Tire Swap: Front to Rear - How To

Hello everyone,

Of course, my tires aren't scrap yet after 23,000 km, but it's clearly visible that the wear is greater on the front than on the rear. I never drive with spinning tires or anything like that, but the torque still puts stress on the tires, even without squealing or leaving black marks on the asphalt. The wear is also likely due, in part, to the fact that the relatively small Ibiza TDI is significantly heavier in the front than in the rear, which also contributes to wear during braking and steering.

What do you think about the idea of simply swapping the front and rear tires? It's true that the rear tires are supposed to be the better ones, but the idea is to move the front tires to the rear as long as they're still in good condition (it would be more dangerous to use worn-out tires), and then put the current rear tires on the front.

It should at least help to ensure that all four are used more evenly.

How do you do that? Do you just let the front tires wear out completely until they're unusable, and then only replace the front ones?

In the past, there were helpful instructions for diagonal tire swaps, taking into account the spare tire, but modern tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) don't account for that. Besides, a diagonal tire swap is not easy without a lift, and I don't see any advantages to it compared to swapping tires front to back.

Best regards,

Jan.

hello jan

I was just discussing this exact problem with my tire mechanic earlier! Actually, the 'better' tires should be on the rear axle. He just laughed and said, 'Just swap them side to side!' That way, you'll have more or less even wear.

Sure, you can also swap diagonally. But it's not good with 'notrad'!

Hello!

Okay, for me, it's a very clear thing. I always swap the tires from the front to the back when I change from summer to winter tires. This is good because it means you almost always have the same tread depth all around. Of course, you then have to buy all four tires at once, but you also always have tires that are the same age on the vehicle!

Hi,

I'm relieved to hear that you see it the same way! I don't view the fact that you replace all four tires at once as a disadvantage, because at least you can be sure that they are all the same age, and the rear tires won't age excessively.

How long do the parts typically last with you? I don't have any experience with TDI engines yet...

Should you have the wheels balanced while they are still mounted on the car after a front-to-back swap, or is the existing balance sufficient?

Best regards,

Jan.

Always balance for safety!

Okay, I don't have my winter tires (16" steel rims) balanced, and I've never noticed any negative effects from that. With my summer tires (Mille Miglia EVO 5, 19"), I always have both balanced, although I'm not sure if it's really necessary, but it probably doesn't hurt. My winter tires are from the budget brand GT Radial, and they seem to have incredible durability. They're surprisingly good in snow, and on the highway, aside from being extremely noisy, they increase the braking distance (but noticeably). That's also why I never drive faster than 160 km/h with my winter tires. My summer tires are Goodyear Eagle, and you can definitely see the wear on them. I think they last about 20,000 km, but they have a tougher life on my car. Before, I often used Dunlop SP 9090 or 9000 tires on other TDI cars, and those lasted a very long time.
Unfortunately, nothing compares to that wonderful old Polo with its 60 horsepower AEX engine. I think I went through three sets of tires, including winter tires, before I sold it with 120,000 kilometers on the clock!

Hi,
I also switch the tires from front to back because eventually the entire set will wear out, and you don't want to end up driving with tires of different types or development stages at the same time.
Contrary to the usual doctrine, I prefer to put the better tires on the front: For an experienced driver, it's easier to correct oversteer by counter-steering than to recover a car that's uncontrollably sliding due to excessive grip loss on the front axle.
On a wet road, most of the water is pushed forward, and when driving straight, the rear wheels follow in the tracks of the front wheels. The argument that you don't feel the potential for aquaplaning in the steering is only partially true, even with front-wheel drive.
Finally, when braking, the weight is predominantly distributed on the front axle.
Mounting the better tires on the rear is something that's more common among less skilled drivers, who, when the rear end starts to slide, freeze up in fear and end up driving into the ditch on the inside of the curve, which unfortunately happens quite often.

I also swap items from front to back as needed.

'There's no way to achieve even wear with a regulated system, especially not with a TDI engine. In the end, I'd have to drive on two different types of tires, or throw away two partially worn sets...'

neeee....

CU Gremlin.

Hi everyone,

and thank you all very much for your answers.

"My TDI now has its tires swapped around, as of last night... it was definitely time, considering the wear and tear."

In terms of wear, this set of tires should probably last for another 10...15,000 km, maybe even more, which would bring the total mileage for the set to 35...40,000 km. Considering the numbers mentioned above, this doesn't seem too bad for a TDI.

In the gasoline-powered Polo, they lasted longer for me, but you can't really compare the two.

Best regards,

Jan.

Hello,

I also always swap the front and rear [parts] so that the wear is more or less even.
However, you shouldn't wait too long to make the exchange.
If the rear tires are significantly more worn than the front tires, it can be quite unpleasant, especially when driving on slippery surfaces.
I once froze in terror when I was driving on a snow-covered road and my rear end started overtaking me at 100 km/h.
The sudden loss of traction came without any warning, which shouldn't happen with tires that are evenly worn.
And how often does it actually go well when you're drifting around the corner at 100 kilometers per hour?
Before I get labeled as a reckless driver: it was a lonely country road, and the snow was packed and icy.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi Rainer,

Rainer K. wrote:

And how often does it actually go well when you're drifting around the corner at 100 kilometers per hour?

Why not?? It would look like this:


Family sedan drifting

Quote:

Before I get labeled as a reckless driver: it was a lonely country road, and the snow was packed and icy.

Okay, before anyone labels me as a speed demon: The picture was taken on a closed (rally) course. Yes, that's me, and the photographer survived too. No, the car in the picture doesn't exist anymore, but the successor is still around!

@bertil

Are you the driver or the co-driver?

Hi Joerg,

joergs wrote:

are you the driver or the co-driver?

... the driver! You can tell by the nail in the head, right?

The CEO is a woman!

@bertil

Now that you mention it, I can see it too! I think I need a new pair of glasses!
I would definitely steer clear of that area with the lady by my side!

joergs wrote:

...but I would drift away somewhere else with the lady by my side!

No, I'd rather not...

No, I'd rather not do that with her...

Oops!