Tire Question

[Azer]

I am just about getting ready to put winter tires on my car and was wondering.

Is it possible to put my two older all season 245/50/16 tires up front and get two brand new winter tires in the same size for the back?

I figure since it is rear wheel drive only the back two need the best traction.

Would this work and if so does having two different treds damage the car in any way?

Thanks

[BLLDOGG]

it wont damage it but for control and braking ability, you still need good tires upfront

[FunkZ]

Not sure if by winter tires you mean snow tires, but if so I would only recommend putting snow tires on as a set of 4. Tire Rack also recommends this (no doubt because they want to sell more tires) but also because, as BLLDOGG said, you need traction on the front as well for steering and braking.

If you're buying new tires for the rear I would get all-seasons to match the fronts. Then add a few bags of sand or salt in the rear hatch.

[Azer]

Well the all season tires I have are not bad but even with bags of sand in my trunk I still find my car to have very poor traction.

But its not like I would be putting bald or crappy tires up front, just not snow tires.

[HokieBird]

Having two different tread patterns won't hurt the car in anyway. Personally, I would prefer to have oversteer in the snow rather than understeer. Remember you are steering and doing the majority of you braking with the front tires.

Something else to think about... snow tires are suppose to be skinnier than summer tires. 245 is pretty big for a snow tire. I would suggest getting 4 snow tires around 225 or maybe 215.

I have an extra set of OEM wheels sitting around so I can run snow tires on one set of wheels and summer tires on the other. I drive the firebird everyday to work so I'll be going out in the snow no matter what. When I was in college I didn't care about snow tires because I just wouldn't drive if it was that bad. It all depends on your situation.

[zlexiss]

As a northeastern driver (I spent time in Buffalo, New Hampshire, and Pittsburgh), I really recommend snow tires for all 4 with our RWD cars.

You want the fronts so you can stop better and the car goes where you point it. You need the rears because oversteer on the ice is a bad thing. Sand helps mostly in a straight line, doesn't help out in corners too much where you need it just as much.

[Dominic]

zlexiss is right. I just bought 4 P225/60R16 dunlop snows for this winter from tirerack.

[SpeedingFirebird]

With all of the weight of our cars in the front, getting 4 snows is not neccessary. If you have the money, then yes, get 4. But a set of two for the rear will be fine.