Some frugal car owners with front wheel drive may be tempted to buy new tires for the front wheels only. The reasoning behind this is that the front wheels seem to do everything that matters while the rear wheels just go along for the ride. After all, the front wheel accelerates the car and does the steering. These two vital functions require good tire tread.

Once all four tires wear down after careful tire rotation, you can spend half as much money by only replacing the front tires. As long as the new front tires match the old rear tires, this should work, right? Wrong.

Here are three reasons this is dangerous:

The Rear Tires Are More Prone to a Blowout

Worn out tread means your rear tires are thinner where they contact the road. Hitting a pothole or an object at a high speed is enough to cause a rear tire to fail. Other conditions such as overloading your car or driving on a very hot day can also cause these weakened tires to blowout.

Rear Tire Tread Is Essential for Handling and Stability

Your rear tires prevent you from fishtailing when cornering on wet pavement or during emergency maneuvers. While your front tires will continue to hold on to the pavement, your rear tires will slide. When driving through a puddle at highway speeds, the rear tires will hydroplane while your front tires continue to have traction. This again will cause fishtailing.

You Need Your Rear Tires for Braking

When only two tires have good tread, only two of your four tires are providing full braking traction. In addition to reduced braking power, hard braking will cause the rear tires to skid and slide, which again causes fishtailing.

If your worn rear tires cause a car accident, you will probably be found at fault for the crash. Driving on tires with bad tread is negligent driving. On the other hand, if another’s negligent driving injured you in an accident, it’s your right to demand fair compensation for your recovery expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.