Mike134 wrote:
JRscooby wrote:
Does nobody remember "snow tires"? Back in the day most people, on most vehicles, ran rear tires that did not match the front for about half the year.
(On my pickups, snow tires in winter, then spring I would name them "Mud Grips")
As for different size F/R. 2 wheel drive, this is not a issue. 4 Wheel drive, can be a problem unless on surfaces you need 4 WD, and tires can slip
X2!! Plus in the early days they always recommended keeping radial tires and bias tires on the same axle, lots of mix and matching back in the old days.
You'll be fine don't listen to the online negative Nellies.
Because vehicles are EXACTLY the same as they were in the 60's and 70's...
First off back then vehicles were almost all rear wheel drive with open differentials. No ABS. No all wheel drive. Heck not even four wheel drive unless you owned a ranch or were a forest ranger.
Of course having different size/type tires front and back is not a concern on a basic RWD vehicle. You could even have grossly different size tires side to side on the front with no ill effects, as there are nothing but dumb wheel bearings up there.
When there is a differential in the mix, then it becomes more important. Differentials 99.999% of the time act like solid axles, with both tires turning at the same rate as long as the tires are the same size in the same state of wear. Things only move back when making turns, and maybe a little bit of back and forth movement going straight down the highway.
When you put different size tires on a differential axle, the spider gears are turning all the time. They're not meant to do that CONSTANTLY, only on turns, and when you get up to highway speeds, things can be whipping around in there pretty violently, leading to excessive wear and early failure of your differential.
Having all four tires the same size and type is most important on an AWD vehicle, as there is a third differential between the front and rear axles.
Beyond that it depends on how your ABS system works. If it compares front and rear rotation rates you might have trouble with the ABS activating, having different size tires front and rear.
Yes, I understand that the P and LT tires may have the same NOMINAL size, but they can be different diameters.
