need new front tyres badly! can anyone recommend a tyre brand/model etc? need something quite grippy especially in the wet as car tends to slide a fair bit and semi low profiles cost isn't an issue as I want a good tyre that I can trust that my car isn't going to slip and slide and spin all over the place

I recently bought 4 Toyo's T1R for the 15' alloy, and after 1000km they seems to be the best i've tried for now, i dont have a lot of experience with sports tyres but these are absolutely great for handling and pretty much comfortable as well.
I payed 263£ for all 4, pretty good price for me.

Why wont you replace all 4 at once? what's the rear tyres condition and how old are they?

This has been done to death before, but:

If you are fitting just two new tyres, then for safety reasons they should be fitted to the rear wheels, and the existing part worn tyres should be moved to the front. Having more grip at the front than the rear can lead to dangerous handling issues.

Reputable tyre dealers will do this without additional charge. Some will refuse to fit them any other way, due to potential liability concerns.

speedyreidy said:

need new front tyres badly! can anyone recommend a tyre brand/model etc? need something quite grippy especially in the wet as car tends to slide a fair bit and semi low profiles cost isn't an issue as I want a good tyre that I can trust that my car isn't going to slip and slide and spin all over the place

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They are pretty much all the same really, unless you get rubbish Chinese tires. I have Toyo's on my car, were 40 euros cheaper than the equvalent Dunlops or Goodyears. Check the one with the best price and the best EU rating. Also, if you are interested, check the treadwear rating, my tires have a rating of 420 which is quite high meaning that my compound is hard, so less grip but lasts much longer. Since the Fiat 500 handles awfully anyway, i dont really need sticky tires. = )

Conversely to what JR is suggesting, I ALWAYS have newer tyres on the front of a front-wheel-drive car.

Every single place ANY of my FWD cars have been to have ALWAYS said to put the new tyres on the front.

Better braking, better traction. Never ever ever EVER had a problem.

Regards,
Mick

Mick F said:

Conversely to what JR is suggesting, I ALWAYS have newer tyres on the front of a front-wheel-drive car.

Every single place ANY of my FWD cars have been to have ALWAYS said to put the new tyres on the front.

Better braking, better traction. Never ever ever EVER had a problem.

Regards,
Mick

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Sorry Mick, but this is just plain bad advice, and downright dangerous.

If you don't believe me, just google "why put best tyres on rear". Or read this.

The internet is full of videos illustrating the point, but it's just basic physics - it is much harder to keep control of a car if the rear breaks away before the front. You need your best rubber on the rear, especially when it's wet.

It's a commonly held misconception that you should put fresh rubber on the front of a FWD car (see this story), but there is overwhelming evidence that new tyres should never be fitted to the front wheels alone. All the major tyre manufacturers recommend putting new tyres on the rear when only replacing two.

Life is precious, and you only get one. Why take unnecessary risks?

Mick F said:

Conversely to what JR is suggesting, I ALWAYS have newer tyres on the front of a front-wheel-drive car.

Every single place ANY of my FWD cars have been to have ALWAYS said to put the new tyres on the front.

Better braking, better traction. Never ever ever EVER had a problem.

Regards,
Mick

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This sort of self assured ignorance is why I don't post on this forum anymore.

All major tyre manufacturers disagree Mick. But hey, you know best about everything

306maxi said:

This sort of self assured ignorance is why I don't post on this forum anymore.

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Sooo...............YOU didn't write this then? you've been hacked?


It is true, tho, new on rear, and it does go against perceived wisdom In performance / fast rally situations then not true, as you are powering hard thro every corner, dragging the rear behind you, but for normal driving, then it is so, as when cornering then the rear is 'dead weight' being thrown out on the bend by inertia, and needs all the help it can get with grip. Didn't believe it myself, as I always 'drive' around corners, but one day in our old Yaris, I came into a roundabout at less than 30, a bit damp, easy on the gas, and sure as anything, it performed a perfect 180. Yes the front tyres were newer on the front.

There is a video somewhere , on a test track, that proves this theory.

Well, I'll bow to people's wisdom. Thank you for putting me straight.

However, I will continue to keep the best rubber on the front just like I always have done and always been advised to do.

I've been driving for 45years and other than a Humber Sceptre and a Hillman Hunter plus two Hillman Imps, all my cars have been FWD.
No less than seven Minis ........ vans, estates, saloons over the years
Plus:
Talbot Samba
Talbot Horizon
Peugeot 205
Renault Clio

and now a Fiat 500TA

The only car I ever spun (or even got close to it) was the Hillman Hunter.

Regards,
Mick.

So you will continue to go against what tyre manufacturers say?

The whole point is that in the wet your performance will be front end limited and that if you get near the limits you'll feel it through the steering wheel and slow down or not be able to gain speed due to lack of traction. With the best tyres on the front you'll be quicker l, right up to the point you go off the road.....

You can drive around all year with bald tyres and as long as no nuns step out in front of you in the wet then you wont have any issues. Doesn't mean it's the safe thing to do and that's the mistake you're making. One day you may find yourself on a brand new pair of front tyres and with rears a bit worn and on a nice wet bend the back end is going to step out and there will be nothing you can do.

