I probably need the tires on my car rotated but the front tires have less tread left than the rear ones. Worse of all I don't know when the tires were bought so that I know if it's time to buy new tires, I only drove 13k miles after buying the car!

I'm in Chicago area and was wondering if we need more depth on the rear tires than the fronts for the winter (rain/snow) or can I go ahead and get the tires rotated ?!?

Btw, what tires do your cars run on.

Thanks in advance. I tried in Tires n wheels section but I didn't get any response.

 

You don't need to know at what mileage the tires were bought. You just need to measure the tread depth. Tires should be replaced around 3 30 seconds of tread depth. 2 30 sec is leagally bald.

Conventional wisdom says that on a FWD car it is best to have the tires with the most amount of tread in the front. But that is not actually true. For hazardous weather conditions it is best to have the tires with the most amount of tread on the rear, for a FWD car. Keeping the tires with the most amount of tread on the front is mainly to keep them wearing evenly.

Take a penny and stick it into the tread. If you can see the top of Abe's head the it is time to replace the tires. That is a simple way to tell. It should be visually obvious as well.

 

Thanks Mike for your reply. I googled after I saw your reply and found this on the very same website that I've been searching tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...llnewtires.jsp

So, I won't be rotating tires at this point, but might think if I can just buy 2 tires for now before the snow season starts .. only after determining how much life the rear tires have.

Btw, may I know what tires you run on ?

 

I have heard this statement many times but I dont understant the ideology behind it. How can you use tires with less traction on driving wheels and the wheels that have 70% or more of stopping power. I just dont understand it!

regards, Bart.

 

The drive wheels have inherint traction because the are the ones putting down the power. The front wheels are able to be controlled by steering and down shifting while the rears do not have that ability and need all the help they can get....I know it seems to go against traditional thinking. I wish I could explain it better. I had a class at the Bridgestone/Firestone training center and the instructor exlained it real well but I can't seem to remeber his analogy or particular example. I am sure there is a memeber here who can explain it better.

 

One explanation I found in discount tire website:

http://www.discounttire.com/dtc/broc...wTiresRear.jsp

 

I wouldnt want to look hard-headed or seem like a smart ***, but wouldnt you want a better tire on front to help you steer away from a pothole or an accident. I dont know, I guess you guys are right.

regards, Bart.

 

Look at that link posted before your post.

Also, with the motor being in the front there is much more weight. It's a lesser of two evils more than anything.

 

I bought 2 Falken tires to replace worn fronts (2/32 and 3/32 left) and got these new ones on the back and the previous rears (5.5/32 and 6/32) are now on the front. I thought this second pair got half life more

Traction looks and feels good in snow and rain, gotta see how the wear is.

Thanks for the input Mike.

 

My friend bought Falken Ziex-es and he loved them for 1000 miles and now he hates them. They are loud and they vibrate. Same with me, I have Dunlop SP Sport A2 and they were great at first but after 5000 miles, they are LOUD! Traction is great in all weather but noise is terrible. Next tire for me will be either Yokohama AVS dB S2 or Bridgestone Potenza RE950. Rather pricy but well worth the money.

Regrads, Bart

 

I am on my second pair of RE950's and really like them. They are not the ultimate performance tire by any means but the are really good in the dry and wet. Good enough to get through the winter but you just have to be careful in any amount of snow. My first pair was 235/45/17 and now I am on 215/50/15

 

What will be your next tire choice?

regards, Bart

 

So, assuming the stock size on 96 model is 205/65/15, you were going 61.8 mph while you speedo showed 60 mph ... and with your second pair, you were going 55.2 mph while you speedo showed 60 mph ..

now, why did you select such tires mike ?

 

it was a typo, sorry. 215/60/15 is what. That is a stock tire size as well.

In order to really know the diameter you need to look at specs of the specific tire. Some 215/60/15 will be a little less than 25" dimeter and some will be a little more.