more tread on rear, but what if different model tire?

qwertyjjj · Post by **qwertyjjj** » 01 Dec 2015, 12:25

It seems to be common knowledge that the tires with more tread should go on the rear to avoid oversteer situations.
I just had to replace 2 rear tires due to a deformation and they do indeed have more tread than the front but from reviews I have read, although they have great snow performance they do not have great ice performance. They are Good Year Nordics and have 95% in snow but only 75% in ice.
My question is that although they have deeper tread, doesn't the ice performance mean that this may in fact lead to a situation where they have less grip than the front and an oversteer risk?

Secondly, the V70 has some ESC (electronic stability control) - as I understood it, if you get oversteer you should steer into the skid and also accelerate instead of brake! The ESC mentions that it will actually slow down the car or slow down one side of the wheels instead...

zanzabar · Post by **zanzabar** » 01 Dec 2015, 14:22

What kind of tire is on the front?

If the difference in tread is very big, like <50% tread vs 100% then yeah you will notice different grip, but if the fronts have >50% then I would say you're fine. I doubt the ice grip performance on the rears is going to cause you any problems.

Here's the thing about ESC and ABS and other traction control gadgetry: it takes your skill out of the equation! All you need to do is hit the brake pedal and point the car in whatever direction you want it to go. DO NOT steer into the skid, or pump the brake pedal, etc. Trust the ESC to prevent you from oversteering. Definitely DO NOT try to fight against the system by accelerating through a skid to try to pull yourself out of a slippery situation. That'll just get you further into the ditch. Just trust your excellent Volvo engineers and good snow tires!

Me: 20 years experience driving in snowy Upper Michigan.

qwertyjjj · Post by **qwertyjjj** » 02 Dec 2015, 07:16

Automatic reaction in a skid is to steer into it though.
How will the ESC cope with that?

zanzabar · Post by **zanzabar** » 04 Dec 2015, 23:43

Give it a try and see what happens. Find a good open parking lot and hit it right after a good snow, try multiple strategies like turning into the skid, point the wheel where you want to go, etc. You'll learn a lot about how your car handles. I you'll find it to be fairly hard to get it to oversteer at all, ESC is pretty darn effective.