Originally Posted By: rpn453
Originally Posted By: DT466E_bus
Problem solved!
Bill, can you explain to me what the importance of doing this is in a FWD compared to an AWD?
I have always just believed to buy a set of 4 no matter what type of drive the car is.
I just have a lack of knowledge and just wondering.
Thanks!
I'll add a little more here, in case you're interested.
The recommendation of only replacing four tires on a 2WD vehicle is a very safe and conservative one, requiring no further thought. Still conservative, and only requiring that the tires be similar in performance type, is the recommendation that a new pair of tires only be installed on the back. Replacing only the front tires requires you to really know what you're doing to avoid potential catastrophe.
The main thing is this: don't ever have rear tires that will either hydroplane before the fronts or lose traction on ice before the fronts. Sudden, unexpected oversteer is always a bad thing and no amount of driver skill will save you if it's bad enough. As long as your back tires are a similar type of tire with similar or better tread depth compared to the fronts, you're not going to alter the balance enough to cause problems.
When replacing or rotating tires, obviously the tires with the most tread always go on the driven axle or the axle with the greater power biase.
In the case of a front drive car, that means the replacement tires go on the front. As long as the rear tires are still serviceable you usually don't have to be concerned about increasing the rear tires tendancy to loose grip before the fronts or otherwise oversteer in the rain. The reason is, the rear tires usually follow in the tracks of the front tires that have already cleared away the water.
It's the reason road racers can increase the rear brake biase in the wet.