new front tyres

I have recently put P275/65R18 114H MICHELIN PILOT LTX M+S TYRES on the front of our L322, the rear tyres are full A/ tyres whereas the Pirelli's are ltx, I recently read you should always put the new tyres on the rear if you are only fitting one pair of new tyres. The way I figured it is that the new tyres at the front would 'compliment the more 'rugged' tyres fitting to the rear wheels, any suggestions would be gratefully accepted.

Fit the same all round mix and match dont work...

nevillen said:

I have recently put put P275/65R18 114H MICHELIN PILOT LTX M+S TYRES on the front of our L322, the rear tyres are full A/ tyres whereas the Pirelli's are ltx, I recently read you should always put the new tyres on the rear if you are only fitting one pair of new tyres. The way I figured it is that the new tyres at the front would 'compliment the more 'rugged' tyres fitting to the rear wheels, any suggestions would be gratefully accepted.

Click to expand...

New tyres to the rear is more appropriate on a front wheel drive vehicle as you have less control over the rear.
Front on a rear wheel drive for steering and on a four wheel it is advised to do all four at the same time.

Never mix new and worn tyres on a 4 x 4.

I know that is the perceived wisdom, but I could not afford to put 4 new tyres on at the same time. I figured that because the new ones on the front are 'less grippy' that they would offset the A/T's on the rear. As soon as I can I shall be putting new ones on the rear. But thank you so much for the advice....perhaps if I didn't have 'Chemo Brain' I would have researched the situation more thoroughly before putting the new tyres on as the ones that they replaced still had a fair amount of 'meat' left on them, but nowhere near as much as the rears.

You should fit the same type of tyre front and rear. Mixing between AT and normal tyres a bad move, as the rolling radius is likely to be very different. This will cause all sorts of issues with the transmission through wind-up, overloading centre diff or or front/ rear diffs. Any of these issues will cost much more to repair than fitting a full set of tyres.

After seeing so many comments advising against what I have done I have decided to put the old front tyres back on and then wait until they are worn more. In the meantime I will look for another pair to put on later that match the ones I am about to take off! I just don't want to risk a hefty bill caused by my own stupidity and stubborness. It is a pity because the Michelin Pilots are a damn good tyre for my needs and hard to find, I will probably have to get a 'similar' set from another manufacturer...an expensive lesson learned. Thanks everyone for the advice, even if it is painful!

Changed tyres back over to the originals at the front £40, again !But at least I got the originals rebalanced as they were way out, so all in all it was an expensive lesson. I will now wait until I have worn the front pair down more and then replace ALL four wheels and tyres with similar tread patterns and wear, at least I have got a two of the best spare tyres around!