[barretec]

Your new car or nearly new car starts with 4 new tyres.

Is there a best practise regarding replacement.

option 1. Do you leave them until the fronts wear out and just replace the two so you have 2 good and 2 not so good.

option 2. Do you rotate so you can replace all 4, if so, when is the right time to swap fronts to rear?

Previously I would take option 1 mainly because of the cost layout, but this time I was thinking of trying to get even wear and replace all 4, however it would leave me with 4 tyres nearing their limit for a period of time.

 

[Typhoons]

No idea what's right , but I don't rotate till the fronts need changing in a FWD card. Then I put the rears on the front and the new tires on the back. So the newest tires are always on the back.
If you are getting uneven tire wear or have a 4WD then tire rotation is more important.

 

[messiahontrial]

Found this linky in the wiki...

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/rotate.php

I rotate mine, probably a couple of times a year. Usually switch first when fronts are down to about half tread, 3-4mm, then again when original rears, (now on the front), are about 1mm less than the rears. I try and keep the wear as even as poss on all four corners as uneven tread can unbalance the car, especially in the wet.

 

[seneca]

Only one line to warn that you can swap the tyres by sides, most are directional and cannot change from left to the right.
Cheers

 

[barretec]

Found this linky in the wiki...

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/rotate.php

I rotate mine, probably a couple of times a year. Usually switch first when fronts are down to about half tread, 3-4mm, then again when original rears, (now on the front), are about 1mm less than the rears. I try and keep the wear as even as poss on all four corners as uneven tread can unbalance the car, especially in the wet.

Many thanks for the link, just the answer I was looking for, I do love this civinfo

 

[messiahontrial]

Many thanks for the link, just the answer I was looking for, I do love this civinfo

:thumbsup:

 

[CivicCliff]

Why does Kwik Fit refuse to do tyre rotation? It even tells you how to rotate the tyres correctly in the Civic handbook, so can only be a good thing to do.

 

[Merlinbadman]

I wait until the fronts are half used then swap the front and the rear. I always buy 4 new tyres at a time so that I always have the same rubber on all four wheels.

 

[messiahontrial]

Why does Kwik Fit refuse to do tyre rotation?

Because selling rubber is their core business ?

I wait until the fronts are half used then swap the front and the rear. I always buy 4 new tyres at a time so that I always have the same rubber on all four wheels.

:dito:

 

[Jon_G]

No idea what's right , but I don't rotate till the fronts need changing in a FWD card. Then I put the rears on the front and the new tires on the back. So the newest tires are always on the back.
If you are getting uneven tire wear or have a 4WD then tire rotation is more important.

This is exactly what I do.

'Intermediate' tyre rotation (e.g. rotation NOT involving any new tyres) accelerates tyre wear by forcing a tyre that has already 'settled into' a position on the vehicle into a new position where it must now re-settle, which involves scrubbing and wear (and a los of grip while this is happening).

And yes, contrary to simple intuition, the best tyres need to fitted to the rear in order to minimise the risk of oversteer.

 

[Merlinbadman]

I think kwik-fit are truly delusional [smilie=think2.gif] Unless the have just got their random word generator out?

Tyre rotation

Many tyre manufacturers agree that it is no longer good practice to rotate your tyres in order to extend their legal life. The reasons for this are;

• Partly worn tyres are more likely to experience punctures – particularly in wet weather conditions.
• Front tyre deflation will create an under-steer effect which is easier to control than over-steer (the effect produced by a rear tyre deflation)

In the unlikely event that a tyre deflates suddenly, then it is easier to control the vehicle if this occurs at the front of the vehicle. For improved handling and stability it is now recommended that the ‘best’ tyres should always be fitted at the rear of the vehicle. This is irrespective of whether the car is front or rear wheel drive.

