Tire Help

[dvd7e]

So what should I do about my tires...

I have an '07 Corolla with ~38k miles. I bought it as a 1 yr old rental car with about 17k on it from a dealer.

This past May (~34k miles) my front tires were wearing down pretty bad so I bought 2 new front tires. (They are Firestone FR380 P195/65R15 89S M+S all season tires, rated at 55k miles, 400 tread wear). I probably should have just bought all 4 new tires then, but I didn't. Now (at ~38k miles) my back tires are down to about 4/32" or 5/32" and heading into a Pennsylvania winter. The back tires are the ones that came with the car when I got them, and as far as I know they are the originals. (They are Goodyear Integrity M+S P195/65R15 89S.)

I'm currently renting an apartment and may be moving so I don't really have any way of storing tires longterm, so at least for this year I want to avoid getting winter tires.

Should I....

a) Get 2 new identical all season tires for my backs that i have on my fronts right now. This will somewhat sync up my tire wear and moving forward I can buy 4 tires at once when they wear down again. Plus I'd have somewhat new (allbeit all-season tires, and not winter tires) for the upcoming winter.

b) Put my relatively new all-seasons that are currently on the front and move them to the back, and put my 4/32" tread worn down rears on the front, and make it through the winter and buy 2 new tires when they wear down to 2/32". This leaves me worn down a bit for the winter, and keeps my tire wear out of sync (I suppose ideally I'd like to be able to buy 4 tires at once, not only for convenience but better deals that way.)

or

c) Something else???


And 2 other side questions....
1) What's the best time of the year (generally speaking) to buy tires?
2) How much does tire installation typically cost?

Thanks for your help!

[Ohiowa]

Originally Posted by dvd7e

So what should I do about my tires...

I have an '07 Corolla with ~38k miles. I bought it as a 1 yr old rental car with about 17k on it from a dealer.

This past May (~34k miles) my front tires were wearing down pretty bad so I bought 2 new front tires. (They are Firestone FR380 P195/65R15 89S M+S all season tires, rated at 55k miles, 400 tread wear). I probably should have just bought all 4 new tires then, but I didn't. Now (at ~38k miles) my back tires are down to about 4/32" or 5/32" and heading into a Pennsylvania winter. The back tires are the ones that came with the car when I got them, and as far as I know they are the originals. (They are Goodyear Integrity M+S P195/65R15 89S.)

I'm currently renting an apartment and may be moving so I don't really have any way of storing tires longterm, so at least for this year I want to avoid getting winter tires.

Should I....

a) Get 2 new identical all season tires for my backs that i have on my fronts right now. This will somewhat sync up my tire wear and moving forward I can buy 4 tires at once when they wear down again. Plus I'd have somewhat new (allbeit all-season tires, and not winter tires) for the upcoming winter.

b) Put my relatively new all-seasons that are currently on the front and move them to the back, and put my 4/32" tread worn down rears on the front, and make it through the winter and buy 2 new tires when they wear down to 2/32". This leaves me worn down a bit for the winter, and keeps my tire wear out of sync (I suppose ideally I'd like to be able to buy 4 tires at once, not only for convenience but better deals that way.)

or

c) Something else???


And 2 other side questions....
1) What's the best time of the year (generally speaking) to buy tires?
2) How much does tire installation typically cost?

Thanks for your help!

First, I should mention that new tires should always be replaced on the rear first (even if it means moving used rear tires to the front), because this keeps your tail end from sliding in slick conditions.

With that out of the way...

Option A would be the best option IMHO, since you'll still have decent traction on both front and rear.

Option B would be a bad idea, since it means putting worn tires on the front, which is the axle you depend on for traction.

__________
Answer to question 1: I usually keep an eye on my treadwear and buy four at once when they start to get a little thin. If you're aware of how they're wearing, you can buy a set during a sale before they get dangerously worn.

Answer to question 2: I just bought a set of Firestone FR710s with mount, balance and install for $395 out the door.

Also, rotation is key. Regularly rotated tires will wear more evenly. Most tire places will rotate for free if you buy a set of four. Ask them when you're price shopping and go with whoever offers the best service after the sale, too. I have bought my previous three sets of tires (my '03, my wife's '04 Grand AM, and my previous Grand Am) from Firestone Complete Auto Care and have been happy with them, since I can stop by any Firestone shop and have them rotated for free.

Have a shop check your alignment and have it aligned if it's out. This will help with more even wear as well.

Hope I helped.

[sfcsky]

esp going through a winter I would never put the worn tires on the drive wheels if you know you will be going thru snow. rear tires on a front wheel drive car only follow the front, they have no other purpose to maintain thet you should have better tread on them. 75% of the braking, 100% of the acceleration and 100% of the steering is the front tires on a front wheel drive car, so tell me the logic in putting worn tires on front.

The goodyear tires you spoke of were the original type of tire as came on the '07 corolla s

[dvd7e]

Originally Posted by sfcsky

esp going through a winter I would never put the worn tires on the drive wheels if you know you will be going thru snow. rear tires on a front wheel drive car only follow the front, they have no other purpose to maintain thet you should have better tread on them. 75% of the braking, 100% of the acceleration and 100% of the steering is the front tires on a front wheel drive car, so tell me the logic in putting worn tires on front.

The goodyear tires you spoke of were the original type of tire as came on the '07 corolla s

I spoke to a guy at Firestone and he suggested I put the better tires on the back

[Ohiowa]

Originally Posted by dvd7e

I spoke to a guy at Firestone and he suggested I put the better tires on the back

That's correct, since your tires aren't only used for traction and braking. Rear tires also play a part in rear grip in turns (especially on water, since lower tread can't channel water away nearly as efficiently). Since water cannot be compressed, the likelihood of hydroplaning becomes greater with worn tires on the rear.