I need to drive a bit on a questionable tire on front to get replacements.
Is it safer to have it on front or rear if it does happen to fail?
In this situation I would put the worst tire on the rear and drive very slowly. Do you have a friend or family member that would loan you a spare? That would be the better way to go.
My experience for a blowout is limited to the rear, on a motorcycle. By the time I got to 45 mph the tire was flopping from side to side. My shop teacher always emphasized it is safer to have a blow out on the rear as you had more control, others respond differently but in light of my experiences and shop teachers advice a blow out in the rear is preferable to a blow out in the front.
I’d take the back roads, hold the speed down, and not worry about which end it’s on.
I also had a blowout on a motorcycle at 85 MPH (rear and on a long downgrade on the interstate) and believe me, my heart was wedged in my throat for the entire 1/4 mile it took me to wrestle that thing down to a crawl. Even hinting at the brakes would send it from barely controllable to uncontrollable.
(Tire and tube shredded by a 12" nail similar to what is used to install rain gutters on houses.)
I’d want it on the back. I’ve had a couple maybe not blow outs but quickly deflated on the back and control was no problem.
do you not have a spare? How “questionable” is the tire? Is there a lump, leak, wire showing?
NEVER drive on a “questionable” tire…Go to a salvage yard and buy a used one! Some tire stores will see you a used tire also…
I would have to guess rear. I had a rear tire suffer a catastrophic blow-out on the highway at 75 m.p.h. and the car handled it fine.
I had a blowout on a front tire about 25 years ago. If I didn’t have both hands on the wheel at the time, I’m pretty sure I would have gone off the road. My guess is that rear is better.
Listen to Caddyman get a tire! front or rear you have better odds playing the slots
Twisted Words & Twisted Thinking - Which Is Better . . . A Black Eye Or Bloody Nose ? . . . Head Injury Or Broken Leg ? . . . Hitting A Pedestrian Or An Oncoming Car ?
“Front Or Rear Blow Out Better ?”
Better ? Better than what ? You mean, Which one is worse ?
"Is it safer to have it on front or rear if it does happen to fail ?"
Safer ? You mean, Which one is more dangerous if it does happen to fail?
Get that vehicle off the road before you kill one of us. Go to plan “B”.
Thank You !
CSA
The better of the bad situation would be the known bad tire on the rear.
A kaboom! blowout, not just a ‘flat’, is going to throw the car askew. Your ability to maintain steering direction will be better if the blowout is in back. ( I watched a front blowout take an 18 wheeler wrecking into the median. )
- practice this -
With both hands on the wheel, anchor both elbows on both armrests and force the car to go in the direction you want it to. ( much like you can force the car to go in your intended direction over dried ruts in formerly muddy roads. ) You can overcome the car’s veering reaction to the blowout if you’re quick to keep it straight.
If the blowout has you already off line, DO NOT SWERVE !!! Grab that steering wheel tight ( elbows anchored method ) and drive ( you may need to force the car in the direction YOU want it to go ) a gentle arc back to a straight line.
Having this reaction ready in your mind will help control the car when the tire goes boom.
This method worked to perfection when my fully loaded band gear trailer EXPLODED a tire at 70 mph. The trailer, of course, jumped wildly to the left wrestling with all it’s might to take the Explorer and us two guys to our doom. But with both arms anchored down to both armrests and forcing it in a staight line, it had no choice but to follow ME and we veered no more that one lane over while regaining full control of our slow down. Yes, slow down. With a trailer you do not panic brake or you only accentuate the already swaying beast on your tail. We safely pulled to the shoulder using the anchored elbows method despite the trailer’s constant bucking.
Rear. It’ll create drag on one side but won’t pull the steering into a turn.
besides, 80% of your braking is loaded onto the front tires. You can better control the vehicle should you need to use the brakes when the blowout happens if the blowout is on the rear and you still have most of your braking control.
After all these answers has anyone checked the original post?
Going to drive a bit…bit? 2 blocks? 200 miles ?
Questionable tire…what does this mean?
As mountainbike stated if in doubt put on rear …better braking and steering control
That is an interesting question. When traction is the question, you always want the best tyres on the back, That way if you go into a skid the back end will stay in the back, but your situation, if I understand it, is different.
I would put the best on the back since you don’t want to have it directing where you are going.
My advice is don’t take the risk of driving on a known poor tyre. I don’t want you to hurt yourself or your passengers nor do I want to be the one you hit.
My answer is “none of the above.” I really believe every problem has a solution, so in this case, there has to be a better option than driving on a “questionable” tire. You could take all four wheels off, load them into the back of your friend’s truck, and have new tires mounted without putting anyone at risk.
Questionable tire is defined as having a 3/8" bubble in one spot and found a 2" crack/split in the sidewall also from a nasty pothole. It is holding air fine just parked at in laws in the sticks. It was driven around a week or so in this condition.
I will take the back roads to the shop 20 miles away.