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Where To Place New Tires: The Dangerous Mistake Most Drivers Make | Cars & Bikes | Forbes
Posted
August 30, 2026
Views
9,576
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August 30, 2026
9,576
127
21
1.55%
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3:51Now PlayingWhen replacing just two tires on a vehicle, common consumer logic dictates placing the fresh rubber on the front axle—the end responsible for steering, heavy braking, and pulling the vehicle forward. To put this widespread assumption to the test, host Scotty Reiss joined Derek Secord, Senior Subjective Test Driver at Michelin, on a polished concrete wet skid pad engineered to induce hydroplaning.
Using two identical Toyota Camrys fitted with Michelin Defender 2 tires, the experiment compared a vehicle with new tires on the rear and 50% worn tires on the front against a vehicle with new tires on the front and worn tires on the rear. The results were both counter-intuitive and dramatic. When worn tires were placed on the front axle, hydroplaning caused predictable understeer. This provided immediate haptic feedback through the steering wheel, allowing the driver to simply lift off the throttle and regain control safely.
However, reversing the setup produced dangerous results. With new tires on the front and worn tires on the rear, the vehicle experienced sudden, severe rear-axle hydroplaning. Because rear-end loss of grip yields minimal steering wheel feedback, the car experienced uncorrectable yawing and spun out violently across the wet track. This experiment delivers a vital safety takeaway for every car owner: new tires must always be installed on the rear axle, regardless of drive type, to preserve stability and prevent high-speed spinouts.
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