New and old tyres on the same car

[gavinwibrow]

I recall a number of threads about not mixing tyres on the same "Axle", but what about between front and rear.

Dilemma - On my just acquired D4, I have 1 brand new spare and 4 half worn 697s.
I have access to a 6th rim and I'd like to get some use out of the newby, so was wondering if I buy another 697 (currently $485 on special for my size thank you very much) can I put the 2 newbies on the front and the partly worn ones on the rear (or vice versa), or will this cause angst for the centre diff?

If I can, I'd keep the 2 newbies on until rotating the partly worn ones gives me an overall match.

Thoughts from the wise?

[DiscoJeffster]

I’m running Maxis front and Cooper rear until the Cooper wear out and I get another pair of Maxis. It’s been fine.

[Eric SDV6SE]

To me, as long as they are the same size profile, you should not have any issues with mixing old and new tyres. Eg if one tyre is a 55 profile and the opposite side a 65 profile, the “smaller” tyre will spin marginally faster than the larger tyre at a given road speed. I’ve run old and new tyres before, but always the same size, and try to keep the ‘old’ set on the same axle

[DiscoMick]

Should be okay I think, but think about grip for steering and strength for rear loads before deciding if to put them on the front or back.

[gavinwibrow]

Should be okay I think, but think about grip for steering and strength for rear loads before deciding if to put them on the front or back.


Yes, that was the secondary question. Given I plan to be towing over 3T, my thinking is to put the 2 newbies on the back with the higher air pressures.

[DiscoMick]

Sounds like a good idea if towing a heavy load.

[trout1105]

If you intend to use the D4 as a touring "tug" towing 3t behind it then personally I would bite the bullet and get 4x new tyres fitted to it[thumbsupbig]
It is never a Good idea to head off on a trip with half worn tyres and with winter coming up do you really want to trust the lives of your family and yourself to old worn tyres??

[letherm]

I have 1 brand new spare and 4 half worn 697s.


Be careful with a "brand new" spare. Is it actually recently purchased or just not used? Tyres degrade over time and whilst I would be happy for an old unused tyre as a spare to get me out of trouble, I would not put it into use full time to get some wear out of it. I just searched online for how long they should be ok and it ranged from 5 to 10 years if stored correctly. It was suggested that after 5 years they should be checked annually to be safe. It's to do with the tyre losing its suppleness and drying out basically.


Martin

[DiscoMick]

I agree with Trout that it would be better to buy four new tyres now, rather than be forced into it later. I once had two simultaneous flats on the rear of our D1 while towing because the tyres were half worn and couldn't cope with a corrugated road.
And, as said above, if your unused spare is more than about five years old it may have dried out. It is possible to bath tyres in light oil to try to revive them, but the results are uncertain.

[l00kin4]

Not to steer you away in any way from any of the good advice above, I have done exactly what you’ve described but without the towing. No issues whatsoever
David

[l00kin4]

As a sidebar question, what size tyres are you running? That price seems steep to me. 265/60R18 D697’s under $300 over on this side
David

[Narangga]

As a sidebar question, what size tyres are you running? That price seems steep to me. 265/60R18 D697’s under $300 over on this side
David

When I last bought some of that size in Darwin over a year ago they were only just under $400 each. :Thump:

[l00kin4]

Ouch

[RobA]

Across Australia the law on your question is dealt with this way. Normally you are allowed/required to have the same wheel and rim on each axle. So that means you can be different F-R. But most if not all will also require you to have the same "size" tyre F&R as an added requirement. Apart from that all must be within placard.

Spare should always be rotated with the rest on the car. That way you get the most use from it and yes they do age and as you are not able to sell tyres older than five years I would reckon checking how old what you have underneath is would be a good move

Rob

[Rok_Dr]

Hi Gavin

My penny’s worth having seen your tyres.


Matching tyres on one axle OK but not side to side.
I couldn’t see any damage or cracking on the tyres and given the remaining tread depth and where you are heading I’d keep them on. (Just drop your pressures when you hit the dirt and keep to 80kph)
Check the date on that unused spare. If it’s more than 4 or 5 years old you’ll probably not get the full life out of it even if you pair it with a fresh 697.
Bridgestone 697s have a good rep. Bridgestone often have 4 for 3 deals so watch out and you’ll be able to get a matching set at a reasonable price. I did that recently for the Alfa and got a set of performance potenzas for less that what I paid for 10 years previously for 4, run of the mill Toyos.



