Changing 2 front tires instead of all 4? Also where to go?

[alkalinetaupehat]

I can't, my two back tires are different age and wear! Can I get by winter with changing two front? Why can't I??

OP, I'm in the same boat as you and here's what I'm doing:

1) Buy two tires which are the same make/style as your current tires (Did this, they're ~15ft from me right now)

2) Call shop and make an appointment (Done, going in tomorrow)

3) Have shop replace worn out tires with new ones, then have them move the rear wheels to the front and vice-versa.

BAM! Problem solved.

*Unless you have different sized tires in the back, in which case just replace the two fronts and be extra careful driving. You could also place a 50lb sandbag in the very back to keep the rear tires more planted. 100lbs in the back of our 2WD truck did wonders the single winter we had to drive it.

 

[olds]

Always put the newer tires on the rear!!!

Always

always
always

Always.
Dosen't matter if it's FWD or RWD

 

[alexruiz]

Always.
Dosen't matter if it's FWD or RWD

This is the same video shown by Sears
Thanks!

 

[alevasseur14]

Even though I'm pretty confident in my winter driving skills, I still hate driving during/after a snow storm.

This thread is why.

 

[jlee]

Even though I'm pretty confident in my winter driving skills, I still hate driving during/after a snow storm.

This thread is why.

Snow tires - the difference between hitting the car in front of you, or stopping in time and getting rear-ended yourself.

 

[MBrown]

Always.
Dosen't matter if it's FWD or RWD

This. And RR should be the only type of vehicle you should consider putting 2 snow tires on. 4WD, AWD, and FR must have 4 snows if you buying snow tires. And even with RR its smart just to get 4 snows.

 

[hanoverphist]

it never snows here, so my answer based on that is sure, i do it all the time. i buy my tires in pairs about 6 months apart to help ease the cost on them. while i see snow at least twice a year when i take my kids up north, i rarely have issues since i roll nice AT on my truck and have chains if needed. the most i see here is a few inches of water.

 

[alevasseur14]

Snow tires - the difference between hitting the car in front of you, or stopping in time and getting rear-ended yourself.

LOL! So true!

 

[JCH13]

Snow tires - the difference between hitting the car in front of you, or stopping in time and getting rear-ended yourself.

Delightfully cynical.

 

[desy]

Well hit from behind their fault
You hit from behind your fault

 

[cKGunslinger]

I love Discount Tires for decent prices and quick service.

 

[disappoint]

This is what I tell people.

Tires are cheaper than collision upset claim.

Collision upset? Is that like when you eat an alternator sized amount of beef and get stomach upset?

 

[sdifox]

Collision upset? Is that like when you eat an alternator sized amount of beef and get stomach upset?

Insurance term...

 

[CraigRT]

Faclepalm.


Tires should match per axle. You can have different on the front and rear.

Stupid idea.
The handling characteristics can be so different you will end up in a ditch.
Been there, done that. All four same, or stay off the road.

 

[Vette73]

Stupid idea.
The handling characteristics can be so different you will end up in a ditch.
Been there, done that. All four same, or stay off the road.

Having differant tires in the front vs the rear will not put you in a ditch. Driving like an idiot will do that, no matter if you have all 4 the same tires or 4 differant ones.

 

[CraigRT]

Having differant tires in the front vs the rear will not put you in a ditch. Driving like an idiot will do that, no matter if you have all 4 the same tires or 4 differant ones.

If you have snow tires up front, biting really well in the snow, and regular tires in the rear, not so good in the snow, you can very easily take a turn and have the rear tires let go while the fronts remain planted. Way back when I was younger I tried the 2 tire only method. Totally unsafe!

 

[Vette73]

If you have snow tires up front, biting really well in the snow, and regular tires in the rear, not so good in the snow, you can very easily take a turn and have the rear tires let go while the fronts remain planted. Way back when I was younger I tried the 2 tire only method. Totally unsafe!

And as been said many times, even in this thread, the best tires go on the rear. My DWS, snow, are on the rear and my weaker snow tires are on the front.

 

[ivan2]

put new ones in rear, put existing rear ones in front. if you put the nicer ones in front it is much easier to swap ends.

 

[Arkaign]

I always put my new tires on the front on my FF vehicles when I can't afford four new ones (or don't need them, which is more often), have never had problems. This would not be the case if I lived in a place that got snow/ice though. My front tires always wear 2-3x faster than my rears with FF cars, so that has something to do with it too. I don't ever drive with bald tires obviously.

 

[chucky2]

If you can find them (unfortunately they've been discontinued) try and get some Continental ContiExtremeContact's. Great All-Season tires. Don't like a couple of other of Continental's tires, but, the "Extreme's" are really nice for All-Season's....

Chuck