Car tyres

[claremaree]

When replacing a rear tyre, are you supposed to replace both at the same time?

[Cockney_si]

Yes you are really supposed to do that, although most car dealers just put on the one.  Hence the reason some secondhand cars have all different tyre treads.

[KebabMeister]

No, you don't have to unless you want two new tyres on to wear evenly.

If you car is front-wheel drive and was fitting it to the front then I'd recommend finding the most evening worn tyres and putting them on the front, or even best, another brand new tyre to go with it (front wheel drive are the driven wheels obviously, steering and 60% of the braking so you want the best tyres on the front).

However, if it's rear wheel drive then I would still put the new tyre on the back and finding the most evenly worn on the front.

[robber1]

No you dont, although its recommended to get a tyre with the same tread pattern.

[hedgehog661]

Always put the new tyres to the front, the steering wheels where you need most control, You dont need to replace in pairs although it is recommended, possibly think about ringing the spare into use if it helps, when you have the tyre fitted most will give you good advice and put it the best way round

[KebabMeister]

hedgehog, only put new tyreS to the front, not a single one as this could cause pulling.

[honkytonkman]

In theory on 4x4 vehicles you should replace both tyres at front or back to prevent damage to the differentials from the theoretically different diameter of a worn tyre versus a new one. But in practice the difference is negligible.

In ye olde days of motoring when crossply tyres were available as well as the 'new' radial tyres, then you had to make sure that both ends of the same axle had either crossplies or radial tyres and not a mix.

These days, replacing a single tyre is the norm.