Everyone knows, or should know, the best tires go on the front. Especially on a FWD vehicle.
#1 You don't want a blow out on the steering axle.
#2 Front tires typically wear faster. Equalize wear on all 4 tires.
#3 Better control and traction on slick surfaces.
Never been in a shop where this wasn't observed.
Now the rotation procedure for non-directional radial tires is open to debate. Although I use the same old method we were taught years ago.
1) A blow out on either end of a vehicle at 90 mph isn't fun any way you look at it, and yes, I've experienced both. After the shock of the initial discovery of the instant flat, and after the 1st few seconds of driver response, there really isn't much difference, if the proper responses were taken.
We agree any blow out is not fun.
However, at 90mph, a few seconds is nearly 300' of travel. That is a lot of travel.
The effect on steering by an effectively flat tire on the front is nearly instantaneous (not a few seconds), and results in a change of major front end stagger. My experiences with a truck front tire blow is an immediate unintended full travel lane change. My thinking in hindsight had I tried to immediately correct while the truck and suspension was stabilizing, everything could have quickly gone out of control. My racing instruction taught in a failure its best to diligently ride it out while you recover control, with gentle steering inputs because with a blown front tire, the steering characteristics have changed radically.
Rear tire sudden stagger doesn't have the same immediate steering effects from a blow out, and steering is an immediate useful tool to help regain any needed control.
Not to burst anybody's bubble here, but this discussion seems to assume a tire with more tread is less likely to blow out then one with less. Not sure we should blindly accept that.
Hydro planning is however directly related to tread depth.
