Another vote for best tires to the rear.

If you have a blow out on a front tire, you can directly control the direction of travel with the steering wheel. Rear tire not so much. Odds of new tire blowing out should be less than older tires.

Kevin

This was also the policy at Sears and even watched videos of cars on a track both wet and dry with new tires on front then rear. But as stated, it's ur car and when you leave the shop you can swap them back, put on a surgical mask, and go to Walmart.

I would disagree with the absolute conclusion vehicle stability/control is more upset by rear tire blow out vs front steering axle, I feel its the opposite.

The vehicle is going tend to go in the direction of the blowout. If the front left goes boom, it's a matter of turning the steering wheel to the right to stay out of oncoming traffic. If the rear left goes, you actually would have to steer towards oncoming traffic should it step out of line to keep it gathered up and depending on circumstance and skill level, could still lose control.

Kevin

If the tread depth difference is large, then yeah, rear is better. Having an ass end that’s really loose gets people in trouble in life. (Wink) If the difference is small (like a 1/3 of the total depth) I wouldn’t sweat it, after all, if you put the good tires on the front it’s self correcting on most cars.

That's the point, if a left front blows, its instantly headed to on coming traffic, because of slight increase in rolling friction, but mainly influenced by a ride height loss resulting in artificial turn banking, requiring an immediate correction, that depends on a lot of steering traction that has been sacrificed with the blown now outside turning tire. The factors mentioned above with a front tire blow out do not exist or are much reduced or don't exist with a rear wheel blow out.

I suspect the danger is increased by the simple suddenness of a front tire blow out, requiring absolute immediate steering correction, which also I suspect is usually an over correction by a shocked driver. A rear tire blow out situation takes relatively time to develop, unless driver is in a turn or heavily on the brakes, which effects both situations front or rear

on my caravan, the best tires always go on the rear.
mainly because they are 235-70's and they hit the strut bottoms if i try to put them on the front.
the front get 215's.
big-n-littles ya know.........

I have been reading the answers looking for this. Driver training has taught us this over the years. You can take some corrective action when having an issue with front tire/tires by steering, but cannot with rears.

Apparently you were absent during the whole “steer in the direction of skid” portion of driver’s training ?

Sometimes you gotta turn right to go left

Yes, I went for coffee. Thanks for setting me straight.

Steer in direction of skid if my rear tires lose traction.

There are scenarios in which you would rather have better ones in front. This is just generally speaking.

What a topic.

If you aunt had a beard would she be your uncle or still be your aunt?

Um, how long of a beard?

That depends on the location of the "beard" now doesn't it?

I thought I got mine in 6th grade driving go karts with slicks on mud, but then I stumbled on old 8mm home movies when I was 3 pedaling my red tractor on the bad mitten court that I watered with a hose, because copious amounts of oversteer was "cool".

That hasn't changed.

PS, I have yet to meet a truck driver that prefers a front tire blow out over a rear, no matter what the truck.

Seems like this is being way over-analyzed....what is a safer handling condition/balance? Oversteer or understeer.? I vote for understeer which is a consequence of more rear grip than front.

Best tires on the rear- Ever experience a blow out at speed in the rear- car goes sideways- hard to recover- 69 Super Bee at 110 mph in 1970- out of control- sidways = luckily berm was a level field- Blow out on front you can steer yourself straight.
I think a reason to have more tread on front is you would have less hydro planing with deeper tread......

what about a mustache ?

One detail never mentioned so far about the personal experiences with rear tire blow out is, what corrective action was initiated, intentionally or not? Let off the gas, stay on the gas, coast, hit the brakes suddenly, yank the steering wheel, steer with the car's new direction and then gently regain control, counter-steer, etc? "Confirmation bias" is likely a factor here. Additionally not many have yet shared they have experienced both front and rear blow outs under any similar conditions to form their opinion.