Question of the week: Should new tyres go on the front or the back of the car?

David Ross, Editor
Fri, 20 Sept 2024

Dear Honest John,

"My car needs two new tyres, but should they go on the front or the back axle?"

- DJ

Dear DJ,

Although the obvious answer to this question might be that they should go on the front axle - which is responsible for steering, the majority of braking and also acceleration for most cars on the road - tyre manufacturers generally recommend that two new tyres are fitted to the rear of the vehicle.

UK charity TyreSafe gives the following explanation: "New tyres on the rear axle provide better driver control on wet roads. This is because tyres with deeper tread are better at displacing water and give better grip."

It says that if the new tyres are fitted at the front the car, then it is more likely to oversteer when grip is lost in wet weather, which is much harder to control than understeer.

The potential downside of this approach is the possibility of increased braking distances in the event of an emergency stop, but for the majority of drivers this is still a more manageable situation than unwanted oversteer.

The ideal scenario is of course to fit four new tyres, but this is a more expensive option. Making regular checks on your tyres for tread depth and pressure will help get the most mileage out of them.

Rotating your tyres between front and back can also help to maintain even wear across all four wheels to give more predictable handling characteristics.

Ask HJ

Is it legal for a dealer to sell a car with different brand tyres?

In February 2024 I bought an Approved Used car from a main dealer. The car was ten months old. When I collected the car I did not notice that it had three tyres of one brand but the fourth was different. I should have seen this of course but did not check properly before I drove it away. I then became pre-occupied by the unwanted "driver assistance" menus and only realised the problem when the tyre pressure warning light alerted me. The dealer's workshop looked at the matter and reported that the tyres were all correctly inflated, as indeed they were. Not really the point. Still the tyre pressure warning light persisted. Having at last examined the tyres even I saw the mismatch. Since the dealer showed little interest I went elsewhere for a new tyre to match the other three. My question: Is it illegal for a dealer to deliver me a car with mixed tyres?

Although having four matching tyres is desirable when purchasing or owning a car, it is in no way illegal to use or sell a car with mismatched tyres. The mistmatched tyre was likely fitted when the original suffered a puncture and it may also have been at this point when the TPMS system was damaged or incorrectly reset.

Answered by David Ross

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