"Keep your better tires on the rear wheels"

Saw a sign like this at the discount tire in pville today

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if a blowout happens on the wheels that steer, you are screwed. I

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Not really

Only everyone that works in the auto industry or knows anything about tires.

I've always been told the better tires go on the rear. The rear tires are what provide stability. The deeper treads on newer tires will handle water better, and will grip the road better than older tires with worn treads.

Same reason bald tires are bad. No grip.

As far as blowouts...you think you can't blow out a new tire just as easily as an old one? New, old...they can all be punctured if hit right. Trust me, I know. I put 4 new tires on my truck 2 years ago, and have replaced tires 3 times since then because of punctures. Still have 2 of the original 4.

This is plain wrong and inaccurate. If you put the best tires on the rear do you never rotate them? Then the best are on the front. If you don't rotate them the fronts will wear out first and you have to buy new tires. Thus this is why tire shops recommend this... to sell more tires.

I have been around tires, dealer service departments and factory engineers for over 40 years and this new theory is not supported by reality.

If you have a flat, your vehicle is a lot more stable and controllable if your steering wheels are both round, inflated and have the same drag and directional stability as each other. You have to be able to steer. It doesn't matter if you have FWD or RWD.

I have asked several a OEM engineers recently about this new recommendation and they are of the same opinion as I. Marketing.

It's not a new theory and there is decades of motorsports racing research to support what they are recommending here. Sudden braking, slick pavement, combination of both happen far more often than sudden flats. I've had a front tire and a rear tire blow out on a truck a few weeks apart at highway speeds. Front blow out was easily more controllable than the rear tire blow out. You need to correct yourself and whatever "engineers" you've been talking to.

Then rotation can never happen again.

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If you don't rotate them the fronts will wear out first and you have to buy new tires

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This.

Any other answer is absurd, if you can't rotate your tires to even them out then it's time for a new pair.

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Then rotation can never happen again.

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If you rotate your tires like you should then there should never be enough difference to matter that much. Going 15k to 20k miles before rotating them and you deserve to have problems.

I understand that, but I also don't believe the compounds/conditions are really even comparable. The guy is trying to wear out her tires so she comes back for more IMO, but to each his own

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The guy is trying to wear out her tires so she comes back for more IMO, but to each his own

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No, because that means more pitstops and wasted time. The guy wants his tires to last as long as possible while maintaining proper grip. New tires will change handling characteristics, the driver has to get used to those changes every time the tires are swapped out.