Cheers

Steve

[gavinwibrow]

As a sidebar question, what size tyres are you running? That price seems steep to me. 265/60R18 D697’s under $300 over on this side
David


Quite large at 285/65R18, and for all the "concerned" comments, all of my tyres are quite "young" and well within the specs identified - not that I'd allow anything else on my wheels (pun not intended) - for those that know me I'm quite anal about being mechanically kosher, and would throw away a new tyre rather than have any concerns with its reliability and performance. Kind of goes with the territory for those of us with multiple driving licences. A bit like a pilot not wanting to fly anything that might shorten his earthly tenure!

EDIT - Oops - tyres are 285/60R (31.5"D) , not 285/65R (32.6"D)

[gavinwibrow]

Across Australia the law on your question is dealt with this way. Normally you are allowed/required to have the same wheel and rim on each axle. So that means you can be different F-R. But most if not all will also require you to have the same "size" tyre F&R as an added requirement. Apart from that all must be within placard.

Spare should always be rotated with the rest on the car. That way you get the most use from it and yes they do age and as you are not able to sell tyres older than five years I would reckon checking how old what you have underneath is would be a good move

Rob

Normally a firm believer in rotation - my D2 has 6 Pirelli Scorpion ATRs that have done about 80K with plenty of tread still there, despite the CSR and a few other episodes. Given the choice, would have preferred the new AT+ on the D4 , but can't justify throwing away good 697s at this point.

[Phideaux]

It wasn't a Land Rover, but about 15 years ago I put same-species but new front, went for another 5000km on the rear tyres.
I got about another 1000km from the rears, then it rained.
I was going through a roundabout at less than usual speed - and totally lost control of the car - took out a door and a light pole at low speed. And I couldn't work out what went wrong.
I went to the cop-shop and dutifully reported - coming home on only slightly wet roads, another very familiar corner - spun out all over again, also at low speed, but this time no damage.

It was like 'spin the tail on the donkey'. The front tyres - new and bedded in - gripped - the rear tyres - still perfectly legal and with about 4000km life remaining - slid like they were on ice.

Ever since then, I've made sure I've got tyres of same species and comparable wear front and back.

Side issue.
Lately, I've started retiring older tyres earlier, going for more safety, grip, etc. Getting those last 5000km out of tyres can mean 5-6 metres difference in braking distance.

Relevant to your post:
An 'old spare' will not grip like a new tyre. It will have been hardening over time - part of what happens is 'solid evaporation'. So you can have a new tyre on one side and an old tyre on the other - same tread depth - and get different rates of traction, and much different rates of wear.

While it costs more to run newer tyres, it's only a very few cents or fractions of a cent per kilometre - which weighed up against the costs of even a minor, single car accident - (including insurance excess, and the inconvenience) - you're way, way ahead.

I think there was a study somewhere that proved that the biggest single safety improvement one could do on any car was 'good tyres'.

Cheers,

Phideaux

[ATH]

"I think there was a study somewhere that proved that the biggest single safety improvement one could do on any car was 'good tyres'. " I know a D4 owner who won't change the original tyres it came with until June, even though they're all just about illegal, as he doesn't feel he's got good value from them if he does!
He won't be persuaded otherwise by others who've seen his tyres as well as me.
Maybe a good slide during the coming wet weather will convince him to change them before he has an accident.
AlanH.

[gavinwibrow]

And getting back to the original thread, all of the 697s are mid 2016 vintage (including the unused carcass, now fitted as spare number 1).
Based on the as usual excellent feedback on here, the plan is to buy 1 new 697, then fit the two unused ones on the rear axle, and barring problems with punctures, regularly rotate the 4 x partially used, but plenty of tread, 697s on the front. This arrangement should last me 2 -3 years without any cause for concern - and I will revisit as soon as any concerns arise.

I concur, its not much of a footbrint to bet your life on, but the 697s SHOULD handle towing the brick on the Great Central Road, far north and west Queensland including development roads and quite a few bitumen highways along the way with aplomb. I'd still rather have had 6 x new Pirelli AT+, but cant have it all at once.
Thanks again to all.

[Blknight.aus]

dont forget to swap left to rights as you do the rotation, depending on construction this may mean removing the tyres from the rims and swapping the tyres left to right on the rears..

I'd be inclined to rotate the new tyres to the front when you werent towing (or epxecting to be towing), swap them to the rears when you're expecting to do a big tow trip and change the older tyres at the same time.

[gavinwibrow]

dont forget to swap left to rights as you do the rotation, depending on construction this may mean removing the tyres from the rims and swapping the tyres left to right on the rears..

I'd be inclined to rotate the new tyres to the front when you weren't towing (or expecting to be towing), swap them to the rears when you're expecting to do a big tow trip and change the older tyres at the same time.


Tyres are unidirectional/omnidirectional, so should not need rim swapping/reversal, but a good point for those with directional tyres.

New tyres on the front for non towing duties makes sense for better braking. Looks like the jack and tyre spanner will be getting some workouts.