Apologies if this has gone before. Had 2 new tyres fitted to my Skoda Octavia 2.0 Ambiente. Man at tyre centre says 'Only fit new tyres to rear axle!', when I requested them to swap the more worn tyres from the front to the rear axle first and then fit new tyres to front. Is this sales spiel or genuine point. Should I wait a few days for the new tyres to be scrubbed in and then swap them around myself?
Other tyre centre I have used in the past didn't offer this 'advice'. Genuine advice & comment would be welcome.
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Graham,
Yes, there has been previous discussions on where it's best to fit new tyres. A lot of people will argue that less worn ones should be fitted on the rear, but personally I prefer tyres with more tread to be on the driving wheels.
Anyway, I've pulled up a couple of threads using the forum search.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=9451
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=17962
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To me it makes sense to put newer tyres on the front of a front wheel drive car, as they are subject to the additional forces that are generated by the driving wheels, that the rear tyres are not subject to, and would also be bearing the majority of the weight of the engine.
Just what exactly is the reason for fitting newer tyres to the rear?
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Might I suggest reading the links posted by "Dynamic Dave", above? :)
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There can be significant performance differences between different tyres in terms of grip in dry or wet conditions. This doesn't just apply to comparisons between premium and budget brands, but also between different premium brands too. I have a fairly recent experience of replacing two tyres with a different make of tyre that produced an alarming (and surprising) change in handling.
Some time ago, two new Avon ZV1 tyres were put on the back of our Xantia, the old Michelin Energy were switched to the front. For a while I wondered what was going on with the back end of the car. After driving it for a couple of days with the new tyres, I nearly lost the back end on a bend, on a dry dual carriageway, that I wouldn't normally think twice about taking at 70 mph. The tyres were not cold and I had travelled in excess of 50 miles on the new tyres.
Matters improved as the tyres got bedded in and I got used to the change in handling characteristics, but the balance of the car definitely changed for the worse. The question now is, what to match to the Avons when the Michelins are worn out? Two more Avons would make sense in terms of handling I suppose but I can't say that I have been impressed with the lack of grip they seem to offer in dry conditions. I could put new Michelins on the back, which I would imagine would produce more understeer.
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This is probably raised somewhere in the depths of the threads DD posted, but since it relates directly to machika's experience I'll post again. New tyres have release agent (from the moulding) left on them. This is really slippery, especially in the wet and on some tyres more than others. This would cause or al least contribute to the Xantia's wayward handling with new tyres on the rear.
hth
Andy
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The Avons had been on the car for a few days and would have covered in excess of 50 miles, possibly near to 100 miles. On the day concerned alone, I had travelled in excess of 50 miles. Also, the road was dry and the tyres would have been well up to optimum temperature for good grip.
I have never experienced such a difference in handling, after fitting new tyres, and the balance of the car has remained inferior to that which I experienced with Michelins on all four wheels.
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In my experience, it takes at least 200 miles on dry roads and possibly up to 500 miles on wet, to "bed" new tyres in, before they achieve their best gripping characteristics. 50 miles is barely a quarter of the way there. I always put new tyres on the front initially for this bedding in period, to leave the best grip at the rear, then change them over to the rears.
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