Tire Rotation?

[SX4DUDE2013]

what does it do and how often should i get it done? Will i notice a diff in ride quality?

[Mary S]

Re: Tire Rotation?

Your owner's manual should tell you how often is recommended, usually every 5,000 to 10,000 miles.

The Jiffy Lubes will do it, I would guess the other lube shops as well, places like Midas and Meineke, Goodyear, Sears, Firestone, or other places where tires are sold, Discount Tires or Big O if those are in your region. Sometimes you will get free rotations where you bought your tires. And of course your car dealer service department will do it.

[kimchiyuk]

Re: Tire Rotation?

Tire rotation needs to be done for several reasons. One is that your drive wheels, depending on front or rear wheel drive, will wear more quickly. Another, even more important reason, is that front and rear suspension systems work differently, as a result, causes the tires to wear differently. There are many design characteristics that causes tires to wear in their own way. Bottom line is that tires are rotated to keep all four tires wearing as even as possible. If you go too long with out rotating or not at all, your tires can wear to the point that they make annoying road noise, repairable only by tire replacement. Tire rotation will also give longer tire life. I would go by your owners manual, but it is usually recommended not to go over 6K miles. In general, if you change your oil every 3K miles, then rotate every other oil change. If you go 5K between oil changes, then rotate every oil change. This is your answer in a nutshell. Hope it helps!

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Tire Rotation?

Tire rotation needs to be done for several reasons. One is that your drive wheels, depending on front or rear wheel drive, will wear more quickly. Another, even more important reason, is that front and rear suspension systems work differently, as a result, causes the tires to wear differently. There are many design characteristics that causes tires to wear in their own way. Bottom line is that tires are rotated to keep all four tires wearing as even as possible. If you go too long with out rotating or not at all, your tires can wear to the point that they make annoying road noise, repairable only by tire replacement. Tire rotation will also give longer tire life. I would go by your owners manual, but it is usually recommended not to go over 6K miles. In general, if you change your oil every 3K miles, then rotate every other oil change. If you go 5K between oil changes, then rotate every oil change. This is your answer in a nutshell. Hope it helps!

That is a definitive answer. The original poster should not have any questions.

[SX4DUDE2013]

Re: Tire Rotation?

nope. no questions thanks!!!

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Tire Rotation?

There's usually a small fee to have tires rotated. Most places can usually be talked into including it for free with a minor service if you call ahead and mention that you found another service place that will do it with an oil change.

Some places, like CostCo, will do it for free without requiring an oil change or other minor service if you bought your tires from them. I think Pep Boys will also do it for free if you've signed up for their Rewards program

Or you can rotate your own tires if you have a pair of jack stands, but consult your owner's manual for rotation instructions. Some tires cross in an X pattern (front driver to rear passenger), some tires rotate front to back on the same side.

[Zaris]

Re: Tire Rotation?

The previous owner of my car seems to have neglected on tire rotations. As a result, the front tires of my FWD vehicle have their tread indicators rubbed out -- namely, the grooves that run along the tire rotative path and those perpendicular to the sidewall -- while the back tires are still there and in good condition.

Now I've done a free tire rotation through Pep Boys where they put the good tires in front, but 3 months ago, when I took my car in to the Pasadena VW dealership, they put the good tires behind again (which, from what I read, is where they should be mounted onto a car).

It's been approx. 5000 miles since and I'm not sure where I stand on my tire rotations now. Should I rotate them despite obvious tread wear differences between the front and back? Also, these are the tires that indicate they should only spin one direction so my rotation options are limited.

[Jeff120]

Re: Tire Rotation?

If your car in FWD, put the best tires in the front. If the rear are already showing the wear bar then, you need to replace the worn ones, or all 4. Then rotate per you owners manual.

If the rear arent that bad just worn more then the other but not bad, I would put the best on the front drive tires and not worry about rotating until they are evenly worn.

[dope92cc]

Re: Tire Rotation?

Where ever you go for the rotation, make sure they don't do the final tightening with an impact. The only way the lugs can be torqued accurately is with a torque wrench.
Don't let them sell you on that torque stick razzmatazz. They are still inaccurate.

[G Force]

Re: Tire Rotation?

Some manufacturer such as Renault don't recommend tire rotations as with time they take the shape of your suspensions,this allows better grip.
Best tires should be at the back as it is difficult to control a rear skid specially in a front wheel drive.