2004 6 spd coupe. I have Goodyear F1s on and the fronts are wearing on the inside much more than the outside... Im going to put new tires on and have a 4 wheel alignment done. Does it matter what brand I put on the fronts? Do I have to use the same brand as the back ?? Or can I put on a different brand as long as it is a runflat?

thanks,

Sully

 

For the best handling, when aligned correctly your front tires will typically wear more on the inside tread than the outside. You need a little negative camber which causes the inside to wear more. This is because the top of the tire, when viewed from the front will be leaning in towards the center of the car at the top. As far as replacing tires, you should always run the same brand of tires front and rear. Mixing tires can cause negative results and handling problems. It could actually become dangerous. You could eliminate the runflats and get conventional tires for improved handling and ride.

 

First part True.
Second part Not entirely accurate. I've answered several threads regarding tire questions attempting to clarify some common myths regarding them and the C5 platform, sharing some of the knowledge I have aquired in my 14 years managing a tire store in a major chain.

First- Due to the staggared front-rear fitment of our cars mixing BRANDS will not adversely affect the handeling characteristics of the vehicle. Mixing nonrunflats with runflats WILL. Runflats will react more quickly in an emergency or high speed cornering situation due to the thicker sidewall. Not only is there less lag time in between the turn of the steering wheel and the response of the vehicle, but the nonfunlat will have more squirm (or give). While IT IS true that traction, both dry and wet, varies with brand, tread pattern, and composition, because of the staggared fitment (and different size front-rear), the effect should not be extremely adverse so long as they are both runflats or both nonrunflats.

Second. While it is also true that a nonrunflat tire is MUCH more forgiving (smoother riding) than a runflat, handeling will diminish slightly. You will notice the car will not will not feel as "crisp". As I mentioned earlier there will be more lag time in the steering response, also the squirm of the vehicle in cornering situations will be noticable, even to the inexperienced driver.

Personal preference and driving habits will dictate the tire that will best suit your needs. Hope this helps

 

The lag in turn-in excplained by 97C5owner is usually overcome by going to a larger size/lower aspect ratio tire on the front.

 

Finally, someone not dealing in conjecture I might only add that I had my camber set closer to -0- in order to experiment with the front inside wear issue.