But where's the logic?

SpoiledMan · 06-27-06, 06:29

So I go to Costco to get the tires rotated on the Odyssey this evening. The rep tells me that he will need to go out and check them first. He comes back a few moments later and tells me that it's "Costco policy that the best tires always be on the back of the vehicle." Ehh, it is front wheel drive. How would the backs wear faster than the fronts when the fronts do ALL the work on a 4000+ pound vehicle???

truzoom · 06-27-06, 06:39

The older I get, the more I realize this world does not run off common sense, but whatever the hell sounds complicated enough to keep people busy.

Scottwax · 06-27-06, 07:08

Back tires have less weight over them than the front and are more prone to hydroplaning and causing the car to swap ends. Deeper tread in the back keeps the car more balanced in the rain.

SpoiledMan · 06-27-06, 07:12

So they should have NEVER rotated them then right? Two weeks after the tires were installed, there was less tread depth on the fronts than the back. It's not like they're anywhere near the wear bars or anything. This is impossible to avoid with a FWD vehicle.

JohnnyDaJackal · 06-28-06, 05:44

Why wouldn't they do the normal tire rotation for fwd non-directional tires?

SpoiledMan · 06-28-06, 05:56

John, the explanation to me was that the "best" tires would have to be on the back of the vehicle per the store policy. In the case of a FWD vehicle that would mean that the tires could never be rotated. Right? Well, they've rotated them before.

Setec Astronomy · 06-28-06, 05:59

I'm more amused that Costco actually has a policy regarding this than what the actual policy is! Normally here in the snow belt you want max tread on the drive wheels, I dunno about you CA/TX guys who have no snow. I guesstimate 95% of the driving public never has their tires rotated, they just drive until they have some problem and then get new tires.

TortoiseAWD · 06-28-06, 06:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpoiledMan

John, the explanation to me was that the "best" tires would have to be on the back of the vehicle per the store policy. In the case of a FWD vehicle that would mean that the tires could never be rotated. Right? Well, they've rotated them before.

No, it just means that you need to rotate regularly. 7500 miles of wear front-to-back won't be an issue . . . if you should happen to go too long between rotations, you might get enough of a wear-differential to worry about. Were the fronts particularly worn this time for some reason? Or was the Costco guy maybe hoping to sell some new tires?

Tort

TortoiseAWD · 06-28-06, 06:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

I'm more amused that Costco actually has a policy regarding this than what the actual policy is! Normally here in the snow belt you want max tread on the drive wheels, I dunno about you CA/TX guys who have no snow.

That's a recipe for a spin right there. The problem with putting the best tires up front comes under braking in low-traction conditions. If the fronts grip well but the rears don't, the weight transfer under braking can cause the rear end to break loose. For most all seasons that have been rotated with any regularity at all, this is never an issue. The big problem comes when someone wants to buy two new tires and put them on the front of a FWD car, thinking that the best tread should go on the drive wheels. Not wise . . . physics wins.

This is generally only ever a problem when the fronts have significantly more grip than the rears, though; the wear disparity front-to-rear from a normal rotation interval shouldn't be an issue.

Tort

Setec Astronomy · 06-28-06, 07:02

<shrug> Most people don't even keep any air in their tires, much less rotate them.

SpoiledMan · 06-28-06, 07:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by TortoiseAWD

No, it just means that you need to rotate regularly. 7500 miles of wear front-to-back won't be an issue . . . if you should happen to go too long between rotations, you might get enough of a wear-differential to worry about. Were the fronts particularly worn this time for some reason? Or was the Costco guy maybe hoping to sell some new tires?

Tort

Hey, they rotate them for free. I'm there every 7499.

Hoping for a sell? Probably. He's got the wrong guy though. There really isn't any significant wear difference between the front and rear as the pressure is always kept up and they're rotated regularly.

JohnnyDaJackal · 06-28-06, 08:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpoiledMan

Hey, they rotate them for free. I'm there every 7499.

Hoping for a sell? Probably. He's got the wrong guy though. There really isn't any significant wear difference between the front and rear as the pressure is always kept up and they're rotated regularly.

Do they always rotate them the same way at 7,500 miles? I took my mom's van to them recently for a rotation since two years and 14k miles since getting them mounted. I told them to rotate them, and that I wasn't sure when the last time they we're mounted. I'm not sure if they ever rotated them because the brake dust was still found on the two front wheels(car was very dirty), unless they rotated the left and front.

My father's car is coming up on 7,500 miles and I plan on giving it a nice tune up once they rotate them. I'll be sure to watch exactly what they do this time instead of going inside the store.

I though they're policies we're a little weird too. My RSX comes with V rated tires, and I asked them to "price" tires for them while waiting for my mom's car. They had a nice set of Potenzas but since they we're the rating below, they said they can't sell them to me. I said considering the speed limits, it doesn't matter if one is rated to 120mph or 130mph, but they said they still need to meet the manufacturer's rating.