When changing car tires, should you prioritize installing new tires on the front or rear wheels?

Tires are one of the important parts of a car and need to be cared for, maintained and replaced periodically after a period of use. Depending on each car model, according to the manufacturer's recommendations, car tires will have technical changes after about 40,000 - 50,000 km of use. However, if you find that the tire is cracked even before it has worn to the limit, you should consider replacing it to ensure safety.

In addition to cases of replacing all "tire sets" that is all 4 tires on 4 wheels, nowadays to save costs, car owners often replace two tires and rotate the tires for use. However, when replacing car tires, priority should be given to installing new tires on the front or rear wheels to ensure safety, which is creating quite a lot of controversy (!?)

Normally, most car owners and tire shops often prioritize replacing new tires on the two front wheels, because the two front wheels have a directional function besides the drive (for front-wheel drive cars). However, this is considered wrong, because according to tire experts from Michelin UK, when replacing front tires, you need to rotate the rear tires to the front and install a new pair of tires on the rear, regardless of whether the car is front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive.

"Up to half of drivers in the UK don't know that this is necessary when upgrading tyres, and even many tyre shops don't know it," Brian Porteous, technical director of Michelin UK, told Auto Express.

So why install the best pair of tires on the rear, when the front wheels are responsible for steering and braking? All to ensure the stability of the vehicle when operating. Installing new or best condition tires on the rear wheels will help minimize the risk of skidding when traveling on slippery roads.

Mr. Brian Porteous added: "When the car is balanced, the brakes work and the car grips the road. In fact, the old pair of rear tires installed in front is enough for the brakes to work and the car to grip the road. We are not talking about the case of completely damaged tires, because if that were the case, they would have had to be replaced." In fact, through the experience, Brian Porteous as well as Michelin UK experts believe that, compared to the rear wheels, the driver can easily recognize and control the phenomenon of front wheel slippage.

Michelin representatives also said that the "new tire at the back" rule applies regardless of the vehicle's drivetrain configuration. That means front-wheel drive (FWD), rear-wheel drive (RWD) or four-wheel drive (4x4).

Mr. Brian Porteous also gave advice: "When a car skids sideways, depending on habits, driving skills and experience... each driver can handle it a little differently depending on the type of car, but the advice is to maintain the grip of the rear wheels to avoid the risk of the car skidding or turning around."