Tires: TIRE PLACEMENT FWD, wheel drive vehicles, front wheel drive vehicles

Question
ON FRONT WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES, I HAVE ALWAYS HEARD THAT YOU SHOULD PUT THE BEST TIRES (MOST TREAD) ON THE FRONT. OTHER PEOPLE I HAVE SPOKEN WITH DISAGREE FEELING THE BEST TIRES SHOULD BE IN THE REAR NO MATTER IF THE VEHICLE IS FWD OR RWD. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THIS MATTER?

Answer
Greg,

Obviously, the best situation is to have all 4 tires being the same.  That way the vehicle behaves evenly front to rear.

But if someone doesn't rotate their tires enough - especially on a FWD - you want the rear to stick better than the front - so  the best tires go on the rear.

Look at it this way:  If you lose traction on the front, when you slow down, the traction will return and you'll be pointed the right way.  You'll be able to steer after that.

If you lose traction on the rear, you'll spin out.  When you slow down, the traction will return, but you'll be pointed the wrong way and have to come to a complete stop before you can do anything else.