New tires best in front or rear?

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I've heard both points of view. Some say if replacing only two tires that the new ones should be in the front for a front wheel drive car for better traction. Others have said the new tires should be in the rear to reduce fishtailing on wet or icy roads. What is the consensus here?

Tom NJ/VA
 
the rear

but if you're using winter tires, you must use them in sets of four
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On the back. It's far easier for novice drivers to control and mitigate understeer than it is oversteer regardless of fwd, and, or rwd.
 
Discount Tire has this in their FAQ:

"Replacing Two Tires

We recommend that you replace all four tires at the same time. However, we understand that sometimes you may have to replace only two tires at a time.

If you’re only replacing two tires, we recommend mounting the new tires on the rear axle, which adds traction and increased overall safety to your vehicle. Your car can better resist hydroplaning with new rear tires, even if the front tires are worn. If the front tires hydroplane, the vehicle will travel in a straight line and you can safely maintain control. While you steer, the unworn rear tires will help stabilize the rear of the vehicle.

Placing your new tires on the front of the vehicle creates a less manageable driving situation. When worn rear tires lose grip on wet roads and hydroplane, the vehicle’s rear end can swing out of control. Steering or breaking will not stop the rear end from fishtailing, which could result in a total loss of vehicle control."
 
If it rains where you live, on the rear is best.

It doesn't really rain here, so my Camry has it's best pair on the front.
 
If your rears are at or above 5/32 stick 'em in front of your FWD sedan, or you'll never even things out.

The goal is to get to where you buy 4 new tires simultaneously.

You didn't mention what sort of car, and this is one of those questions that border on trolling.
 
Thanks all. The car is a 2008 Nissan Altima. I prefer to replace all four tires at the same time, but on this car I lost two tires at half life due to bad shocks so my tire replacement got out of order. I now have two tires with low tread at 44,000 miles and two with good tread at 22,000 miles, so I am looking to just replace the two bad ones. Since the car is approaching 10 years old I will be buying a new one within a couple of years and may never need to replace the two currently good tires.

Tom NJ/VA
 
Originally Posted By: Tom NJ
I've heard both points of view. Some say if replacing only two tires that the new ones should be in the front for a front wheel drive car for better traction. Others have said the new tires should be in the rear to reduce fishtailing on wet or icy roads. What is the consensus here?

Tom NJ/VA


Consensus ... Tom, what are you thinking ...

OK, you are not a "novice" driver. If you've been around much, you have been in snow skids, etc. So the question is "do you like to go sideways?". I do, so the good tires always go on the front so I have maximum breaking and steering control. If it's FWD, that's even better as you can drive out of slippery conditions.

Until the lawyers got involved (1980's ...), we always put the best tires on the traction axle. Now, other points of view have emerged. But, if you know how to drive (including skid control & sliding), you put the tires where they will do you the most good
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In you case, perhaps 2 good used tires might make sense. In Silicon Valley, CA there are many used tire shops. For about $25, or less, you can get good rubber mounted and balanced.
But as others have said, put new tires in the back to avoid a rear end slide.
Probably not as important if there is sufficient tread remaining...
 
This whole issue on installing new tires front/rear started like 10+ years ago when Michelin lost a lawsuit for like 34 million dollar$, and they where installed by a independent installer, and not by them. I don't remember all the details, other than a fatality. You would have to look it up. It's hard to sleep at night if you install new tires on the front for that reason alone.
 
I always prefer to install the new tires on the front here in Florida. I grew up driving and power sliding on dirt roads. Counter steering into a skid caused by loss of traction in the rear is instinctive to me. The recommendation to have the worn tires on the front because if they loose traction you will continue plowing straight ahead is idiotic to me.

There is no feeling more powerless than turning the wheel and having nothing happen. Same thing for hitting the brakes and having the fronts lock up. Give me steering over loss of traction in the rear every time. I can control the car as long as I have the ability to steer.
 
Originally Posted By: jhs914
There is no feeling more powerless than turning the wheel and having nothing happen. Same thing for hitting the brakes and having the fronts lock up. Give me steering over loss of traction in the rear every time. I can control the car as long as I have the ability to steer.


Fishtailing and spinning out due to hydroplaning on your rear tires is worse than a bit of understeer. You can get sideways very fast, and maybe roll over as you traverse a ditch off the side. Not good.
Besides, all cars sold in the past 7 years have Stability Control, which will apply differential side-to-side braking to reduce severe understeer that you fear so much, and the driver instinctively goes to apply front brakes to slow down during understeer and bust through the hydroplaning water film under the front at the same time.

Never put new tires on the front. Always put them on the back. New tires on back only, unless you never drive in the wet, or can remember to drive much slower in the rain (still dubious).
 
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