Grippy tyres front or back

[jimny33]

Right got some new Toyos fitted to teh astra yesterday which means i have the toyos on the front (brand new) and avons on the back (1000 miles max)

should them be left like that as it is a fwd car or should i have the more grippy toyos on the back of the car? :D

[stampede]

If I remember right, the usual advice is to put the grippier tyres on the back as understeer is easier to deal with than oversteer.

I could be wrong though, I'm no expert...

[Gnasher]

Look out, this'll open a big can of worms!

Vauxhall recommend grippiest on the front, the whole of the tyre industry recommend grippiest on the rear.

I'm sticking with grippiest on the rear and always swapping part worns to the front and new ones on the rear

[ZS]

Yeah, I always put the better tyres on the back. Have the Eagle F1's on the back, the wonderful Vredsteins on the front.

[steve172]

Good ones on the back seems to be the way forward.

[cyb]

oh no not this one again....:sus:

your handbook says put them on the front.. look at INDEX /TREAD DEPTH (might be page 181)

[spamiser]

yeah, old rear tyres go on front, new tyres on back!!! but vauxhall give odd advice and suggest the opposite just to confuse the matter :lol:

[Zletsgo]

I have always put the new on the front and never experienced any difference in handling - will be sticking to this as well.

My cousin nearly killed us when he put 2 new tyres on the back ofhis Golf and left worn one's on the front....still have the chipped bone in my shoulder to remind me :roll:

With a crap tyre you have more chance of a blow out - try stopping from 70 with a front blow out, it's no joke!

[jimny33]

well my back tyres arent rewally worn at all im just wonder if the toyos are slightly more grippy and should be on the back rather than teh question of being warn lol

[Andy SRi]

Well with only 1000 miles between the tyres you can put the Toyo`s on the front no problem. The Toyo`s are a softer compound and will wear slightly quicker.

[jimny33]

yeah was thinking of swapping the tryes around so i get a few more miles out of teh toyos

im assume that there isnt much difference to play with between the avons and the toyos?

[Minty]

I previously had avons on the front of my car and they worn soooo unevenly due to the soft tyre wall. Keep em on the back.(Y)

[prmort]

On the back every time for me......

[vauxhallman]

I always like the grippiest on the front. General recommendations are to put new tyres on the back, but seeing as the front does 70% of the braking, I prefer to be able to stop quicker if I need to.

[Stuart]

With a crap tyre you have more chance of a blow out - try stopping from 70 with a front blow out, it's no joke!

It'll be easier than trying to control a car with a rear blow out.

Fifth gear did a test with Tiff Needel a couple of years ago where they fitted an explosive charge in tyres to simulate a blow out. When the front tyre blew he managed to catch the car and bring it to a stop safely, however when the back blew the car immediately span before he even had a chance to stop it.

So yeh new tyres on the back.

[sri 150]

New ones on the back, the logic is that as the fronts wear you end up with better grip at the rear.
If new tyres are fitted at the front then the better grip is reversed which may catch you out if taken to the limit.
Fit new ones to the rear and the old rears to the front and the characteristics remain the same with better grip at the rear.

[MikeyNI]

I always put the new on the front, never had a problem with this in nearly 15 years and thousands of miles of driving.

[Zletsgo]

It'll be easier than trying to control a car with a rear blow out.

Fifth gear did a test with Tiff Needel a couple of years ago where they fitted an explosive charge in tyres to simulate a blow out. When the front tyre blew he managed to catch the car and bring it to a stop safely, however when the back blew the car immediately span before he even had a chance to stop it.

So yeh new tyres on the back.


Have had a rear blow out and it was a lot easier than trying to brake when the front one went - remember which end the brakes are and the steering:o

[Zletsgo]

I always put the new on the front, never had a problem with this in nearly 15 years and thousands of miles of driving.

Amen - and I used to go through tyres every 2/3months on the front and maybe a set every 9 months on the rear (36k a year).

Maybe my reactions are superhuman like yours Mikey :D

Always makes you wonder why VXL a part of the largest car manufacturer and I have also seen Audi (so probably rest of the VAG group) instructions for putting the best tyre on the front? :sus:

[Silversport]

I put the better one's on the corsa on the front and put it this way, I don't have it any more for that reason :(

[Johns1946]

Have had a rear blow out and it was a lot easier than trying to brake when the front one went - remember which end the brakes are and the steering:o

It's more an issue with stability than braking. The car is, as TN found out, much less stable with a failed rear tyre than a failed front tyre and so less likely to stop in a straight line. This is especially true for modern cars where the steering geometry is designed to compensate for imbalance in the grip of front tyres. Having the least worn tyres on the rear can help avoid snap oversteer on slippery roads if you lift off part way through a bend. Looking in the manual I can't see where Vx specifically recommend putting new tyres on the front, but they do seem to recommend changing tyres front to rear when the wear on the front exceeds that of the rear tyres. This may be their way of ensuring that the grip front and rear remains balanced, and avoiding a situation where the grip is significantly different - because you'll end up buying 4 tyres, not 2!

JS

[markonline1]

Well as this thread proves, as the same one before it did, is that we should all agree to disagree. I was first advised to put new on the rear by a mate in the trade around 4 years ago, and since then a few others have said the same. I now always stick my new uns on the rear. Lots of people are still clearly putting the new ones on the front, and as far as I know, we are not slipping and sliding all over the place, so I just wonder if it makes any difference at all.

[stampede]

I think it's all theoretical really... :)