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Author: Autocasión
June 19, 2023
Many times we do not change all four wheels at the same time, but two by two. On which axle should the new wheels be mounted? Enters!
Generally, at the time of change the wheels we do it two by two; we hardly ever change all four at once. Starting from the base that the tires do not wear equally, it seems the most reasonable. A factor that is essential in wear is whether the drive of the car is front or rear. The vast majority of current cars resort to the first case, therefore the front axle wheels will be the ones that suffer the most and… the ones that we should change before? Well no. Let’s see why…
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In any case, doubts always arise and there are those who defend that the new wheels should always be mounted on the front axle, others that always on the rear axle and others believe that on the axis where the car has traction. However, there is only one correct answer to this question: new wheels or in better condition must always be mounted on the rear axle. Let’s justify this answer.
Why new wheels should be mounted on the rear axle
- Less risk of aquaplaning: aquaplaning is a phenomenon that causes the car to literally float on the water on the road. The reason is that the tire does not have time to evacuate the water it steps on. Most cars have the engine in the front, which makes the front axle have more weight pushing it against the asphalt. If we mount the new wheels on the front axle and leave the worn ones behind, in the rain we will have a front axle with wheels that evacuate water better and, having more weight on top, it is more difficult to make them float. Quite the opposite happens in the rear axle, which will go with tires with less tread depth, more prone to floating and with less weight. A car with new wheels at the front and worn tires at the rear behaves very unstable and dangerous in the wet.
- Although we believe otherwise, It is more dangerous to puncture a rear wheel than a front one.. It is easier to lose control of the car if a rear wheel blows out than if a front one does. An old tire is more prone to punctures and blowouts.
- Is easier for most drivers correct understeer than oversteer. Understeer is caused by the front wheels losing grip in a turn and the car having a hard time entering the turn. In this case, instinct saves us, because in the face of any problem, the first thing our bodies ask us to do is lift our foot off the accelerator and brake. By doing this, we transfer weight to the front axle and make it gain grip and reduce understeer (the car turns less than what we indicate with the steering wheel). However, an oversteer requires fighting our instincts. Oversteer occurs when the rear axle loses grip in a curve and the car tends to turn more than what we indicate with the steering wheel, that is, to spin. Most drivers in these types of situations tend to brake because they get scared. By doing so, we take even more weight off the rear axle, further reducing its grip and making the situation worse. Mounting the new tires at the back reduces the risk of oversteer.
- The vast majority of cars wear out the front wheels before the rear ones, in some cases almost twice as much. If we change the front ones and mount the new ones in front, since the rear ones wear out more slowly, we end up having two tires at the rear with more wear than the front ones and, furthermore, with much drier rubber due to its age. By passing the rear wheels forward, they will wear out faster and we will have to change them sooner, so that in less time we will have 4 wheels with a more similar age and in better condition.
Which tires are changed first?
The normal thing is that the front wheels wear out before. So what we have to do is change the two that are the most worn (which are surely the front ones), move the ones that were less worn to the front axle and the new ones that we just bought in the rear.
What happens if I put two different tires?
As we say, most drivers change the wheels that have been worn the most first and speed up the other two. This should never be done on all wheel drive models. The reason is that a new wheel has a slightly larger diameter than a worn one. If we mount wheels with different wear on one axis and another, those of one axis will spin more (the most worn) than those of the other. This causes the central differential to be permanently working and, in most all-wheel drive cars, ends up causing wear on this element, which is very expensive to repair.
Now, if the car is front or rear wheel drive, tires in better condition should always be mounted on the rear axleIt’s the safest.
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