I am going to go against the grain again, not for the first time and likely not for the last time. I support the position taken by Quad4 and meanjoe75 fan. Put the better tires up front, especially for FWD cars.
For most of the 20th century everyone knew to put the new tires on the front. No need to explain, everyone knows the reasons. More recently the tire manufacturers invited drivers out to the proving ground. They encouraged drivers to drive aggressively on a flooded track, driving cars with different pairs of tires front and rear.
Not surprisingly, the cars hydroplaned more readily when they had good tires up front and well-worn tires in the rear. And so, concerned about liability and litigation, the big tire manufacturers ordered their franchises to insist that pairs of new tires must be mounted only on the rear axle.
Not all of us buy into this new order, however. We slow down in the rain and we allow greater distances between the other cars. We don’t push the envelope on flooded S-curves. And so the 20th-century wisdom is good enough for us. Better tires go up front, rotate them for even wear, and be able to replace tires in sets of four. Have all four corners match. Find a shop that offers free rotation and that will carry out the customer’s instruction.
In short, if hydroplaning and spin-outs were a common everyday hazard I would certainly accept the current advice of tire placement. But I prefer to rely on safety by proper driving technique. And so I retain the well-known advantages of having better tires up front. My choice. Everyone else can do as they please.