[Redex]

Definitely fit new tyres to the rear axle, regardless of front or rear wheel drive.

I service my own car every 5,000 miles (approx 8,000kms). At each service I inspect, balance and rotate all wheels. I only swap front to back on the same side, keeping the direction of rotation the same (even though my tyres are unidirectional).

This way means I change a full set and not just one or two tyres. Front and rears will have the same wear. You also get more life from the tyres as the highest wear point is the outside edges of front tyres, (particularly front wheel drive cars like my own).
Therefore, all of my tyres have approximately the same rolling circumference. It is important that the difference in the circumference of the tyres is kept as low as is possible. Ideally under 1.5%. Up to 2.5% is acceptable, but above that limit it may start to affect ABS, ESP, traction control etc. Big variations on 4 wheel drive vehicles can cause additional wear in differential gearboxes.

Most importantly check for wear and damage, and check tyre pressures regularly.
If you have fitted a brand of tyre not mentioned in your user manual, check the pressure for your car with the tyre manufacturer.

This is particularly important with older vehicles. Even more so with 2 wheelers.

Stay safe, Neil

[Gansan]

How old are the tyres? If they are already 5-6 years old, better replace all four. The remaining tread in a six year old tyre does not count. I replaced four tyres during Dec 2018, but their mfg date was July'18. They are already five years old now but have done only 20k km. Still I will replace all four of them before Dec'24, keeping the best one as spare.

If your tyres are younger you can keep them and replace only two tyres, but you may not be able to do tyre rotation. I would buy the same brand and pattern as the rear ones, though some people say it is not important.

[Redex]

Hi,
I change car, van and SUV tyres every day, it's part of my job as a vehicle mechanic. There is no set age limit for tyre life. I have heard the suggestions about changing tyres within 5 to 6 years of the date of manufacture or every 50,000kms to 60,000kms. I don't know where this idea came from.

As regards good quality tyres it's is generally recommended that tyres should be replaced at least every 10 years or before they reach the TWI (tyre wear indicator) minimum 1.6mm.

Tyres should be inspected regularly, at least once a year, pressures much more often. Generally when 5 or 6 years have passed, have the tyres fully checked by an "honest" trained technician. Then have a technician inspect then again every year. If you reach 10 years, change them regardless of the condition.

The points I have raised above assume good quality, undamaged tyres within the TWI limits. Tyres that have been manufactured by a reputed company. Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli to name a few. Always follow the vehicle and tyre manufacturers recommendations.

There is no need to change tyres automatically, (conditions apply), at "x" years of age or after covering "Y" kilometers.

Personally, I always buy good quality "branded" tyres as they generally perform better and last longer than budget tyres. They can also work out to be cheaper than budget tyres in the long run.

I have deliberately left out specific issues like damage, age cracks, number of punctures, heavy loads, high speeds, uneven wear patterns, noise, temperature etc. These are all factors that have to be considered to decide when you need to change the tyres on "your" vehicle.

Get the advice from a trained "honest" technician, not someone looking to make a "quick" buck by selling you tyres you don't really need.

THERE IS NO 5 OR 6 YEAR RULE

THERE IS NO 50,000KMS OR 60,000KMS RULE

The only recommendation is to change them after 10 years regardless of the condition.

Every day I see customers who have been told they need new tyres. I will examine the tyres and consider the specific needs of the customer. Often, the tyres have at least one or two years "life" left.

Circumstances differ. I change my tyres when there is still at least 2.5mm wear left, because I drive 180kms of my daily commute at up 120kmh,often in rain.

Stay safe, if in doubt change your tyres, regards Neil

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Redex

Hi,
The points I have raised above assume good quality, undamaged tyres within the TWI limits. Tyres that have been manufactured by a reputed company. Michelin, Bridgestone, Pirelli to name a few. Always follow the vehicle and tyre manufacturers recommendations.

In India one buys reputed Indian brands like MRF, Apollo, Ceat etc. Even tyres such as Michelin, Pirelli may be manufactured locally. Indian climate is very different from that of Europe.

Can we apply the same rules here as well?

[sahil624]

Hi all, I got my vehicle’s one tyre changed to Bridgestone from apollo some 10k kms back due to bulge in one tyre. Now I want to change the other three as well but want to go for Michelins. Is it advisable to go for

1. All three Michelins and one Bridgestone (existing)
2. Two Michelins and two Bridgestones (one existing and one new)
3. All four Bridgestones (Three new and one existing)

Thanks.

[Redex]

Originally Posted by Gansan

In India one buys reputed Indian brands like MRF, Apollo, Ceat etc. Even tyres such as Michelin, Pirelli may be manufactured locally. Indian climate is very different from that of Europe.

Can we apply the same rules here as well?

Hi,
as mentioned in my comment you need to find information from the tyre supplier of your choice.

I hear about "Indian road conditions" suggesting that they are worse than the Western World. I drive in India for 4 months every year. I have also driven over most of Europe. There are good and bad examples of road conditions in both areas.
The biggest difference is the way people drive. India is very dangerous because most traffic rules are not followed, and most vehicles are not adequately tested for safety and condition.

You suggest that the climate in India is very different from Europe, but is it.

The average annual temperature range in Europe is over 100c, in India 95c. Both countries have hot dry areas and cold wet areas. I dont see much difference

Regards Neil

[rakesh_r]

Early Feb this year, i bought a Wagon R from Spinny. Now Spinny went ahead and changed only the front tyres with Goodyear. The rear ones (Apollo) are almost new. I might use them for 10k km more and go ahead with replacing all four with something better.
PS: The Wagon R is used only to potter around in the city as my Gurkha doesn't fit inside most of the malls.

[kruzr]

If you drive mostly in city it wouldn't matter a lot, but in highways it does matter. Since you drive zest i'm guessing you dont do terrains/offroad stuff to much. I would suggest change all all four of them none the less if you dont mind spending for safety and comfort.

[Varun7774]

Always recommended to change all the tires for better safety and performance.

[Fastdriver]

Tyres should be rotated every 10000 km or as per manufacturers' suggestion whether it is 4 tyres or 5 tyres (if the spare tyre/rim is of same specifications) rotation in specified way. In doing so no problems should crop up. Some owners fit tyres with multiple punctures in rear for the purpose of safety though. I rotate the tyres of my car myself according to the owner's manual as the ASCs are only interested to rotate the tyre only in cross ❌ pattern.

[peterjim13]

My Yoko Earth1s on my Ecosport did a decent 65K+ on the ODO, and an year back I had a steering rack issue / and misaligned tie rod ends, probably gave an uneven wear to the tires I had in front. Now with all the tyres with a decent 5K left in them - I was waiting to stretch them till Marc 2025.

But the SA and MASS advised me to replace the ones which are worn out, and the same argument came in. Even though I was convinced that I will replace all 4 but, spending some thought - I can easily move replacing 2 of them to mid of next year.

SA mentioned that tyres in front wear out more, and since this FWD the better tyres to be in front. With this planned tomorrow - I am confused.

1. By the logic of having better tyres at the back, will that make my front tyre wear out faster?

2. But what I read is the ideal scenario is to have the new tyres at the rear - is this not connected with the RWD/FWD scenario?

3. Thoughts on replacing 4 tyres and letting go 2 tyres that have another 5K + ?

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by peterjim13

SA mentioned that tyres in front wear out more, and since this FWD the better tyres to be in front. With this planned tomorrow - I am confused.

1. By the logic of having better tyres at the back, will that make my front tyre wear out faster?

2. But what I read is the ideal scenario is to have the new tyres at the rear - is this not connected with the RWD/FWD scenario?

3. Thoughts on replacing 4 tyres and letting go 2 tyres that have another 5K + ?

With regards to tyres, brakes, engine oil, coolant it's better not to wait for the end of it's lifecycle and instead replace/ replenish them a tad bit earlier.

With only 5K life left in your car tyres, there's a few months life left in it, with a higher risk of puncture/ cracks etc as the tyre has been through it's life-cycle (well, almost).

I have a suggestion. You might be having a full size Stepney tyre (most of the time unused). Buy 3 new tyres, use the unused Stepney as the 4th tyre and keep the best of the worn out (5000 km life) tyre as your Stepney.

So, you could save money on a new tyre while using one of the better (5000 km life) tyres too. You might have to let go one used tyre in the process.

The catch is, you might have to buy the similar brand/model new tyres as your unused Stepney tyre. If you are fine with that, then it should be ideal.

[peterjim13]

Originally Posted by ashkamath

I have a suggestion. You might be having a full size Stepney tyre (most of the time unused). Buy 3 new tyres, use the unused Stepney as the 4th tyre and keep the best of the worn out (5000 km life) tyre as your Stepney.

Good points Ashkamath, forgot to mention the fact that when I replaced my old Good Year Assurance at 37K ODO, I replaced them with 5 Yoko Earths and have been rotating decently well until about 2022 where I was a bit busy for over 1 and half years around my home construction etc. And didn't realise that the faulty steering rack has been treating my tyres really bad.

So I have 3 tyres that can do something north of 5K for sure.

[jaysheth]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Yes, you can replace two tires at the same time, providing they are on the same axle, which happens to be the case for you.

...

You should move the rear tires to the front though and put the new ones at the rear.

New tires should always go in the back. Rear tires provide the vehicle stability, and if they have little tread, then stability is lost. Although new front tires will spread water and maintain traction, worn tires in the back will hydroplane and may cause the vehicle to spin out.

Doesn’t matter whether the car is front or rear wheel driven, 2WD or 4WD

...
Jeroen

Thanks a lot, Jeroen, for this advice. For many years, the tyre shop owner (one of the Darshan Tyres outlets) insisted and installed the new pair of tyres in the front, advising (when questioned) that the steering control would be more crisp. Now I insist that new tyres must go to the rear. Even after explaining your reason and rationale to him, he does not agree (and even gets annoyed that he has to do it the way I insist ).

Thanks to your wisdom, I tried to explain to him that getting crisper control while steering is even worse as it gives falsified perception of "all is well" especially when rear tyres are not providing the required traction/grip. He still continues to advise exactly opposite.

Since some reputed shops are also misguiding us this way (albeit not intentionally, but being ill informed themselves), this is something everyone should be aware of.