Tire rotation question

um, i thought on a fwd the front are way more vital then the back. The front do all the turning and handle all the power. I'd put the new ones on the front.

OK, so I'm inclined to agree with Andrew on this one. But if the good tires are supposed to go on the front, does that mean I should always keep them on the front and never rotate?

No, you really need to put the new ones on the rear even though it is a front wheel drive. UNLESS, <- notice it's in caps the rears are down to the wear markers. In which case, get new tires all around. The whole reason for putting the new on the rear is that with radial tires, you want to start wearing them in a certain direction. Maybe after a few hundred miles or so, you can put them on the front. Here's the scenarios you're trying to avoid. New fronts/ old rears: You'll get good grip in the fronts, but could run the risk of fishtailing or getting into an accidental drifting situation. Old fronts/ New rears: Cornering will improve in the rear end and keep the car true to the road (this is actually a lot more critical than one might think). Especially critical in panic maneuvers/ accident prevention. I guess it really just comes down to - what is the tread depth on the old tires, what is your driving style and what are you comfortable with in terms of your tire setup?

Rotate depending on tread. Tread will wear on the outer edges on the front where as the back should wear flat and even if alighnment is right. If you see the shoulder wear on the front exceed the back then rotate. I was assuming the old tires are not excessivly worn. I hear where kurt and tom are coming from. I would still rather loose back traction then steering traction. Just my experiance. Best is to just get 4 tires.