains. I drive about 8k per year.

Would it be best to just leave the new tires on the front of the car since it seems like rain and puddle are the deciding factor on safety of car?

By the time the rainy season comes or about 3 to 4 k miles, I will rotate the tires. Left Rear to Left Front, Right Rear to Right Front.....

Does the above seem like a good idea?

 

I'm kind of stunned a tire installer not only agreed, but recommended to put the new tires on the front. Everything I've ever seen from any tire source, including TireRack (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=52), is to put the new tires on the rear in order to minimize the possibility of an oversteer condition (especially one induced by hydroplaning on a wet road).

 

I'm kind of stunned that so many are willing to cheap out on the one thing between them and potential ruination. A decent set, nothing fancy, of 4 all season tires can be had for just a bit more that a pair of run flats. A blown tire can put you upside down in a bar ditch or sideways on the grill of a Mack truck.

 

"Willing to cheap out..." Don't think so...Mini Cooper service told me I needed to buy 2 new tires and they need to be the same as the back ones. I asked about regular tires and he said there won't be a spare tire. Unlike many of you here, I don't know how to fix a flat tire so for me , the safest is the RFT.

 

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/...ortby=ourPicks

Works great.

Stealerships are in business to keep you in their business.

 

I already bought and installed the 2 new RFT on my car...I should have half year to a year left on my rear tires...

Would it be best to buy 2 more RFT for the rear? Then when they are all pretty much worn out, then buy 4 new NON flat tires?

Also, I just had the 4 wheel alignment. If the new tires are to be installed in the rear within a week or two, would i need to have the wheel alignment again or just balance the new tires?

Thanks so much for everyone's help. I Love my Mellow Yellow Mini but I am not mechanically inclined.

 

I hate the runflats, but feel stuck with them as well. The ride is terrible, but I don't want me wife driving the car and getting stuck on the side of the road with no spare.

As for the tread depth and the feasible life left on the other two old tires, use a few coins to check how long they'll last. Tirerack has a great guide http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=51

 

If it doesn't rain and you drive sanely, you will be fine. People just don't want you to sue them. Do you have DSC?

 

I wouldn't even consider buying just 2 tires, let alone 2 more runflats. I'll assume the only reason this thread was started in the first place is your budget can't accommodate a set of 4 new tires but it can handle 2 so this is why you're looking for advice where to put them. Totally agree with Fly'n Brick use the money to buy an inexpensive set of four non-runflats for the same money. At least this way you have four new tires all wearing at the same rate. Then save for a really nice set to install later.

It is a pet peeve when people say it doesn't rain in SoCal...it's delusional. It sure as he// does - consider this: while not like the rainforests of SE Alaska, it does about 15 inches a year on average and MUCH more during El Nino (which is why during El Nino there's marked increases in landslides and mudslides). In the Pacific Northwest the rain (only about 40 inches a year) is spread throughout the year. In SoCal it comes down in a season, downpours are common so it actually rains MORE per event than the Northwest... I assume (or hope) you listen to news radio when driving? EVERY time it rains in the LA Basin within minutes all you hear is a surge of accidents on the freeways - one day I remember when I was on the 210 near Chatsworth the news reported nearly 75 in the space of 60 seconds. That's because of the shared delusion it doesn't rain causes people to not respect it and subsequently hydroplane and crash. IMO, buy a set of four or risk being one of them.

 

Do you know what the tread depth is on the rear tires (wouldn't hurt to know the depth on the new tires as well). I'd be looking for no more than 3/32nds difference between the new tires and the rear tires (and even that may be a little optimistic). If it is more than that, I would definitely being looking at going ahead and replacing the old tires asap. The downside is that you may be giving up some useable life.

Like someone else in this thread, my preference is to keep a set of matching tires all the way around and then keep them rotated to wear evenly. But there is nothing wrong with doing two at a time and there are others here on NAM that prefer that strategy.

 

Two new tires go to the back.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. There is no debate on this. Just "uninformed people with unyielding and unwilling to accept what is tried and proven" would say that new tires go to the front. Absolutely non-sense.

Here is a video.

Wheel alignment is just that; Wheel alignment, not a tire alignment.

As long as the wheels go back where they come off of, the alignment should not have changed at all assuming rims are turning true.

 

If the old tires have at least 6/32" tread, there should be no problem with putting
the new tires on the front, and you'll get more even wear in the long run.
If they have less than 5/32" tread, there's no question the new tires should go on the rear.

 

I see the logic.

6/32" is more like 60% of the typical tire tread. At least 6/32" in this case means more than 60% of the tread.

This means the bald pair worn at least at twice the rate as the other pair.

I doubt the other two tires would have more than 60% of the tread left when the rest of the tires are bald unless the vehicle has a severe alignment problems.

 

If you don't rotate, this will happen soon enough. The front tires do wear
about twice as fast as the rears unless you're lowered and haven't corrected
the rear camber.
Say the first time you put two new tires on the rear and the 1/2 worn ones on
the front. When those front ones wear down the rest of the way, there will
be at least 60% tread left on the rears. At that point, it makes more sense
to put the next 2 new tires on the front. The next time around you'll probably
be changing all 4 at once.

 

I see where you are getting at. But I was speaking strictly about putting where the new pair of tires should go for safety reasons and how highly unlikely it is to have more than 60% or more tread left on a pair while the other pair is completely bald when the vehicle is alignment is within spec. If that is not the case I would worry about prematurely worn bearings and steering components as well.

Yes it is true that the used pair will wear down faster in the front but the OP must realize that there is no easy way out of this without being penalized one way or the other for not sticking with maintenance.

For the safety stand point alone I would put two new tires in the back. Let's say 6/32" and months or days later depending on how much he/she drives and tires goes down below 5/32". Now it is unsafe in the rear. Right? I doubt the OP will be doing the rotations at home. Now more money needs to be spent rotating tires. I wonder how practical that is.

Once again there is no magic out of this situation and sooner or later the OP has to cough up for another pair or even a set to reset the upsetted tire wear pattern. This what one gets for being lazy with maintenance. It is ALWAYS cheaper to maintain things than repairing if you can't DIY.

Sorry Silvia. It is what it is. No magic here, only simple logic.

 

Since the fronts wear much faster than the rears, by the time the rears wear down
to 5/32", the fronts will be 8/32" or less, later, 4/32" rear, 6/32" front or less, etc.

Not unsafe in my book.
Maybe some people never let their rear tread get below 5/32".
Actually, that is my rule for snow tires, but not for regular ones.

 

I think we are getting to the point this is becoming a 'tard fest.

Well. I was quoting you on those number now listen to what you are saying.

I thought you said below 5/32" you would put the new tires on the rear. LOL

I agree if you have MORE than 60% tread left you can keep the rear tires as they are and may put the new tires in the front. How likely is that given the same set of tires that one pair has gone completely bald and the other has 60%+ tread left? Silvia go measure and report back. Maybe those tire guys are screwing you to sell new tires.

Tire wear is function of many things. Remember as tire wears there is less and less amount of tire material composing that circumference of tire. The wear is accelerated unless harder compound is used near the belt/fibers/core. In either cases, you are losing traction one way or the other.

There is more than just 5/32" depth of tires that keeps traction; different compounds of the tires and tread pattern, road conditions, weather........

I didn't come up with those numbers. You did cristo. I was just using them so you can relate to where i was coming from. I would keep new tires in the rear. Wear the old one down in the front and get another matching pair and put those in the rear(or front). To me that is probably the best case scenario for the Silvia in terms of being most cost effective and increase the longevity of the tires while maintaining the safety for a longer period of time. :peace: