Which End To Put New Tyres

[Grim.Badger 15]

I've just ordered a new pair of Goodyear Eagle F1s to replace my knackered old Yokos. They'll be paired with a couple of Goodyear Eagle Venturas that are about 3/4 worn.

Thing is I don't know which end to put them on where the increased grip would be most effective, the rear or the front?

 

Any suggestions?

[Silky 33 1 Cars]

Put the new ones on the front

[Baz 421]

The front every time, where you're steering, braking, and of course putting the power down.

[tagy 1]

rear is safer, front is more fun.

[hengti 2]

personally i'd stick them on the back - it'll likely be safer

they'll also wear alot slower, so you can put the same on the front once your existing fronts have had it - gets you a full set of the same tyres which is always sensible

[Rippthrough 98]

I've just put a pair of f1's on the front, and boy is it fun!

 

-Phillip

[Butler 0]

rear is safer, front is more fun.

 

 

Yep.

 

Going into winter with the some of the finest wet weather tyres on the front and knackered ones on the rear is going to be fun, borderline dangerous. I'd put on the on the back and get another pair of F1's asap.

 

 

I ran eagle F1's on the front and P5000's on the rear of my 106 rallye for a while. It was very tricky to drive in the wet. I spun the car 3 times in 3 weeks. Never again. Sweet handling hot hatches are very sensitive to tyres.

[Baz 421]

How is it safer? Wouldn't you rather have the grip to be steering, braking and putting the power down to the driven wheels to pull you out of any could be misfortune? Obviously you still want decent amount of tread on the rear, but it's just common sense to put them wherethe wheels are doing mostof the work!! As for the wear issues, when they start to get low(ish), you swap them to the back, and again buy new for the fronts, gaining a matched set.

[Grim.Badger 15]

Well given the split opinions, and that I've not had trouble with the front tyres yet but plenty with the rear, the new ones will be going on the rear.

 

Cheers

Edited September 29, 2006 by Grim.Badger

[Butler 0]

How is it safer? Wouldn't you rather have the grip to be steering, braking and putting the power down to the driven wheels to pull you out of any could be misfortune? Obviously you still want decent amount of tread on the rear, but it's just common sense to put them wherethe wheels are doing mostof the work!! As for the wear issues, when they start to get low(ish), you swap them to the back, and again buy new for the fronts, gaining a matched set.

 

 

If you exceed the front grip the car will understeer, you can lift off and bring it back. You turn in the rain with crap rear tyres you will spin. You may get away with it with opposite lock and throttle, but I find this setup wasn't catchable and predictable like that standard inherant lift off oversteer we know and love.

 

There is no weight in the rear to load the tyres to grip. In the rain crap rears will cause a lot more oversteer, then they would understeer if put on the front.

[Baz 421]

You turn in the rain with crap rear tyres you will spin.

 

Not if you are driving the car round corners it shouldn't, you must be doing something pretty wrong. Assuming the rear tyres aren't bald and totally s*it.

[jackherer 543]

Assuming the rear tyres aren't bald and totally s*it.

 

compared to f1s in the wet the venturas might as well be totally bald, I agree that the f1s need to go on the back for safety reasons.

[PumaRacing 2]

Whether a car is FWD or RWD you always put the best tyres on the rear. A front end skid or understeer is not a major event but a rear end skid and swapping ends and visiting a tree is. Ideally of course you want good tyres on both ends but funds don't always allow this. Having said this the best tyres on my Focus are on the front because the ESP system takes care of any minor mistakes I might make and ensures I miss the tree I might otherwise become aquainted with.

[dd_156ar 0]

On the rear. Fifth Gear did a test on this a couple of years ago on an older Corsa and showed by putting the worn tyres on the rear a rear-end breakaway was much more likely... They performed their tests under controlled conditions on the skidpan - Cue much screaming by VBH Or maybe I imagined the last part...

Edited September 29, 2006 by dd_156ar

[Grim.Badger 15]

compared to f1s in the wet the venturas might as well be totally bald, I agree that the f1s need to go on the back for safety reasons.

