Change all 4 tires at once ?

MotionMotion New Wagonist
in Suspension, Braking & Wheels
The AWD that i bought has front tires with decent to good looking tread.. But the back were dry rotted.. Is it ok to put new tires on with out changing all 4 ? Someone had mentioned too put the tallest tread in the front? Is that ok to do ? or is it necessary to change all of them ?

Comments

  • NZ-DB8RNZ-DB8R Moderator
    2 at a time is fine, I would put the new ones on the front for added grip
  • MotionMotion New Wagonist
    Does it matter if the new tires are a different brand ? I noticed that the good tires on there, are delta magestics , and there are no dealers around here ..
  • ragenasianragenasian Moderator
    Motion wrote:
    Does it matter if the new tires are a different brand ? I noticed that the good tires on there, are delta magestics , and there are no dealers around here ..

    No it won't matter. Just keep all four the same size.
  • doitdubdoitdub familEE
    NZ-DB8R wrote:
    2 at a time is fine, I would put the new ones on the front for added grip
    I know it goes against what seems like common sense, but it's recommended to put the new ones on the rear...even with a FWD car.
    http://www.michelinman.com/tire-care/ti ... re-change/
    ragenasian wrote:
    Motion wrote:
    Does it matter if the new tires are a different brand ? I noticed that the good tires on there, are delta magestics , and there are no dealers around here ..

    No it won't matter. Just keep all four the same size.
    I would also try and make sure they are all the same speed rating.
  • DarrenDarren Wagonist
    Just make sure you never put two different sizes on the same end (front or back) and it'll be fine.
  • JakerJaker familEE
    The real issue in this case is the viscous coupler. If the rears are a significant enough difference in diameter bigger than the fronts, the viscous coupler will be fooled into a slip detecting situation and try to appportion some torque to the back wheels on an ongoing basis. What amount of torque will be sent to the back is difficult to tell, and what the difference in diameter needs to be is also not cut and dried. That is why I suggest the larger diameter always go on the front.

    Ask the guy over on H-T how hot the viscous coupler in his RT4WD Del Sol got when he switched out the CRV rear diff for a Wagon one and installed a Wagon driveshaft with viscous coupler. Since the CRV diff has a slightly shorter drive ratio than the Wagon one, his viscous coupler was active fulltime, and it got insanely hot.
  • pLaYbOipLaYbOi Wagonist
    dotdub, i'm so surprised to see that link lol. I use to work at the tire center at the costco that i am still employed at. we sell michelins and putting on new tires on the rear has always been a part of our policy. Its definitely safer to do so but not ideal for wearing the tires evenly(obviously).

    Motion, if it were me, i would just go ahead and buy a full matching set of tires so you can perform rotations regularly(6k-8k normnally suggested). i dont know how old the other 2 newer tires are but keep in mind that tires are generally good for about 5 years before they show signs of dry rot. If this were a 2wd vehicle, i wouldn't stress it too much but taking the risk in ruining the RT4WD drive train to save a couple bucks isn't worth it.

    if you're still leaning towards the idea of purchasing 2 new tires, i would look into bring the new tires to a shop that can shave them down to at most, 4/32nds of the older tires. i have no idea how much it costs but it seems kinda silly to take this route as well :lol:
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