Winter Tyres - tyres with most tread onto front?

[Kev_Mc]

Almost time to put my winter tyres back on. I've got a set of these:

Nokian WR G2 215/55 R16 97H XL

Got them new for last winter, so this is their second winter. Quickly checked the tread depths today, and it looks like I have 2 tyres at 5mm and 2 at 7mm.

In the past I've always assumed that the tyres with most tread go onto the driven wheels, but I'm sure I've heard somewhere that the reverse is better.

Should the tyres with the most tread go onto the front or the rear wheels? (This is for my 9-5TiD so front wheel drive).

[sgould]

Doesn't matter which end the car is driven, the best tyres go on the rear. 

And the 5mm tread depth is only 1mm from the 4mm minimum tread depth at which the tyre is effective in snow and slush.  Below 4mm it's a summer tyre, until it gets to whatever depth of tread you throw away your summer tyres.  3mm? 1.6mm?

[Kev_Mc]

Doesn't matter which end the car is driven, the best tyres go on the rear. 

I knew I'd heard that somewhere! 

Don't understand why though 

Only thing is,  the ones on the front wear quicker, so if I put the 7mm on the back, the 5mm ones on the front won't last very long before they get below the 4mm threshold. Maybe time to look for a couple of winter tyres! 

[TomPaine]

Don't understand why though 

http://www.etyres.co.uk/flashmovies/new-tyres-rear-etyres.htm

[Kev_Mc]

Any problems mixing brand of winter tyres (same make on each axle)?

[Kev_Mc]

Don't understand why though 

http://www.etyres.co.uk/flashmovies/new-tyres-rear-etyres.htm

Thanks for that - learn something every day. Excuse to watch VBH too

[sgould]

No problem mixing winter tyres.  The grip will be similar as long as they are a good make.  Beware some of the cheap ones though, there was a recent test that showed that some had no grip on wet roads.  And it's cold and wet weather you buy them for, not just in case it snows.

[Max Headroom]

Any problems mixing brand of winter tyres (same make on each axle)?

I would argue that yes there is, because different tyres perform differently.

So, if in certain conditions, a tyre performs in a certain way on/at a given corner/speed/loading, that is fitted to the outer side of the corner, it is going to perform in a given manner which you may become used to.
Now turn the car around so that the other tyre is on the outer side of the corner it won't perform in the exact same way as the first tyre, simply because it is a different tyre with different characteristics. Not necessarily dangerous, but certainly not ideal.

I know this is a totally different scenario, but for similar reasons, we had a warning at work not to mix Dunlop and Michelin tyres on the same axles on our aircraft.
So if we had a wheel cx to do, and removed a Dunlop for instance, the new wheel and tyre assembly going on in its place had to be a Dunlop - we would then even have to double check the tyre on the other side of the axle was actually a Dunlop too - even though technically, the part number, size, running pressure, and everything else between the different brands was identical. We just could not have a Dunlop and Michelin on the same axle.
(This became a pain because if we had a worn Dunlop on one side of the axle, and only a Michelin to replace it with, we then had tox do two wheel changes so that the axle had two Michelins on it  )
It was also damned wasteful as the part-worn tyre coming off the aircraft that was being rejected simply for its brand, was invariably scrapped

[wrighar]

I'll be putting my 9mm WRG2's on the front and the 8mm WRG2's on the rear.

Hopefully they will all be 7mm in March for 1-2 years more.

The set of W+'s all seem to have 8-9mm each too.

[mikeloadsasaabs]

In theory you're right Trenchfoot, but in practice, on the road, as someone else said as long as they are a "good" tyre (i.e. not ditchfinders) you should be OK.

