[daved912]

Hello,

I've got an '09 E350 and had a bit of trouble getting around in the snow this year. Would it affect the ABS (or any other systems) if I use an all weather tire in the front and an all terrain in the rear? I'd keep the size the same.

Thanks in advance,
Dave

[Boghog]

I would advise against it.The handling characteristics will be different between the tires.

[Kruser]

Originally Posted by daved912

I'd keep the size the same.

I would also advise against this.
A couple of weeks ago, a customer came in with tires that were different brands. Two of one brand on the back and another brand was on the front. Tires were marked the SAME SIZE ALL THE WAY AROUND.
These tires were visibly different in size and the rears were about 3/4 inch taller than the front by using a tape measure. These were all new tires and you could easily see it without measuring the size difference.
Maybe it was just a one time fluke, but it made a believer out of me.

[EscortTard]

As long as you aren't four wheel drive it shouldn't be too much of a problem, just keep in mind (like the others are saying) that the rears may handle differently than the fronts, but no damage will be caused from simply putting snow tires in the back.

[Poppy]

To confirm what has been said above, I believe that thetirerack.com has a tire circumference chart for a variety of tires. If the circumference does not match up, then it may affect your anti-locks.

A difference in the stiffness of the sidewalls, may impact handling, even in dry weather. Although differences in tread pattern may also affect handling, I suspect that would not come into play as much as the other two factors.

I have driven many rear wheel drive cars and trucks with snows on the rear and regular highway tires on the front, and don't recall ever experiencing any driving/handling concerns. If there was a noticeable difference, I adapted my driving to it so quickly it wasn't an issue for me.

I recall a driver commenting that he had used regular passenger tires on his full size van, and had difficulty keeping it in his lane, when he changed to truck tires (which had stiffer sidewalls) the handling issue was resolved.

I do know that for certain "high performance" tires such as blizzack there is a strong recommendation to go with the same all around.

[Grems4ever]

Originally Posted by daved912

Hello, I've got an '09 E350 and had a bit of trouble getting around in the snow this year. Would it affect the ABS (or any other systems) if I use an all weather tire in the front and an all terrain in the rear? I'd keep the size the same. Thanks in advance, Dave

ABS is a concern, but don't you have stability control or traction control? If so, you need the same tire on all 4 corners. The differing grip patterns will drive the system nuts when the front & back react differently.