two diff brand tires in the front
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
two diff brand tires in the front
Is it ok to have two different brand name tires in the front? in terms of safety
because one of my tires popped and i might need a new one and possibly can't find the same ones i have on my car.
also the ones on my car are directional, what if i get a diff tire that is not directional, will this be ok?
because one of my tires popped and i might need a new one and possibly can't find the same ones i have on my car.
also the ones on my car are directional, what if i get a diff tire that is not directional, will this be ok?
H-T Order of Merit
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 23,478
Likes: 2
From: Chicago
Re: two diff brand tires in the front (hancho)
As a general rule, this is a bad idea - same thing with mixing different tires in the front vs the rear.
Here's why. Different tires behave differently (obviously), and this can make the handling of the car very unpredictable. For example, let's say tire X has great dry traction, and tire Y has great wet traction, and you're mixing them on your car. You're driving along on dry pavement, and your car handles a certain odd way, with one side or one end of the car gripping better than the other. Then you hit a stretch of rain, and all of the sudden, the car is acting totally differently, with the other side or other end having all the grip. So it's difficult if not impossible to predict what the car is going to do.
Sure, you can minimize the unpredictable nature, by (a) driving WELL within the limits of the tires (e.g. driving like granny), and/or by (b) choosing tires that behave similarly (if that's possible, which it often isn't). But that's not always easy, particularly since you don't always control the environment or the other idiots on the road. The best thing you can do is to use four matching tires (same make AND model of tire), so you don't have to deal with this additional, unpredictable variable.
Here's why. Different tires behave differently (obviously), and this can make the handling of the car very unpredictable. For example, let's say tire X has great dry traction, and tire Y has great wet traction, and you're mixing them on your car. You're driving along on dry pavement, and your car handles a certain odd way, with one side or one end of the car gripping better than the other. Then you hit a stretch of rain, and all of the sudden, the car is acting totally differently, with the other side or other end having all the grip. So it's difficult if not impossible to predict what the car is going to do.
Sure, you can minimize the unpredictable nature, by (a) driving WELL within the limits of the tires (e.g. driving like granny), and/or by (b) choosing tires that behave similarly (if that's possible, which it often isn't). But that's not always easy, particularly since you don't always control the environment or the other idiots on the road. The best thing you can do is to use four matching tires (same make AND model of tire), so you don't have to deal with this additional, unpredictable variable.
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: Rome, GA, USA
It's generally a good idea to at least replace both tires (front or rear). That way the wear is even for each set. If this is a pretty new set of tires you could probably get away with just buying one tire, but since you say it popped and you aren't trying to get oyur money back for it, I'm guessing that's not the case. As far as finding tires with the same or similar specifications, make sure they are compared on the same scale. Tire companies do their own testing and the ratings are not standardized.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
