What is Tire Rotation?
Most people know that tire rotation is a recommended part of vehicle maintenance, but often wonder if it’s necessary. What you may not realize is that rotating your tires is important to extend the life of your tires and to maintain safe traction and handling on the road. Additionally, your tire’s warranty may be dependent upon you rotating your tires according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Read on to find out more about Tire Rotation and how important it really is.
Many tire manufacturers require regular tire rotation records to remain covered under warranty, so keep your receipts!
What is Tire Rotation?
Tire rotation refers to changing the position of the tires on a vehicle every 5,000 miles or so, either from side to side, from front axle to rear, rear to front, or a combination of both. The correct tire pattern for a vehicle will depend on the type of vehicle (Front, rear, or all-wheel drive) as well as the type of tires being used (directional, non-direction, different sizes). You can find the recommended tire rotation pattern for your vehicle in the owner’s manual, or by checking with a tire maintenance professional. We’ll also touch on a few of the most common rotation patterns in this blog.
Why Rotate Your Tires?
All tires experience tread wear, but it becomes a problem when all four tires do not wear down evenly. When tires are unevenly worn, it affects how well a car brakes, its traction on the road, and its handling. In front wheel drive vehicles, the front tires tend to wear more quickly due to stressors like steering, braking, and torque. In rear wheel drive vehicles, the rear tires will wear faster. In all-wheel drive vehicles, 4WD or 4x4’s, uneven tire wear can be caused by other factors, for example, suspension issues caused by driving off-road.
Not rotating your tires can cost you more money in the long run. Most experts recommend that you replace all your tires at once, or at least in pairs. If only one of your tires is worn to the point of needing replacing, you may end up having to replace all of them to avoid tire imbalances due to a mix of worn, new and differing tire technology.
To counteract uneven tread wear and avoid these problems, rotate your tires regularly so that they will wear down more evenly and continue to provide balanced traction, good braking and handling, and not need replacing prematurely.
How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?
Most tire experts agree that you should rotate your tires roughly every 5,000 miles (around 8,000 km). If that seems difficult to remember, then a great way to make sure you are doing it regularly is to have your tires rotated and balanced each time you get an oil change. It’s important to note that many tire manufacturers require records of you having followed their recommended tire rotation schedule to remain covered under warranty. Make sure you check the terms of your tire warranty, and keep records each time you have your tires rotated.
How to Rotate Your Tires Correctly
Rotating your tires may seem like an easy task, but with the variety of custom tire and wheel options available now, it’s rarely that simple. How you rotate your tires will depend on the type of vehicle you drive and the type of tires on that vehicle. Here are some things to take into consideration, although for your specific vehicle, always check your owner’s manual, or take it to an auto shop if your car has had, or may have had aftermarket modifications.
Check if your tires are Directional, Asymmetrical, or Non-Directional
Directional tires are meant to spin in only one direction while driving, and to be mounted a specific way, meaning directional tires can’t just be rotated any which way. They can only be switched with a tire on the same side of the vehicle, such as the front drivers’ side tire being placed on the left drivers’ side position, and vice versa. To check if your tire is directional, look on the sidewall. It will have an arrow and sometimes the words “Rotation” or “Direction” to indicate the direction of tire spin, and will say “Outside” to indicate which side of the vehicle it is to be mounted on.
Asymmetrical tires are designed with different tread on the inside and outside of the tire tread, and like directional tire, are designed to be mounted with a specific side facing outwards, so must be rotated so that the same side of the tire/ tread pattern is facing outwards on all four tires. Asymmetrical tires will also indicate on the sidewall which side is to face outwards when mounted.
Non-Directional Tires have symmetrical tread patterns, so they can be mounted in any position on a vehicle, and can spin both ways. Non-Directional tires can be rotated to any other position as long as the tire sizes are all the same, always taking into account the drive type of the vehicle.
Tire Rotation for the Drive Type of Your Vehicle
Since the tires on the drive axle of a vehicle (the ones that initiate motion) are the ones that typically sustain the most wear, the rotation pattern needs to take this into account so that all the tires wear evenly. For front wheel drive vehicles with same sized, non-directional tires, the most common rotation pattern will be moving the front tires back laterally (staying on the same sides of the vehicle), and moving the rear tires forwards diagonally, so the right rear tire becomes the left front tire, and so on. This pattern is called the “Forward Cross” rotation.
For rear wheel drive vehicles, the recommended rotation pattern is the opposite; the two back tires move to the front axle, staying on the same sides of the vehicle, while the two front tires are switched diagonally to the back axle. This is called the “Rearward Cross” pattern.
The Rearward Cross, or alternatively the X-Pattern rotations are used for All-Wheel Drive and 4 Wheel Drive vehicles. The X-Pattern involves swapping all 4 tires diagonally.
Hopefully now you know why car and tire maintenance experts recommend getting regular tire rotations. Knowing tire care tips like these will empower you to make informed choices about your tires and maintenance to improve the longevity and performance of your tires!
Read more on a related topic in this previous blog:
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