Two different brand tires?

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have an '05 Chrysler Town & Country. The front tires are worn out and I only have enough money to replace two at the moment. Is there any safety issue with having two of one brand on the front and two of another on the back? Thanks!

2

No problem. Typically you should not mix tires on the same axle. So two new tires on the front will be fine

3

Is it AWD, or FWD? This is important. As long as the size and duty rating are the same (and 2 aren’t winter, while 2 are all season), you are probably OK.

4

If it is not AWD, it is best to put the 2 decent but used tires on the front and the better tires on the back.

Of course with winter coming it is better to get 4. Look for a buy 3 get 1 free deal. They are almost always being advertised on the radio in my area. Or get a Sunday newspaper and check out the ads.

5

I had a bad experience with my wife’s 86 Colt doing this. Two tires (155/80-R13)were replaced with a different brand from the OEM size. At speeds greater than 40 mph the car was shaking itself to bits. Upon inspection it was obvious that the new tires were considerably larger than the OEM tires. Four new tires of the same brand fixed the problem.

On the other hand, our 98 Ford Windstar had 2 different Goodyear tires (Invicta and Regatta, both all-season) with no driveability issues. My suggestions would be to buy the same brand if possible, with a similar model of tire.

Ed B.

6

It sounds like the Colt was all wheel drive? AWD should have matching tire sizes but not so for normal vehicles.

7

The Colt was a 4 door sedan, FWD only. I believe the Colt Vista Wagon was available in AWD.

Ed B.

8

Had it done this morning and the tire guy said it was not a problem. As soon as I have the money I will slap a couple of new ones on the back too. Thanks for all the help!!

9 
Normally you should have the best tyres on the back.  Having the best on the front can cause loss of control under marginal conditions.  There are still a lot of people who want the best tyres on the  front, but the auto makers and tyre makers agree that the new (best) tyres belong on the back.
10

The ideal situation is to have 4 identical tires - identical meaning same make, same model, same state of wear. This configuration results in the best handling balance. The further away you are from this, the more likely you are to have problems - and the situation is that you won’t know you have a problem until you do an emergency manuever - and then it will be too late.