New tyres front or rear?

I think logically, the two new tyres in the front for FWD cars is better on dry roads because of the increased grip in the front.

However, I think they are right to advocate placing the newer tyres in the back, because the real danger is when it gets wet and the tyres at the back hydroplane... you will lose control of the car, which is very dangerous.

If the older tyres in the front starts hydroplaning, you can feel it on the steering wheel and brake to slow down, or correct for the "slide".

 

Now, this is assuming that the tires have the same characteristic / model. This is a very subjective matter. In dry weather, there shouldn't be much difference in grip. In wet weather, the depth of the thread matters.

For car stability in wet weather, tires with deeper thread should be in the back.

If both of your front tires hydroplane, typically you will keep moving forward. You will loose braking capabilities, and when you try to corner, you under-steer.

If both of your back tires hydroplane, typically you will still keep moving forward, however in the event of sudden braking or turning/cornering, the car wants to keep moving in the same direction, but your front tires are changing the direction. This is where you loose control/over-steer.

Why do you think cars are designed to under-steer? Because it is more stable.

So, put better tires behind if you don't want to loose control when you hydroplane.

 

This is a subjective topic. Most videos will tell you to put newer tyres behind.

But having driven for so long at high speeds (beyond the usual speed limit sometimes), I have never had aquaplaning before, because I made sure I buy good tyres, understand their limits, before doing anything crazy, regardless of putting newer tyres in front or at the back.

You should swap tyres regularly to ensure even tyre wear, and this is something that most people don't do. Uneven tyre wear may also indicate suspension component faulty or bad wheel alignment.

Our weather is predictable, it's either sunny or down pour. Just buy the best "summer" tyre for your wheels, forget about comfort and noise, your life is worth more than those tyres.

Edit: I just noticed that the videos above asking the driver to drive at insane speed, and stabbing on the brakes.

 

Ya, proper tires do make a difference in vehicle stability.

I never hydroplaned before because, I make sure my tires have sufficient tire depth. Snow = worse than hydroplaning. I do pull my handbrake in snow to slide the car around.

People loose control of their car because of car stability (oversteer>understeer). Tire pressure can also affect vehicle stability.

 

I think they are just looking at it from the "worst case" scenario POV.

Besides, there so many tyre models and variants out there, it's virtually impossible to know which offers better performance in the wet before buying. There are tyre reviews but they are limited in range.

So I guess the conclusion is if we just replace two new tyres, we should put them in the back?

 

BTW, another danger even with "brand new" tyres is their age. They are not supposed to be older than 6 years old.

Once, I bought tyres that were more than 6 years old (ignorant at that time), only to discover that their walls were flexing - my car was swaying from side to side.

Damn dangerous, as you can imagine. Immediately swapped them out. Learned to also check for the tyre's age.

 

If you have a FWD car, usually the tyres on the front are the same size as the back. There's really no reason for you to just change 2 tyres at a time. Make it a habit to swap tyres every 10k-15k km, check for tyre wear.

I have always replaced all 4 tyres at the same time, never just on 1 axle. It is also quite likely that the tyres on your car is no longer in production. Newer tyres are usually better too.

 

Yeah, the problem is not swapping tyres frequently enough. By the time I wanted to do it (earlier), they had already worn to one side so much that they said it's better not to swap them until I change them.

In any case, I just changed two tyres on my old Sonata last month, because the other two still had a lot of depth left and will easily last another 4-6 months.

The new Sonata had all four changed about 6 months ago. I'm now swapping them every 5K or so, right after each oil change.

 

I think it's best to wait until just before GST implementation. Should be the lowest at that time since petrol and rubber prices are still dropping.

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk

 

Hmm... Does anyone know if there's a sales tax imposed on tyres?

AFAIK, car prices should drop a little (1-3%) after GST is implemented, and so should spark plugs, brake pads and car batteries.

On the other hand, motorcycle prices will rise due to GST. I think they are not charged any sales tax right now, so they should go up by 6% because of GST.

 

Other than those 3 items, I assume the rest will be imposed GST. I'm not going to take any chances, plus it's the first time in recent history that we have heard tyre prices reduction.

Don't forget alignment, tyre balancing will be be taxable.

 

I had real bad luck this year with tires, had to change 2 tires They aren't even a year old. One developed 2 bubbles, probably from the potholes. Another one I blew couple of months later, hitting a big pothole

Same brand through, but tire shop had to get it from another location/branch that had it in stock.

 

I'm pretty sure there's currently a tax on tyres in Malaysia, because right next door, in Singapore... tyres are A LOT cheaper!

You can get premium tyres for what we pay for "normal" tyres here in Malaysia.

 

Potholes are a tyre AND rim killer...

Alan went into a pothole last year and killed not only his tyre but also cracked the rim.

 

Of course they will say that. Otherwise, people are going to stop buying cars until GST is implemented.

From what I understand, they are predicting a 1-3% drop in car prices once GST is implemented.