Anyway, my rock is calling and I'm going to crawl back under it and enjoy watching the same old people giving out dangerous advice.

So for my own info, what happens if you've got quite worn tyres on the front and fresh ones on the back and you have to brake suddenly in the wet at speed because someone has suddenly stopped on front of you, all the weight shifts to the front and save the abs are you not more likely to hit the car? I completely agree with the advice btw but just wonder does it apply in all situations? It could be a pedestrian after all. Apologies if this has been done to death already.

That is my thinking.

If you brake, the weight shifts forward, and you need the grip at the front.
If you go round a corner too fast, you need grip at the front to get you round the corner rather than sliding straight on.

I'll say again, I've never spun a FWD car or even ever come close to it. Moreover, I've had a couple of occasions over the years that the car hasn't gripped on a corner and the car has slid straight on with the wheels turned. No sign of the back end moving out at all.

Cheers,
Mick.

Mercky said:

So for my own info, what happens if you've got quite worn tyres on the front and fresh ones on the back and you have to brake suddenly in the wet at speed because someone has suddenly stopped on front of you, all the weight shifts to the front and save the abs are you not more likely to hit the car? I completely agree with the advice btw but just wonder does it apply in all situations? It could be a pedestrian after all. Apologies if this has been done to death already.

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In this scenario, worn tyres on the front will increase your stopping distance but you'll remain in control of the car, so you can still steer out of the way of the pedestrian and, if a crash is unavoidable, choose the safest object to impact.

Lose the rear and you're out of control; you've lost even the ability to choose where you crash.

Mick F said:

If you brake, the weight shifts forward

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and the rear of the car, which on a small FWD hatch is already light, becomes even lighter, and the ability of the tyres to resist any sideways forces on the back end becomes further reduced. Remember the frictional force that's stopping you sliding is proportional to the downward force acting perpendicular to the surface, and as the rear lightens under braking, that downward force reduces.

The thing to remember is that once the back end starts to slide, in the real world, you're a passenger from that point on. Preventing the back end from sliding keeps you in control.

Sometimes knowledge and understanding just moves on; us 'old dogs' need to adapt and learn some new tricks.

Mercky said:

So for my own info, what happens if you've got quite worn tyres on the front and fresh ones on the back and you have to brake suddenly in the wet at speed because someone has suddenly stopped on front of you, all the weight shifts to the front and save the abs are you not more likely to hit the car? I completely agree with the advice btw but just wonder does it apply in all situations? It could be a pedestrian after all. Apologies if this has been done to death already.

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Indicative braking distances for different tread depths are on page 9 of this document.

http://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/...a/download/everything-about-tyres-2010-en.pdf

Personally, I would rather drive with a slightly increased braking distance than an increased risk of a rear end skid in an fwd car.

Incidentally, I swap tyres out at 3mm tread and new ones always go onto the rear axle.

jrkitching said:

Sometimes knowledge and understanding just moves on; us 'old dogs' need to adapt and learn some new tricks.

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No doubt you are quite correct!

The best advice I can give, is not to have worn tyres at all, be them on the front or the rear. I can't remember when I last tried to extend the life of a tyre by wearing them to the limit. Not worth it at all.

Also, I don't think I've ever aquaplaned. If I have, it had no affect and I never noticed.

Grip on a dry road is better with slicks, but as soon as there's any wet or damp, you need tread. The legal minimum of 1.6mm tread depth is just that ........... an absolute minimum, not a target.

Regards,
Mick.

Back to the original question - since the originals wore out many, many moons ago, I've been putting Maxxis on. MAP1's. I've never found the limit on them in the dry or wet, and I do drive it quite hard.
I also like the deep rim protectors on them. I'm on the third set now - however the wheels have been transferred to my Panda having made way for the new 500 alloys that came with tyres - the make of which eludes me at the mo. old age is a terrible thing


MAXI....you're back... the forums been a little boring without your input.

I replaced the original Contis on my TA (15 inch, 45 profile) with Yokohamas a couple of years ago. I can't remember the exact type, but they are directional. No issues so far, grip seems good. Like Mick, I have previously favoured putting the newer tyres on the front, but the logic for doing otherwise is compelling, and I shall do so in future. As Mick says, it's safest to replace the tyres well before 1.6mm whatever you do. Incidentally, the front/rear wear ratio on my 500 is lower than on any previous fwd car I've had, so I expect to replace all 4 again when the fronts are at 3mm, the rears will be about 4.

Mick F said:

I don't think I've ever aquaplaned. If I have, it had no affect and I never noticed.

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You don’t, because you would have noticed total loss of control.

306maxi said:

If you're going to be like that I'll stick around

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Please do.

muttleysdad said:

MAXI....you're back... the forums been a little boring without your input.

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Yes, welcome back, Maxi. We've missed you. We value much of what you have posted here. The forum hasn't been quite the same without you.

That said, I've also deleted more posts this afternoon than I've deleted in the past month.

Comments, opinions and criticism are all welcome here - flaming & trolling isn't, no matter who started it.

Now look - no one is to flame anyone - until I blow this whistle. Do you understand? Even (and I want to make this absolutely clear), even if they do say to put your best tyres on the front.