I have a new pair of Continental True Contact Tour tires (11/32") tread depth paired with two of the same make and model tires that have 8/32" tread depth. These are installed on a Dodge Grand Caravan front wheel drive minivan.
I usually purchase tires in sets of four, and to get back to that purchasing pattern, I was going to put the new tires on the front of the vehicle and let them “catch up” to the wear of the older tires.
Is trying to get the vehicle back on a schedule of replacing all four tires at once worth pursuing? One advantage to replacing tires in pairs is the reduced cost of purchasing two tires at a time vs four. Are there any others that I am missing?
Don’t do that . The tire manufactures and safety firms say to always put the 2 only new tires on the rear of the vehicle no matter if is front or rear drive . All wheel drive is the same but best to replace al four at one time.
Ther are many videos showing just how dangerous it is having a vehicle hydroplane with the new tires on the front.
Putting the better tires on the back is like having insurance.
You’ll never know when you may need the added traction in the rear where a “less better” tire would break lose. But if you ever do, you’ll be glad you did put the new tires on the rear.
It’s your choice. If putting the new tires on the front to let them “catch up” is more important to you, then you’ll understand the tradeoffs.
There’s a lot of life left in all 4 tires. Maybe you should put the new tires on front since they will wear faster. This is unorthodox and isn’t as safe as putting the new tires on back, but 8/32” is still pretty good. After all, if you had 4 tires with 8/32” tread left, you would not replace them. Keep an eye on the rear tread if you do this and maybe switch them to the front if the get down to 4/32”.
I have a vibration in my 2007 Town and Country that, after front end work and wheel balancing, may be from one tire that is somehow off kilter. It feels like a tire is out of round, or has a loose belt. The vibration is there at highway speeds but is especially noticeable at 25-35 MPH on smooth streets.
I plan to take it to a tire dealer and if they find one tire is the problem, replace two of them with the same brand and model. The tires still have half or so of their original tread depth, and this seems like the wisest choice
The one time a had a broken belt in a tire, that was the symptoms I had. Took the car in to rebalance the tires thinking maybe a weight had fallen off, wound up buying new tires.
That sounds like a reasonable plan to me. I had a similar situation and that is how I ended up with two new tires and two partially worn tires. I have not had any traction or rideability issues with that configuration of tires, including some travel in 2 to 3" of snow.
The power of new tires on the rear becomes very clear in winter weather. If you live in a Northern Climate, this winter take a look at how most of the vehicles end up in the ditch. They will generally be back end first into the snow, this is from the rear of the vehicle loosing traction in a corner or maneuvering event causing an oversteer condition. Once it starts it is hard to get control and you end up spinning into the ditch.