I was previously of the opinion that new tyres should go on the front as the rears only trail around after the rest of the car.RichardW wrote:The reason that tyre co's advocate new rubber on the rear is that is promotes rear stability, and makes the car much more likely to understeer when pushed / in marginal road conditions, rather than oversteer. The response of the average driver to loss of control (either end!) is to lift off - if you have the car set up for understeer (ie good rubber on the back) then this tends to correct the understeer and said driver goes on his way; if you have oversteer (ie bad rubber on the back) then this exacerbates the problema and said driver goes backwards through the nearest hedge. Tyres last forever on the back of a Xantia, so I almost always put the new rubber on the front.
After several experiences that almost required a change of underwear and experimenting with putting new tyres on the rear I am convinced that this is the correct position to adopt.
Spun my Accord (smashed the boot in and demolished a huge road sign) a couple of times on barely damp roundabouts and have fishtailed the C5 a few times on sliproads when leaving roundabouts - and there are LOTS of roundabouts in this area.
Would still normally change tyres before they reach the legal limit - cheaper to buy the tyres and feel safer than pay the fines or crash.