Originally Posted by -=solewheelin
Front tires should be slick and fast for fine steering, which is the point of the front wheel, unless you need to hook up. a slick in the front is fine in everything but mud, because its your rear wheel via your legsthat hauls everything so it needs more grip.
And do you steer with your rear tire as well? Because otherwise I'll put maintaining control over acceleration any day.
The only conditions in which a knobby rear will "grip" the road are exactly the conditions under which you should instead have a knobby front for control. Only put the treaded tire on the back if you're interested in powering through your front-end wash-out.
Oh, and be aware that putting a knobby up front will sacrifice handling on hard surfaces.