.F1

the fact the tires are different brands won't matter to you, unless you're tracking your car and pushing it to higher limits. or if you're running different class of tires (eg. snow tires on the front, summer tires on the back), then that could pose problems.

in your case, the problems may arise depending on the difference in wear between the fronts and the rears. If the fronts are near new and the rears are almost worn (or in your case, the opposite), then you may find things a bit tricky to drive.

jon604

thanks for all the advice.. you guys are great!
only thing is that I'm still getting conflicting answers.

Some say it's ok while others say it might be tricky.. Some say it will affect the ABS others no.. some say it may affect handling, others at the shop say no..

I think I have about 40%-50% on the fronts but not sure if I wanna dump them just to match the treads.. but if safety is an issue, it wouldn't be worth saving .

SumAznGuy

There are 2 ways to affect the ABS. Either different sized tires, ie tall tires and short tires so the different wheel speeds make the sensors think the slower wheels are skidding, or different grip levels between front and rear.

In the first case, you may run into ABS issues if you were to use a 205/40/16 tire in the front and a 245/50/16 tire in the rear.

In your case, the front tires might be heat cycled to the point the grip is lower than the rears. Under normal braking, the fronts might lock up before the rears and will trigger the ABS.

Most tires will heat cycle (harden) in 6 years. Tires really should be replaced once they hit 6 years old, from their build dates.

Also, don't worry to much about over/under steer if you are driving legally on the streets.

.F1

At 50% fronts and 100% rears, you should be fine.

but once you get down to say, 20 - 30% fronts and 70 - 80% rears, watch out. that's more unsafe than if you had 30% wear all around. that's all I'm saying.

and make sure you pick a tire that matches the class of tires already on the car (i.e. all season, summer, etc...)

jon604

yea, you are right. My fronts are about 7 years old (I don't put much millage on them) and the rubber do feel a bit hard..especially compared to my new softer snow tires. I guess most of you guys replace your tires before then? Now I'm tempted to replace the fronts.

driving legally on the streets? Who does that? We all do some spirited driving. That's what the S is made for.

SumAznGuy

Can't compare snow tires to street tires. Snow tires need to remain soft in the cold so their compounds are different than regular street tires.

Rubber will lose their oil and harden, hence why they dry and crack.

At 7 years, I highly recommend you getting a complete set of new tires.

alSpeed2k

^ especially b/c "We all do some spirited driving. That's what the S is made for."

For those who haven't seen this report on aged tires: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/aged-tires...-hazard-4826897

S2S

some of you shouldnt comment because you dont know sheeeeet and all your doing is confusing people!!!!!!!

SumAznGuy

Now I am confused!?!?!?

manuelisfun

I used to replace tires about every year.