Rotating tires without knowing their previous position on car

[Jello53]

Hi guys,

I have a set of winter tires on rims which were removed by a garage (Cdn Tire...) last spring. I've finally decided to start doing my own tire changes as I happened upon a second set of wheels last year. But low and behold, as I opened the bags my tires+rims were in, they were not marked with their original position from which they were removed.

Can I just put any tire anywhere on the car? I see no arrows on them which leads me to believe they can be interchanged between the driver and passenger sides, but I'm worried about wear. Note: they are far from new -- this is likely the last winter these tires will see, they came with my Yaris 2009.

Any tips are appreciated. Thanks!

[Bluevitz-rs]

more than likely the tires that were on the rear will have little stones in the treads and the front ones won't. That's how mine always are every year. As for what side they were on it's a little harder to tell. You'd have to look at the wear pattern on the tread blocks. On the front tires, the front edges of the front tires looking from the top will have a rounded edge because the car is being pulled forward all the time. The rear tires will be opposite because all they do is stop the car.

If there's no real wear to them, then don't worry too much about where they go. Just put the meatiest tires on the front.

This is all provided they aren't a directional tread pattern.

[CoryM]

In terms of wear, put the tires with the best shoulders to the front. The front tires wear more because they do the steering etc.

Note that it is typically considered safest to have the grippier tires on the rear as it is less likely to cause oversteer. I personally do not agree with this as I would rather be able to brake/steer and deal with a little oversteer, but stats have shown that understeer is safer for most drivers.

[IllusionX]

In terms of wear, put the tires with the best shoulders to the front. The front tires wear more because they do the steering etc.

Note that it is typically considered safest to have the grippier tires on the rear as it is less likely to cause oversteer. I personally do not agree with this as I would rather be able to brake/steer and deal with a little oversteer, but stats have shown that understeer is safer for most drivers.
Actually, it is the rear tires that help you stop. That's why the best tires are installed in the rear.

But since we tend to rotate our tires and change all 4 when they are done for, we always put the less worn in front so at the end of the season, all tires are worn equal.

In an ideal world, you would wear down the front tires, and get new tires for the rear and move the old ones to the front.

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[KimmoKekki]

Well first of all check if there is factory printed direction of rotation !
If those are studded -> check stud wear !

[CoryM]

Actually, it is the rear tires that help you stop. That's why the best tires are installed in the rear.

The front tires handle most of the braking due to the weight transfer. 70-80% of braking is done on the front. Best tires on rear is only to reduce oversteer conditions (driving and braking) because inexperienced drivers do not react well to oversteer.

[Jello53]

Thank you all for your input.

Bluevitz, thanks I'll check for little rocks. I did notice some when inspecting my tires last night but I wasn't paying attention.

I don't believe it's a directional pattern, the treads seem symmetrical and I can't find any arrow on them as hard as I look.

As for putting the best in the front or back, I have noticed there are varying opinions on this all over the place. I haven't decided on this yet.

[Bluevitz-rs]

Keep in mind the front tires...

1. Accelerate the car
2. Perform more than 70% of braking
3. Steer the car
4. Break a path through snow and mud for the rear tires to drive through.

[WeeYari]

KISS principle.

Provided you are correct in that they are non-directional, just tread match as best you can the front tires with each other and the rears with each other.

I as well prefer the best tread in front, mostly to mitigate somewhat any hydro-planing concerns I have when running marginal tires.

[Rigaud]

Actually, it is the rear tires that help you stop. That's why the best tires are installed in the rear.

But since we tend to rotate our tires and change all 4 when they are done for, we always put the less worn in front so at the end of the season, all tires are worn equal.

In an ideal world, you would wear down the front tires, and get new tires for the rear and move the old ones to the front.

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This......... (y) A fact and based on tire manufacturers and nothing to do with driving experience.

[CoryM]

This......... (y) A fact and based on tire manufacturers and nothing to do with driving experience.

Can you explain the physics of how rear tires would be more important for braking? They do about 20-30% of braking and help provide stability, but the fronts are doing most of the work.

You also may want to look into why virtually every single production vehicle built in the last 30yrs is designed to understeer. Coles notes: Inexperienced/bad drivers do not react well to oversteer and make it worse by doing the wrong thing. Whereas with understeer their natural reaction is the correct one.

[kimona]

Some information from Tire Rack:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=52

[dogsridewith]

Tread BECOMES directional when a tire has been on one side of a car for a lot of miles. Then, some random place changings of such tires can make handling wacky.