Because of this at Kwik Fit we do not recommend tyre rotation and we do recommend fitting your best tyres at the rear of the vehicle. If you are replacing a single tyre then this should be paired with the rear with the tyre having the most tread depth. There are some circumstances when this advice does not apply, such as;

• Where front and rear tyre sizes are designed to be different
• Where a vehicle is designed to have directional tyres at the front and asymmetric at the rear

Tyre rotation current recommendations from Kwik Fit

:facepalm:

 

[messiahontrial]

I think kwik-fit are truly delusional [smilie=think2.gif] Unless the have just got their random word generator out?


:facepalm:

+1


"Tyre rotation

Many tyre manufacturers agree that it is no longer good practice to rotate your tyres in order to extend their legal life. The reasons for this are;


We need to keep selling more tyres to stay in business and make a profit !"

 

[purekillforce]

This is exactly what I do.

'Intermediate' tyre rotation (e.g. rotation NOT involving any new tyres) accelerates tyre wear by forcing a tyre that has already 'settled into' a position on the vehicle into a new position where it must now re-settle, which involves scrubbing and wear (and a los of grip while this is happening).

And yes, contrary to simple intuition, the best tyres need to fitted to the rear in order to minimise the risk of oversteer.

I never though about it that way, but it does make sense!

how does having more grip on the rear wheels prevent oversteer? Not saying you're wrong, just can't imagine the physics in my head working that way.

 

[wardy2602]

Ive got trial tyres from the Michelin on mine so a completely un bias decision as the tyres are free to me, but im not to rotate the wheels/tyres round the car and when new ones are fitted they go on the rear axle, this is to aid stability so the cars esp has the best opportunity of stopping the car from swapping ends.
Wardy

 

[Jon_G]

I never though about it that way, but it does make sense!

how does having more grip on the rear wheels prevent oversteer? Not saying you're wrong, just can't imagine the physics in my head working that way.

If the rear tyres are less grippy than the fronts, then under certain (possibly unforeseen) conditions/circumstances the rear can lose grip, 'break free' and then waggle about uncontrollably.

 

[Farqui]

Controlling under steer is much easier than over steer

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

 

[Merlinbadman]

Really though in what situation would you realistically have rear tyres worn past the point where they are unable to remove the water, and have fully treaded tyres on the front? And be driving fast enough for it to become a problem?

IF you find yourself in that situation you need new tyres anyway, regardless if they are on the front or the rear.

 

[Jon_G]

Really though in what situation would you realistically have rear tyres worn past the point where they are able to remove the water, and have fully threaded tyres on the front? And be driving fast enough for it to become a problem?...

I guess where new tyres have been recently fitted to the front, while some well-worn/old tyres are on the rear?

It isn't just speed that causes over-steer, it's usually events associated with cornering... an unexpectedly slippery road surface or clumsy de-acceleration (aka 'throttle-off oversteer') are normally the causes, although excess speed will make this worse.

 

[messiahontrial]

Controlling under steer is much easier than over steer

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

:dito:

Really though in what situation would you realistically have rear tyres worn past the point where they are unable to remove the water, and have fully treaded tyres on the front? And be driving fast enough for it to become a problem?

IF you find yourself in that situation you need new tyres anyway, regardless if they are on the front or the rear.

:dito: again...

I guess where new tyres have been recently fitted to the front, while some well-worn/old tyres are on the rear?

It isn't just speed that causes over-steer, it's usually events associated with cornering... an unexpectedly slippery road surface or clumsy de-acceleration (aka 'throttle-off oversteer') are normally the causes, although excess speed will make this worse.

The point of rotation, for me anyway, is to try and keep as even a tread depth on each corner as possible, whilst maximising the life of the tyres.

Yes, you have to replace all four in one go, £4-500 for a decent set, so the issue of new on the front or back does not arise.

Rubber is such an important subject, especially with high performance modded cars, really isn't worth scrimping, imo.

 

[Jon_G]

...Rubber is such an important subject, especially with high performance modded cars, really isn't worth scrimping, imo.

No, I agree. But rotation doesn't relate to skimping (or not).