Swop Em???

[wigstar1]

My front tyres are seeming like they only have a couple of k's left in them but the backs seem ok still. From some of my 'energetic' driving i have worn the edges on the front set a bit too.

So here's the question!

Should i swop the fronts to the rear and then replace them as and when, or will this affect the handling in a bad way???

Thanks for any help you can offer.

wigstar1

 

[duffer987]

Funny you should ask. I'm planning on swapping mine over after work today, like yourself my fronts are getting quite knackered, but the backs are looking allright. I'm assuming this is a perfectly viable cheapskate option :wink: until it really, really is time to stump up for some new rubber.

 

[FunkyMunky]

whilst my front's have a bit more life left in them, i'm seriously considering swapping front to back. just need to remember they're directional tyres :wink:

 

[wigstar1]

Have just been told by a work colleague who has said that swopping them over may not be such a good idea???

Hmmmmm.

Any advance on ideas on this one please??? Would rather make the right decision based on some informed knowledge.

Even if it is having to bite the bullet and go for some new ones. £££.

 

[nickb]

can't say I know much about teh technical side of this but I swapped mine over few weeks back and haven't noticed any adverse effects. Wouldn't take that as gospel though.

 

[Nik]

Personally i think you'd be mad to put your worn tyres on the back of what is already quite a tail happy car by design. I always have my best tyres on the rear of the car.

I'd much rather the car understeered a bit more (causing you to drive accordingly) than have more grip at the front than the rear can possibly cope with and end up backwards in a hedge :shock:

Michelin themselves also recommend this too, and explain it far better than i have:

http://www.michelin.co.uk/uk/auto/auto_ ... r_neuf.jsp

 

[duffer987]

Thanks for the link Nik

 

[nickb]

best review my tyres!

 

[Nik]

best review my tyres!

LOL, £74.90 each at the moment

 

[Cue]

Personally i think you'd be mad to put your worn tyres on the back of what is already quite a tail happy car by design. I always have my best tyres on the rear of the car.

I'd much rather the car understeered a bit more (causing you to drive accordingly) than have more grip at the front than the rear can possibly cope with and end up backwards in a hedge :shock:

Michelin themselves also recommend this too, and explain it far better than i have:

http://www.michelin.co.uk/uk/auto/auto_ ... r_neuf.jsp

Valid point you made Nick, but I wouldn't go on a tyre manufaturer saying best to buy new tyres - what else are they going to say?

Best argument is that it's going to reduce your rear end grip, puns not needed. I would switch them though as I prefer oversteer to understeer, comes from my rwd days i think. plus you entend the life of the tyre.

down to personal preference though me thinks. Good arguments for both cases.

 

[oliie]

I recall reading contrary advice to Michelin on the basis that the front tyres on a FWD car do the most work and have the greatest load. You'll need greater tread depth on the front in heavier braking for instance. Likewise you'll want the wheels that do the steering to have the most grip - if you can't steer you may as well have bald tyres on the rear too.

That said the Michelin site does provide some other viewpoints which are interesting.

Safest bet? Replace all four tyres at the same time!!!

O.

 

[duffer987]

Safest bet? Replace all four tyres at the same time!!!
O.

Oh sure there's a fool proof best practice, but where's the fun in that :wink:
Where I work I'm used to applying workarounds in lieu of best practices and now I'm apply it to the tyres :roll:

 

[Nik]

Valid point you made Nick, but I wouldn't go on a tyre manufaturer saying best to buy new tyres - what else are they going to say?

That's not what they say though, they are saying put your newer tyres on the back for valid reasons, nothing to do with selling you more tyres.

Best argument is that it's going to reduce your rear end grip, puns not needed. I would switch them though as I prefer oversteer to understeer, comes from my rwd days i think. plus you entend the life of the tyre.

down to personal preference though me thinks. Good arguments for both cases.

But in a RWD car you have much more chance of correcting tail out moments. Putting worn rear tyres on the back of the clio will just destroy the balance, and i can tell you from experience they are not fun to drive like that.

Thinking it extends the life of the tyre is a false economy, as you still use the same amount of rubber but it means you just replace all 4 at once instead of 2 at a time but twice as often.

 

[OliS]

I've just swopped my worn fronts to the rears, got 4mm tread left on them, and I didn't fancy their chances surviving Brands this month if they were still on the front. I only find there are handling issues having less tread on the rears in the rain, so I just take it a bit easier in the wet...

 

[FunkyMunky]

my fronts have about 3, maybe almost 4mm of tread left, whereas the back are looking very good (spot the trackday virgin lol), worth doing a swap or run the fronts as they are a bit longer and then buy a new set of tyres? opinions pls!

 

[TracyC]

If you are going to get new tyres, I would recommend going to a local garage rather than Kwik Fit etc as my local garage undercut KF by £40 easily.

Had to replace 2 on drivers side due to 2 (very!!) flat tyres, whilst parked outside the front of my house. Over energetic driving or jealous locals??

Still cost me £160 for 2 Michelin Exalto's!

 

[Steve]

I think this is classified as libel, but Kwik-Fit are a bunch of useless, thieving chimpanzees who all have a criminal record longer than their satisfied customer list.

I was charged £210 for fitting two 15 inch P6000's once and they cost my friends Dad a few thousand after they replaced the exhaust and it failed the MOT a few weeks later. I told my friend that he should have the most worn tyres swapped to the front, so he doesn't experience a sudden loss of rear axle grip after the new fronts have turned in. They all laughed like Gypsies, said I didn't know what I was talking 'bout and even called me a wanker as I was leaving. They will never receive mine or any of my friends business again.

£160 for two Michelin PE2's is pretty good. How are you enjoying the car?

 

[Cue]

I think this is classified as libel, but Kwik-Fit are a bunch of useless, thieving chimpanzees who all have a criminal record longer than their satisfied customer list.

I was charged £210 for fitting two 15 inch P6000's once and they cost my friends Dad a few thousand after they replaced the exhaust and it failed the MOT a few weeks later. I told my friend that he should have the most worn tyres swapped to the front, so he doesn't experience a sudden loss of rear axle grip after the new fronts have turned in. They all laughed like Gypsies, said I didn't know what I was talking 'bout and even called me a ****** as I was leaving. They will never receive mine or any of my friends business again.

£160 for two Michelin PE2's is pretty good. How are you enjoying the car?

Totally agree, thieving feckers. They stung me when i was 17 and didnt know any better. My brakes failed on the way into leeds doing 80 on the motorway - completely failed, no braking at all. Got it into their depot near Jimmy's (thought it would be one or the other) and th stung me for £450 for new braking system, wheel bearings, everything, front and back. this was 13 years back and i was a pennyless student. They will NEVER get any more money from me, family or friends. Thieving bstds.