When installing winter tires on a front-wheel-drive vehicle, where must they be placed?

When installing winter tires on a front-wheel-drive vehicle, it's important to place them on both the front and rear axles to ensure optimal safety and performance. Winter tires are specifically designed to provide better traction, handling, and braking in cold, snowy, or icy conditions.

By equipping both the front and rear axles with winter tires, the vehicle achieves balanced handling and stability. This is crucial because having winter tires only on the front axle can lead to an imbalance during maneuvers, especially when cornering or in slippery conditions. The rear tires might lose grip more easily, increasing the risk of oversteering, where the rear of the vehicle slides out.

Placing winter tires only on the rear axle would not provide the necessary traction for the front wheels, which drive the vehicle. Meanwhile, putting them on just one side would create significant handling issues, making the vehicle unpredictable. Thus, installing winter tires on all four wheels is the recommended and safest approach for a front-wheel-drive vehicle during winter conditions.