Is it acceptable to replace just the two front tires on a FWD car?

Can you please get as technical as possible? (Braking performance, acceleration, under steer, etc.) Obviously a tire shop told me I would have to go with all four new tires, "especially on a FWD car"; but my objective is to get through a winter with the least expense and sell the car next summer.

Please advise.Is it acceptable to replace just the two front tires on a FWD car?
Well, the first thing to keep in mind is that tires are the most important piece of safety equipment on the vehicle. Personal safety before dollars.



I have no way of knowing the true condition of your current tires but it is of course always ideal to have 4 matching tires on the car with identical performance. There are times where that is not practical in which case the 2nd best thing is to replace 2 tires so you have tires of matching performance on each axle. Irregardless of whether or not the front or rear tires are replaced the new pair should ALWAYS be installed on the REAR AXLE - and yes that includes FWD cars especially. This is recommended by all of the major tire manufacturers and the Rubber Manufacturers Association. The reason is again, safety. A loss of traction at the front typically gives plenty of warning as is easier to control than a loss of traction at the rear of the car which is usually abrupt and nearly impossible to control.



http://www.michelinman.com/tire-care/tir鈥?/a>



Pablo, in spite of all of his apparent years of experience is not following tire industry guidelines in the proper application of replacement tires.



One last thing and then I will get off my soapbox. New tires are a selling point - you will get more for the car if the person you are trying to sell it to doesn't have to buy new hoops.
Pablo is right...on FWD cars, your front tires do all of the steering, accelerating and most of the braking and get the bulk of the wear. It's ok to replace just them as long as the back tires are in good shape and have enough tread left on them for safe winter driving in snowy/icy conditions.Is it acceptable to replace just the two front tires on a FWD car?
yes,,

the tire shop just loves to sell tires when you

don't need them.

will not affect any thing...
It is pretty common and a pretty good idea.



I would say less then 1/2 of my clients buy 4 tires for winter.



Nearly all of them use FWD cars and only the front tires need the added snow traction.



The rear tires just need ample tread to follow behind and stay there.



As long as your rear tires are in good shape - buy fronts only.Is it acceptable to replace just the two front tires on a FWD car?
Yes.



But make sure the two other tires are of legal depth.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/t鈥?/a>



The downside is that your tires have so much less winter traction that you get in an accident and your car is damaged - not enough to meet your deductable, but so much that it greatly reduces the resale value.



You'll probably need to install matching tires on all four to get a good price for your car.
Just put the same size tires on it, that's it. If it was a 4 wheel drive, 4 get replaced at same time.