Ideally…. All four tires should be the same. However if you’re in a situation where you have to replaced two of them….. The new tire or the one with better traction should always be placed at the rear. Why? Because it is important for the rear to have traction when you’re doing high speed cornering (whether its dry or wet). Simple logic, front high traction….. rear low traction…. During cornering, rear loose traction and oversteer occurred (yes, its fun for drifters but its not funny for normal drivers) If you don’t believed me… do a simple google or go Youtube and search for ‘New tire Front or rear’ and see it for yourself.

Why tire shop always tell you to put new tire on the front? I had friend whom once worked in a tire shop and told me… Front tire wears out faster than the rear, hence you change tire more often… (if you’re not the type who do tire rotation regularly)

It applies to all.... including 4WD & AWD (I know some would argued that it doesn't matters if the car has traction controls.... but trust me, it makes a difference especially when it comes to safety)