2013 SE Tire wear

psd1 said:

On another note, I thought H rated tires were pretty much "required" on our cars?

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The speed rating on original equipment tires is commensurate with the maximum speed (usually electronically governed) that the car is capable of. As S rated tires are rated for 112 mph, and H rated for 130 mph, a car with a top speed in between will be equipped with H rated tires.

Back in the late 1990s, GM Oldsmobile Aurora cars had a standard model, and an "Autobahn" option. With the standard option, the car was governed to 109 mph and it had S rated tires. The Autobahn option raised that to about 137 mph, and it got V rated (149 mph) tires.

Generally, all other things being equal, the higher the speed rating, the better the handling, but the lower the tread life.

tdiatlast said:

Every shop that has installed tires for me always insists the newer, grippier tires go on the rear, to avoid oversteer during severe braking in a curve. I've never had Costco install tires, but this policy is clearly stated on wall posters. Ditto for a Firestone dealer I just visited.

I will assume the oversteer issue would only occur when the tread/grip differential is big, i.e. virtually bald tires in the rear, but the policy is enforced to avoid having to interpret the differential.

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Times have changed and I found that one out with my Toyota Camry. I was preparing the vehicle for sale, took it to Discount Tire where they were purchased and they refused to take the rear tires and rotate them to the front due to it is now policy to keep more treat tires on the front and not the back. All 4 tires were borderline and I was trying to keep them "as is" due to not wanting to spend a dime on the vehicle. I mentioned the best tires should go on the rear and Discounts manager said it use to be that way but not any longer. Steering is the issue here and refused to do it!
Hard to keep up this all these so called changes!

^^^Maybe it's a regional thing? I had tires installed on my truck a few months back, at a Firestone franchise, and they STILL had the poster on the wall requiring newer tread on the rears. Go figure...