Can you mix and match front and rear tires?
The short answer is that, in general, manufacturers do not recommend tire mixing at all. For optimal safety and performance, it is recommended that vehicles are fitted with the same tires to every wheel position on your car.
For optimal safety and performance, Continental recommends fitting the same tires to every wheel position on your car, so drivers should have the same brand, size, tread pattern, load index, and speed rating on the front and rear tires.
Functionally, mismatched tires will wear out at different rates. If all four tires are the same size and model, and the owner has been rotating the tires appropriately, there should never be a reason for mismatched tires.
Sometimes, people choose to put larger tires on the rear axle of their vehicle for handling reasons, cosmetic reasons, etc. Before you make a decision like this though, you should take a look at your vehicle's manual and see what tire and wheel sizes are recommended.
For optimal safety and performance, we recommend fitting the same tyres to every wheel position on your car, so you should have the same brand, size, tread pattern, load index and speed rating on the front and rear tyres.
Uneven tread wear
Mixing tires prevents the even distribution of weight across the four wheels. Unless you remove the odd tire, it's going to cause some tires to wear out faster – even if you rotate tires or keep them aligned.
According to Tire Review, new tires should always go in the back. Rear tires provide the vehicle stability, and if they have little tread, then stability is lost.
It's usually dependent on the vehicle itself and the remaining tread depths on the other tires. It's always best to replace all 4 tires at the same time. This is because all 4 tires spin independently of one another, and different tread depths and/or styles can cause them to spin at different speeds.
If two of your tires wear out faster, it may only be necessary to replace those two instead of replacing all four. If you do, it's important to have the two new tires installed on the back and the partially worn tires moved to the front – even on front-wheel-drive vehicles.
Driving your vehicle with a non-recommended mix of tire sizes, constructions, and speed ratings can be dangerous and illegal.
Can you have 1 different tire?
Yes, it is possible to change only one tire, but only when the other three tires have most of their treads intact. The reason four tires must be similar is because it will lend uniformity in handling and overall vehicle performance, which encompasses activities such as cornering, braking and accelerating.
Yes, mismatched tires can cause transmission problems. It doesn't matter whether you're driving a two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive vehicle. What is this? Mismatched tires can cause a host of issues in the drivetrain, including the transmission.
While you may be able to get away with using various brands and models, using different sized tires and wheels can lead to accidents and expensive maintenance issues. Mismatched tires and wheels put constant stress on your vehicle's suspension and transmission, along with your brakes and ABS system.
Once you choose a tire size for your vehicle, you'll want to stick with that size when you buy replacements. The reason for this is that a differently sized tire can confuse your speedometer and even cause damage to your vehicle's anti-lock braking systems and stability system calibrations.
Do not do it. If it is on a driven wheel, you will wear out the differential. If not, the braking and steering will be bad and dangerous.
Reasons to Avoid Replacing Only One Tire
To achieve optimum vehicle handling, ride comfort, and road traction, it's generally recommended that you have all four tires replaced at the same time.
The other, more significant difference is tyre construction type. There are two main tyre build variations that car and van drivers can typically choose to fit – cross-ply and radial-ply. Each has its own benefits and strengths, but these characteristics should never be mixed and fitted together.
Tires 101 - Why Two New Tires ALWAYS Go On The Rear
If the best tires are on the front, it allows the rear axle to hydroplane, float, and skid, which even for the most skilled driver is hard to control on a front-wheel-drive.
Under normal driving circumstances with a front-wheel drive vehicle (passenger cars, minivans, etc.), the front tires will wear at a slightly higher rate than the rear tires.
Should I replace two or four tires? In the context of all-wheel drive vehicles, you should replace all four at the same time. On two-wheel drives, if you don't plan on replacing all four, it's best to replace in pairs, the two front or the two rear, depending on which tire(s) need replacement.
Do I need alignment after replacing tires?
We recommend an alignment after the installation of new tires. This helps you get the most life from your new tires. Wheel alignment checks are always advised after a significant impact or uneven tire wear is detected.
Placing the new tires on the rear axle helps maintain safer and more predictable handling. As you approach 70 percent worn or more, you should just replace all four tires. To maintain optimum and balanced handling, remember not to change the type of tire.
But even with regular rotations, your tires can still wear unevenly if your vehicle has different-sized tires on the front and back (the “staggered fitment” we mentioned earlier), has an alignment or other mechanical problem, or if you don't keep up with maintenance. Even driving conditions can cause uneven wear.
4WD and AWD vehicles require special attention to insure that all four tires are closely matched in diameter to avoid strain and possible damage to the vehicle's differentials and/or viscous couplings.
Uneven tire wear can cause your wheels to become unbalanced and unbalanced wheels shake your car! This can be difficult to diagnose but a skilled auto mechanic can find the problem in a flash.
Because of the stresses placed on them, the front tires of a front-wheel drive vehicle normally wear faster than the tires on the rear. This is why car manufacturers recommend periodically rotating a vehicle's tires – to keep the tread wear on all four tires more or less equal throughout their lifespan.
If two of your tires wear out faster, it may only be necessary to replace those two instead of replacing all four. If you do, it's important to have the two new tires installed on the back and the partially worn tires moved to the front – even on front-wheel-drive vehicles.
Tyre rotation is the process of changing the position of the tyres on your vehicle, often done by swapping front and rear car tyres. Ideally, tyres should be rotated at intervals of 6000 miles for cars and around 4000 miles for 4x4 vehicles, unless the manufacturer states otherwise.
According to Tire Review, new tires should always go in the back. Rear tires provide the vehicle stability, and if they have little tread, then stability is lost.
On a front- or rear-wheel-drive vehicle, similar guidelines apply. If half or more of the tread on all four tires is gone, replacing just one tire will result in one wheel spinning at a slower rate than the others, possibly sending false signals to the traction control and antilock braking systems.