BJ's Wholesale Club Tire Policy is stupid Webster, New York

Regardless of what Cory and joshr have said, I have always been told that, when replacing only two tires, the new tires should be mounted on the drive wheels because the drive wheels obviously need more traction.  That is what I have always done, it has never been disputed by any installer, and I have never had a problem with the result.

Of course, if the other tires are in bad shape you might have a problem, but then anyone with half a brain would also replace those tires or be willing to accept the possibility of a problem, which should be their own choice.  In this case, however, the original poster stated that the rear tires had only 8,000 miles on them, so I see no reason for any installer to 'require' anything with regard to them.

I could be wrong, but my own personal opinion is that this policy is nothing more than a way for BJ's to charge their customers an additional fee for moving the older tires from the back to the front.  At an average cost of about $15 per tire for mounting and balancing, BJ's would make an extra $30 for every set of two tires they sell and mount, which would increase their profits substantially over the course of a year. 

Also, what if ALL tires only had minimal mileage on them and he wanted to replace only the tire that was flat because the damage was on the sidewall?  Would he then be 'required' to replace two tires just to make sure that both tires on either the front or the back had the exact same amount of tread?  If that were the case, tire warranties would have to cover the cost of two tires when only one is damaged, which is simply ridiculous.

I work for a major tire company in the US.  I do not work for nor am I associated with Bj's.  The reason they put the tires on the rear as most companies do, is legitmate.  If your front tires lose traction you can feel it in the steering wheel, if the rear tires lose traction you most likely can not feel it until its to late.  The industry recommendation is if you have only 2 tires replaced they go on the rear for that reason.  Basically you want your best tires on the rear no matter if it is rear or front wheel drive.  Bj's might have lacked in customer service but they were looking out for the safety of your mother, and frankly I would rather get treated poorly and be safe than the opposite.  In the long run, same as I tell my customers, we are the experts we can not let a vehicle leave our garage unsafe.  I feel the is why they have the policy that they do. 

The reason they won't put the new tires on the front wheels, of a front wheel drive vehicle is because if they mount the new tires on the front wheels, there's a much better chance the vehicle will "fishtail" with the "older", more worn tires on the rear and they don't want to be sued for contributing to an accident. Sorry, but that's the way it is. So much for "the customer's ALWAYS right". They just might have saved your mother's life. He's rather give you the few dollars back then be involved in a multi-million dollar lawsuit.

The reason they won't put the new tires on the front wheels, of a front wheel drive vehicle is because if they mount the new tires on the front wheels, there's a much better chance the vehicle will "fishtail" with the "older", more worn tires on the rear and they don't want to be sued for contributing to an accident. Sorry, but that's the way it is. So much for "the customer's ALWAYS right". They just might have saved your mother's life. He's rather give you the few dollars back then be involved in a multi-million dollar lawsuit.