I replaced my 2 rear tires due to one of them getting a nail in the sidewall that couldn't be fixed. I didn't replace the front tires because they don't need them, and I didn't want to spend the money. Nevertheless, the back tires are now much newer than the front ones.

Question: Should I have the new ones up front? It's 4WD. I've heard differing opinions of which ones wear quicker. Some people say it's wherever the power is, front or rear wheel drive. Others say that the front wear quicker because of steering with them. What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Brian

 

It really depends on the style of vehicle AND the drivetrain. With FWD vehicles, the front tires almost always wear out first, as they take the brunt of the steering, stopping, starting, and of course the obvious burn-outs. RWD vehicles tend to wear out pretty evenly, unless you've got a lead foot . With 4WD/AWD, it just depends on how much power is diverted to the front/rear wheels, and how you drive it.

Aside from that, there are 2 other factors you need to consider as well.

1.) How often you rotate/balance your tires. If done properly, your tires should wear out fairly evenly.
2.) Keeping your tires properly inflated. This can cause premature tire wear if they are over/under inflated.

 

True but,

I have noticed that in my D it steers very tight. This causes the rubber to tare of. But if you don't have a lead foot I would go for the front if you drive in city and do a lot of tight turns not to mention the main breaking is on the front.
Other than that you can always install them on the rear and burn them off! [sm=gears.gif]

 

I've had a problem with my right foot since I was 16, for some reason its much heavier than my left, and often causes this screaching and chirping noise while I drive, it feels as if my foot is made of lead or something.. maybe one day they'll find a cure for me.. so I buy new tires for the front, and put the former front tires on the rear.. it keeps the tires fresher.. otherwise I would most likely get two sets of rear for every set of fronts i go through..

For how hard I am on the loud pedal, I'm rather gentle with the brakes, I draw out my stops for a looong time, but not excessively long.. I'm a sucker for lighting up the rears on dirt roads, in the snow, ice, etc..

 

the only cure is 1.50 gas, It acts almost like an exorcism, as gas that pricey will cure most if not all lead feet around the world.

 

I disagree.

I have aheavy foot as well. Even if I could cure it with gas prices, I don't think it could change my approach. My right foot was also implanted at 16. Maybe aliensplacedit there.I think we might have an epidemic going on here. Although, my left foot is pretty heavy on the brakes. I go through brakes like crazy. But still, my right foot is heavier than my left.

I think we just might be stuck with this.

 

I was afraid of that


as for gas prices, i drive my moms VW most of the time, and it sucks just as bad as the D.. because its a lil 2.0 5spd, I wind it up constantly, and i drive pretty aggessively in morning traffic trying to beat the clock at work.. 43 litres of gas cost me $52, and I'm on pace to get about 380km out of the deal.. that works out to about 11.3L/100km or 20mpg.. that tiny lil car should be getting at least 30mpg.. it prolly doesn't help that theres 180,000 mi on it..[sm=rant.gif]

 

Front tires naturally wear out faster than the rear as most of the workload is always on the front tires.

But take note: If you have a AWD system, all 4 tires must be exactly the same. Usually on AWD systems, all 4 tires wear out evenly with the fronts sometimes still wear out a little faster. So as every suggests, rotate them within your scheduled maintenance routines.

Plus, on AWD systems, if you mismatch your tires, even tho the different tires states the same tire size, there can still be enough different on the size (mainly height) of the tire to damage your AWD transfer case. So make sure all 4 tires are of the same brand and type and size.

 

But,

On an AWD the transfer case is a lot looser. It is built on the concept that I will be on dry hard surfaces all the time. Doesn't this T-case not have a built in coupler inside? This coupler should take out the stress shouldn't it consideringit's AWD?

 

Hydra,

I am not an expert on knowing everything on the T-Case, but what you say makes sense but I doubt it is made to handle the stress continously if any of the tires are of different heights. Just like howwe previously discussed the definition ofFull and part time tranny's on different types of surfaces a while back,. I would have to think the coupler could work out the stress only part time (slippery roads, etc) as it is not design to take out the stress continously (normal conditions).

I read some articles concerning AWD vehicles and owners learning the truth of their T-case being destroyed all because they mixed different brand of tires on their vehicle. Tires from different manufacturers can have as much as 10mm differences in tire height even tho they state the same tire size. I guess 10mm height difference is enough to destroy a full time T-case in as few as thousand miles of driving. I do not think it is as harsh on a differential vs a T-case but then again, it can wear out a differential faster as well if one side of the axle is spinning fast then the other continously.

Since reading those articles, I been changing out all my tires at once using only one brand, one size tires.