I have a 2003 Honda Accord. It is OK to put S (or H) rated on the front (until the V rated ones on the rear wear out)? Of course all four will be the same size.
Thanks
Yup.
But be sure to keep the axles matched. There is generally a difference in traction and handling between S and V rated tires and if you mismmatch an axle you may have weird handling. Also be sure you use the same type of tire, all season, summer or snow. That also affects traction and handling.
www.carbibles.com has a good tire primer. I recommend a visit.
Stick with H-rated tires. I say this as you will cause a pretty substantial handling imbalance going between an S-rated to a H-rated or higher tire. An H-rated tire is closer to V-rated in balance. An BEST S-rated is not even remotely designed for the handling ability of the worse H or V rated tire.
In normal driving no problem, however when you are in a situation where it counts like panic maneuver with emergency steering or braking any imbalance will pronounce itself clearly by likely putting you into a skid or spin out.
You could, but you may get some unexpected handling response under emergency conditions. It is not likely to show up under normal daily driving. I am guessing you want our four V rated, but don’t want to get rid of those on the back that have not yet worn out. That’s fine, just put them on the front and two new V’s on the back.
Remember the BEST tyres always go on the BACK. If the back tyres are not as good as the front, in a skid you are likely to have the back end of the car loose traction and end up in the front with you looking where you have been.
With the best tires are on the back, the car may understeer off the road. It comes down to a question of which end goes first.
The REAR tires wear out way before the front. Remember, this is a rear wheel drive auto.
Actually, testing has shown that on wet pavement the car is less likely to spin out with the best tires on the rear. A typical FWD car has a 60/40 weight distribution. That means there’s 50% more weight on the front tires. That added weight gives the front a significant traction advantage. Putting the best tires on the rear tends to counterbalance that advantage. Putting the best tires on the front exascerbates the problem.
The 2003 Accord is rear wheel drive???
The 2003 Accord is rear wheel drive???
When did Honda decide to change the drive system on the Accord?
Are you quite sure about the Accord being a RWD vehicle?
And, even if it was RWD (which it is not), the rear tires would be likely to wear out before the front tires only if the driver decided to do a lot of “burn-out” starts.
I believe that Bill Z is very confused on this issue.
My Accord is FWD. Did I get a lemon? ;^)
How badly worn are the front tires? Have you used a depth gauge on them? If you have at least 4/32" tread depth on the current front tires, then just swap the front and rear tires, keeping them on the same side. The the current rears will wear down to replacement at the same time the current fronts reach minimum. Otherwise get the same tires as you currently have if you do any spirited driving.
If you use different tires, drive very conservatively.
When did Honda decide to change the drive system on the Accord?
It’s FWD…NOT RWD…Bill Z hasn’t a clue.
No, JT, you’ve simply been driving everywhere backwards!
C’mon guys, be nice. Bill just made a boo-boo.
“And, even if it was RWD (which it is not), the rear tires would be likely to wear out before the front tires only if the driver decided to do a lot of “burn-out” starts.”
Actually, my RWD cars (with very close to 50/50 weight distribution) tend to wear the rear and front tires at almost the same rate, although the wear pattern isn’t identical. I no longer bother to rotate them, I just replace all four at once (about once per year at about 40K miles, in my case). I might be able to squeeze out a few more miles by rotating them, but I don’t believe it would be significant.
Is there any way to delete a duplicate post, all I could do was edit it?
What testing? Provide a reference please.
If the tires have the same traction rating on the sidewall, then I would not be concerned. If the car has antilock brakes, I would worry even less.
I wish I could. The testing was done at the Michelin Test Center. I read the results in Automotive Age magazine, a trade journal for techs, a few years ago. They had an article on the subject. I can’t recall details, only the “gist” of the article and the theory behind it.
I recognize that making the claim that “testing has shown” carries with it an implied obligation to reference the specific testing…but I’ll just have to ask you all to accept my word backed up with the theory.
And, for the record, it took me a long time to get past my own preconceived notions and accept putting the new tires on the rear as being the best way. I’m not sure I still don’t feel more comfy with the new tires on the front. So I now rotate them and change them all four at once.