By now, we should all know that you should never mix tires on the same axle, but people often wonder whether it's a good idea to mix different brands of tires between the front and rear of the car.

 

To find out, I started with all four tires the same premium Continental SportContact 6, then switched to another premium brand (Michelin Pilot Sport 4S) rear tire, then a midrange kumho PS91 rear tire, then a budget rear tire.

 

These are the results of what changed in both subjective handling, and wet lap times.