4 tires at once?

[wrxlude]

just wanted to say

stock potenzas suck arse!!!

[$lick Rick]

you find dislodged clips and broken gear teeth on your transmission drain plug.

[e-merlin]

Yes you should replace all four tires at the same time, Same size, Same brand. If you can only afford to replace two at a time then you should put the new ones on the back for SAFETY reasons, If they are within 2/32 I would put the new ones on the front but other than that the NEW thoughts/testing,... about tire safety says, to put the new ones on the back for more control in a emergency...

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Put the new tires on the front! If a rear tire blows you will still be able to steer with the front. If a front tire blows, you will lose control. The steering wheel will jerk around in your hand.

I don't know how this myth about putting new tires on the rear got started but it is totally wrong.

[wrxdrvr]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Put the new tires on the front! If a rear tire blows you will still be able to steer with the front. If a front tire blows, you will lose control. The steering wheel will jerk around in your hand.

I don't know how this myth about putting new tires on the rear got started but it is totally wrong.

It's not a myth... Like I said it's the NEW conclusion that tire manufacturrers are recomending (Michellin)... According to them it's the way to go for safety reasons, it works out safer in the long run. You may think it's to their bennefit (and maybe it is) but that is the official word from Michellin. http://www.michelinman.com/care/tip6.html . There's even a vid to watch. ..And if you even "think" your tire's "may" blow because they are that worn...DON'T use them.

[blackfang]

Regarding the AWD on our Subaru's we recommend you replace all the tires at once if there is a difference of 3/16's of circumference or 2/32nds or more among the tires. This will keep the clutches in the differentials from burning out prematurely.

Regarding FWD or RWD if you have a 3/32nd or larger difference among 2 new tires, place them on the rear of the vehicle regardless if it is a FWD or RWD for wet handling and traction safety. The car will slide from the rear in wet weather and no matter how little tread is on the front. The front doesnt slide in snow or rain, but the "lighter" rear will and thats why we recommend that. Having a blowout with new or old tires wont do anything for handling, both are still a blowout. My question is this, who is to say a rear wont blow? Do you know most of your blownout and punctured tires are in the rear? Fact! The front tire usually kicks it up and the rear hits it. A new tire can blowout just as easy as an old one if it hits the right object.

Emerlin- It's not a myth, what you are stating is a myth and Tire manufacturer'srecommend it that way. When I was a Michelin/BFG/Uniroyal rep selling tires we always informed the customers to do it that way. However, your average customer is stuck in the old way of thinking.
Hope this helps.

[e-merlin]

Wonder how many of them have had blowouts? In my darn near 40 years of driving experience, I have experienced a few. I will tell you, I would much rather have a blowout on the rear where if you let off the accelerator pedal the back end gets back in line. If you have a blowout on the front it will pull you toward the ditch, or worse yet, into the oncoming traffic. I would rather have control on the steering axle than I would on the following axle.

Just a question here. Why does the Department of Transportation require a minimum of 4/32" tread on the steering axle tires when they only require a minimum of 2/32" tread depth on all other axles of a commercial vehicle? Because it's safer to have a blowout on a rear wheel than it is on a front.

And next time you're at the track, ask a race driver or instructor whether he'd rather have a blowout on the front or the rear.

[blarg]

I had a front blowout @ 80 MPH on a very busy freeway. First thing it did was point me right into the left guard rail (I was in the left lane). In my effort to save the car, I ended up in a right-hand spin. I managed to get out of the spin when I was pointed the right way again and get myself off the freeway, but it was a hell of a ride.

I'm shocked I managed to not hit anything...it a VERY crowded freeway.

[blackfang]

Like I said you can have a blowout with a new tire just as easy as an old one. I have seen that myself. I am in no way debating the severity of what axle a blowout is the worst. I am debating the reason we recommend 2 new tires on the rear is due to wet weather and snow handling. You as a driver are going to encounter inclement weather alot more than a blowout. Ask yourself in 40 years, how many times did you drive in the rain, heavy rain and snow? I bet it is almost 10 times than your blowouts. I know what it feels like to spin out in bad weather several times.

