Where the Rubber Meets the Road Probably everyone has purchased only two tires for their vehicle at some time or another, but did you ever wonder on which end of the car they should go? Well, the good folks at Michelin Tire have the answer. Always put the new tires on the rear of the vehicle regardless of whether it is front or rear wheel drive. The reason for this is that if the worn tires are installed in the rear, traction can be suddenly lost in adverse conditions, causing a spin and loss of control. Taken by surprise most drivers cannot recover from a sudden loss of traction at the rear of the vehicle. This is an extreme example of oversteer. If the worn tires are installed at the front end of the car, the driver can feel the steering become "light" and take the necessary actions to regain control before the situation becomes unmanageable. This is called understeer. In fact vehicle manufacturers build understeer into their vehicles as a matter of safety. When replacing just two tires, always insist that new tires be installed on the rear of the vehicle. If you are still skeptical, go to the Michelin web site at www.michelinman.com/care/tip6.html, and watch the video. It will turn you into a believer. On another note if you need tires for an all wheel drive vehicle, make sure to replace all four. Worn or mismatched tires have differences in cicumference (the distance around the tire) causing early failure of all wheel drive parts. In fact some warranties state that when one or more tires are worn on an all wheel drive vehicle, all must be replaced.