submit questions about your car

Your Girl Torque advertising promotion in the May edition of Women's Health stated that a pair of replacement tyres should be fitted to the rear of the car because this is where most of the weight is. This is not always the case. Unless you own a Volkswagen Beetle or a rear engined super car, most cars have the engine mounted in the front so most of the weight is very obviously in the front and will shift even more to the front under braking. The reason for fitting new tyres on the rear has more to do with the rear losing traction first and causing the car to spin than it has to do with where the weight is. By putting the new tyres on the rear, the handling of the vehicle will be similar to that known by the driver before the tyre change, because the traction balance will be the same. If the new tyres are in the front, the tendency will be for the car to over-steer and that is the most dangerous situation for a driver to be in.