I am not going to debate a practice of what a few multibillion dollar tire corporations recommend. I have worked in the Tire business as a Michelin/BFG/Uniroyal representative, worked for Toyota and Subaru as a Service Writer. I educate my customers and show them why. They are the ones repsonsible for chosing what they want.

[e-merlin]

Like I said you can have a blowout with a new tire just as easy as an old one. I have seen that myself. I am in no way debating the severity of what axle a blowout is the worst. I am debating the reason we recommend 2 new tires on the rear is due to wet weather and snow handling. You as a driver are going to encounter inclement weather alot more than a blowout. Ask yourself in 40 years, how many times did you drive in the rain, heavy rain and snow? I bet it is almost 10 times than your blowouts. I know what it feels like to spin out in bad weather several times.

I am not going to debate a practice of what a few multibillion dollar tire corporations recommend. I have worked in the Tire business as a Michelin/BFG/Uniroyal representative, worked for Toyota and Subaru as a Service Writer. I educate my customers and show them why. They are the ones repsonsible for chosing what they want.

Fair enough. I'm not debating. I'm saying the best practice is to have the most tread on the front for two reasons:

1. They steer. More often than not with today's cars, they carry the most weight and they also are putting power to the ground. In a bad weather situation, do you want more tread up front to keep you from hydroplaning, skidding, and to help you steer out of it? Or do you want less tread up front where you will hydroplane sooner?

2. Older tires are more likely to blow. Which blowout is easier to recover from? Front or rear?

I base my decisions on my experience. If you want to trust a few engineers who make enough money to replace their cars long before the tires wear enough to blow, fine with me. I have probably had more blowouts by the time I was 16 than most of you have had in a lifetime, mostly in loaded trucks, and more due to overloading than bad tires.

And yes, I started driving a few months before I turned 6 (not 16). You do things like that when you grow up on a farm and you're needed to help out.

[e-merlin]

I should also say that in every instance that I can remember where I've bought new tires, I've put on four. So I've never had occasion to need to put the newest tires on a certain end. Of course, I drive my cars until they die and I drive my tires until they are too bad to drive in the winter.

[wrxdrvr]

Well, if your main priority is which tire will blow easyer...I agree it's the most worn out tire that "probly" will, and it would be better on the back... But everything being equal the chances of being in an acident because the rear tires slide around because of the lack of traction, is greater than a blow-out. And while the back end is trying to pass the front end you have no control either... I think, you NEED to start driving on better tires or tires deseighned to carry the loads you place on them. As maybe that's the real problem. As for the better steering... most cars today are made/desighned to UNDER-STEER ..on purpose. Because it's safer to loose some control in the front than to loose it in the back. But that too is some engineere's idea so it's probly should be discounted, and all cars should be built to steer with some over-steer so you would have MORE control as to where the car is going.

[Ballz]

thanks to everyone for the info. i guess i'll get all four. it sucks, 'cause i've only got another 8k before i have to turn in the car (leased).

Just get some cheap tires and don't drive too hard on them.. Try Tire Rack, they have good cheap tires and of course the high end..

[RayfieldsWRX]

I base my decisions on my experience. If you want to trust a few engineers who make enough money to replace their cars long before the tires wear enough to blow, fine with me.

Yeah, us engineers are rollin' in cash...

[wrx wagone]

Yeah, us engineers are rollin' in cash...

We are??!? Why has no one told me about this?

[Trainrex]

I personally don't enjoy a blowout on any wheel. I've experienced many. Here are my thoughts.

1: A front or rear blowout on a straightaway is cake.
2: When losing a rear tire in a turn, the car decides it wants to point back in the direction you came from. Lots of fun. Suddenly letting off the gas will turn you around quicker. Especially if you're in a rwd car. I've experienced them in both types of drive systems (FWD & RWD).
3: When losing a front tire in a turn, the car will plow the front end like a dump truck. Letting off the gas will scrub off enough speed to normally miss the curb. I've experienced them in both types of drive systems (FWD & RWD).
4: AWD acts much like a FWD in this scenario.

I would rather have a blowout on the front if it was up to me.

When I've bought 2 new tires in the past, I've always put the best tires on the drive wheels.

With an AWD vehicle, either replace 4, or measure the depth and have the new one shaved.

Oh, and coming from a circle track racing background, any blowout sucks and may land you in the fence.