 

Are venturas rubbish then? They seem to have the same pattern as the F1s, but I presume the compound is different. Or do you mean because they are old?

[Guest BrainFluid]

Whenever you take wheels off a car mark the direction that the tyres have been rotating.

 

Once you put that wheel back on a car this make sure you keep the tyres directional rotation the same as its 'bedded' into. Safer.

 

Of course there are rotation arrows on lots of tyres nowadays. But if there isnt...

[Butler 0]

compared to f1s in the wet the venturas might as well be totally bald, I agree that the f1s need to go on the back for safety reasons.

 

Exactly.

 

The F1's just grip so well you can turn in thinking you are well within the limits of grip, and you are, but only on the front.

 

Trust me, my 106 for the 3weeks I had a mismatched tyres, was dangerous in the wet if you wanted to go quickly. An extreme case, because perelli's are especially bad in the rain, but why take the risk.

Edited September 29, 2006 by Butler

[jackherer 543]

Are venturas rubbish then? They seem to have the same pattern as the F1s, but I presume the compound is different. Or do you mean because they are old?

 

I wouldn't call them rubbish but they're no F1.

[timmsy19 3]

so how much are F1s per tyre seem like they are a damn good tyre might have to get some when i next need to renew.

 

ive currently got the best on the front and ive noticed twiching at the rear might have to change them around at the weekend

[Rippthrough 98]

so how much are F1s per tyre seem like they are a damn good tyre might have to get some when i next need to renew.

 

ive currently got the best on the front and ive noticed twiching at the rear might have to change them around at the weekend

 

 

£35 a corner delivered from mytyres.com

 

Lose a little steering feel with them though - or at least I did. (Coming from Pilot Premacy's)

 

-Phillip

Edited September 29, 2006 by Rippthrough

[Pugnut 9 1 Cars]

Whether a car is FWD or RWD you always put the best tyres on the rear. A front end skid or understeer is not a major event but a rear end skid and swapping ends and visiting a tree is. Ideally of course you want good tyres on both ends but funds don't always allow this. Having said this the best tyres on my Focus are on the front because the ESP system takes care of any minor mistakes I might make and ensures I miss the tree I might otherwise become aquainted with.

 

i put 2 new tyres on the front of my mk2 xr2 (a looooong time ago). less than 200 miles later i swapped ends and rolled it into field a few times on a fast long sweeping corner.Whether the tyres were at fault i dont know , Maybe it was me doing 30mph over the speed limit on quite a difficult corner and met someone with the same idea coming the other way who knows . I do know that it gave no clues that the rear was going , no little clues or feelings as you normally get , it just went big style.

 

after that everyone told me i should be putting any new tyres on the rear . I havent rolled any cars since (although i've been close!)

 

understeer is far far more controllable than oversteer

cheers, Al

[Owain1602 0]

If you're concerned about safety, then you wouldn't put the car in a position for something drastic to happen. And for people that are gonna say that it just happens, well things dont just happen.

I'd put them on the front for the reason that most of the work during normal driving is done at the front wheels.

[Sandy 191]

Just a few days ago my friend Neil who's not massively experienced, but nevertheless a very decent driver IMO and veteran of numerous wet trackdays, including the Nurburgring in my old 205 rallye (which doesn't do understeer!); had new tyres fitted to the front of his very nice 106 GTi. Cue one tightish damp bend taken at what he'd expect to be a safe speed (he knows the road extremely well) and the rear breaks away, he's already correcting (it's a regular thing in that car) but there's no way he can catch it, a slight tussle later he front ends a wall.

 

Fit the new tyres on the back or ideally rotate and change all four at once.

Edited September 30, 2006 by sandy309

[d-9 0]

Ahh no, gutted for neil

 

I had F1s on the front of my 205 and some other crap on the back, span it one a fortnight on average. Not even doing silly stuff either, one time was coming out of tescos with the missus and the shopping in the car in the wet one day and span on a roundabout.

[inferno 1]

First thing i learnt when tyre fitting after skool at kwik fit, was new tyres on the rear... ive stuck with it ever since.