I've had to do the same on my Aero. Last year I bought a pair of Continental TS830s based on various test reviews. I mentioned in another thread that they didn't seem anything special to me but critically, they wore down to 5mm in just one winter. When I had them fitted, the tyre specialist here in Austria was adamant that the best should go the front - I guess with the generally harsher conditions and steeper gradients it perhaps makes sense. That left me with an unmatched pair on the rear, a Michelin Alpin PA3 and a Semperit Speedgrip. They were unmatched because I had an unrepairable punctured Michelin, and the only tyre they could offer was the Semperit. And the Semperit was V-rated and the Michelin was H!

Being on the rear, they have hardly worn in the last 4 years, and indeed have caused no driveability issues despite being unmatched. So this winter, I have put the Continentals on the rear, for two reasons. Firstly, they will last the winter due to the low tyre wear at the rear so they won't need replacing until next winter, and secondly, the Michelin and Semperit are now 4 years old, so I want to get a last winter's wear out of them before they age-expire so they've gone on the front.

I will probably go back to Michelins next winter, because they are not only grippy, but last 3 times as long.

[sgould]

I am happy with the grip and wear of the Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme.  They lasted three winters when I was doing 20000 miles a year.  It was five tyres, not four as I had an unrepairable puncture.  But two of the tyres still have plenty of tread, so if I had spread the wear a bit better, and not had the puncture, I think I could have got a fourth winter out of the original four tyres - just.

They are quiet and the only downside, I reckoned, was that they could scrabble a bit on damp roads when pulling away.  I was going to see if a lower speed rating than W would help when I changed.  But I don't think it will.  The new H rated Nokians also scrabble in the same situation.

The problem with the Vredesteins is that they are directional.  Once I had the puncture, it was difficult to even out the wear as the only thing I could do was move the wheels front to back. I couldn't put the worst two on the front as one tyre would be pointing in the wrong direction.

That's one reason I chose the Nokians for my wife's car this year.

[AdvancedRoadcraft]

In the past I've always assumed that the tyres with most tread go onto the driven wheels, but I'm sure I've heard somewhere that the reverse is better.

Should the tyres with the most tread go onto the front or the rear wheels? (This is for my 9-5TiD so front wheel drive).

Depends whether you want to slide off the road front end first, sideways or backwards.

Not as sarcastic as it sounds.  Rear wheel slides are more common - but are frequently minor and many drivers can (perhaps with a little training or practice) correct them; when the front wheels "let go" it tends to be more sudden, serious and harder to deal with.

Best (& hoping we all keep the "dirty side down" this winter, B

[luckyegg]

can i add to all this
you don't need a full set of four. it is recormended but from experiance, if you carn't afford them just get 2. on the front.
i have done it before and no many who also do this.
yes the back end will break away quicker under heavy load but as long as the rears have good deep tread it wont make a massive differance.

And sgould just as a comment surely the driven wheels require most grip.
i no when i ran my 9k in the french alps for 6 months once the fronts had gone to about 4/5mm i was unable to drive up hills i had been able to. so the rears got swapped to the fronts and all was back to normal, and did'nt have back end issues.

[sgould]

It's not the driving that's the problem.  It's the cornering in the wet and the stopping.

[TomPaine]

And sgould just as a comment surely the driven wheels require most grip.

No. The better tread should be fitted to the rear even on a FWD car.See the link I posted above for an explanation. Or for a good explanation:

http://www.tyres-online.co.uk/techinfo/rotation.asp

Or:

http://www.klebertyres.co.uk/KleberUK/front/affich.jsp?codeRubrique=8032005184616&lang=EN

"If you are only changing two tyres out of four, whether your vehicle has front- or rear-wheel drive, we recommend fitting the newest tyres on the rear axle. This will give you greater safety in the event of unexpected and difficult situations (emergency braking, tight bends, etc..) especially in the wet. The front tyres generally wear quicker than the rear, especially with front-wheel drive (which applies to the majority of vehicles nowadays). Numerous tests have demonstrated that it is easier to control the front axle than the rear."

Or:

http://www.celtictyres.co.uk/front-rear.php

Or:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/4243992

Etc.