Tire rotation

[Amethyst]

All my car-owning life, I have never questioned that tires should be rotated every 5,000 miles, usually when the oil is changed. Indeed, tire manufacturers' warranties require it.

So I was surprised, today, when a friend told me I'd wasted $27.50 getting my year-old tires rotated. He claimed that since the front tires get much more wear than the back tires, it makes sense to skip tire rotation, and just replace the front tires instead of all four tires at once.

Is there a shred of justification for this approach? (I don't plan to to take his advice, just thought I'd ask).

 

[ivinsfan]

Did you ask your or was this unsolicited advice. Cause it's wrong...be sure not to take stock tips from them

 

[COcheesehead]

Hmmmm. Dubious at best.

 

[Amethyst]

It was along the lines of "Oh, you did that? I never do that, and here's why."

Did you ask your or was this unsolicited advice. Cause it's wrong...be sure not to take stock tips from them

 

[Car-Guy]

I do rotate my tires,,,, occasionally,,, but only when needed... (by visual inspection)

Lot's of issues can cause uneven front tire wear. Things like alignment, shocks/springs, air pressure problems, driving habits, type of drive train, etc. If I do notice wear on the front tires, I'll rotate them but then look for the root cause, if needed, and correct it. In my case, my rear tires "typically" wear much faster than the front. But that's another story.

Other things to consider. Is the car AWD, FWD or RWD... It matters... Also, some cars the tires can't be rotated since each tire is designed for each corner of the car.


Like just about everything, it depends.

 

[Jerry1]

So . . . Instead of having your tires wear evenly, you should let the front tires go bald and have the back tires in great shape. That doesn’t make sense to me. Of course you wouldn’t let the front go that long, but it just doesn’t pass the common sense test.

Of course I’m a person who believes that the tires are one of the most important safety items on a vehicle. After all, the entire car attaches to the road on four small patches of tire tread (where the rubber meets the road) so I go overboard on my tire maintenance/replacement.

I would think, however, that if you monitor the life of the tire and the tread wear, you might be able to save a few bucks on tire rotation over the course of the life of the car. But, you’d have to offset that with replacing the front tires more often. I just can’t imagine that what’s been proposed is worth it financially given the importance tire play in the overall safety and drivability of the vehicle. If you want to save a little money, maybe rotate every 10K miles and/or every other oil change.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^^
+1 Never scrimp on tires or brakes. YMMV

 

[street]

I do rotate my tires,,,, occasionally,,, but only when needed... (by visual inspection)

Lot's of issues can cause uneven front tire wear. Things like alignment, shocks/springs, air pressure problems, driving habits, type of drive train, etc. If I do notice wear on the front tires, I'll rotate them but then look for the root cause, if needed, and correct it. In my case, my rear tires "typically" wear much faster than the front. But that's another story.

Other things to consider. Is the car AWD, FWD or RWD... It matters... Also, some cars the tires can't be rotated since each tire is designed for each corner of the car.


Like just about everything, it depends.

Car-Guy you gave some great advice, and it all depends. What you do is typically what I do also.

Not that it is the best way or correct way to do it, but I buy two at a time. On my ranch pickups and my everyday back country vehicles. I just check them often and replace or get what needs to be done fixed if I see an issue.

I rotate but not on a regular basis. I get ~ 40 to 50K on a set. I just got two new ones on the front two weeks ago.

 

[Car-Guy]

If you want to save a little money, maybe rotate every 10K miles and/or every other oil change.

My last 5 or 6 vehicles, I was lucky to get much more than 10k miles on a set of new tires, no matter if I rotated them or not! Soft compound high performance tires wear quickly and cost a lot. Ouch.

 

[skyking1]

I do my own work for the most part, and when I rotate the tires that is a fine time to really look at the brakes and suspension in general.
If you have a good shop doing the work, then they are doing that for you too.
I have done the "replace two" thing many times, when I was commuting a lot. It put fresh rubber up front on the FWD cars we ran, and I timed it for the beginning of the winter.
I now have winter tires for all the cars, studded snows for a couple and more aggressive tires for the Tiguan.

 

[FlaGator]

To summarize the DIY and car nerd advice above - By rotating them as you do, you're not doing anything wrong, and probably getting the maximum mileage out of a set of tires.

You're likely OK rotating at every other oil change if you're not smoking them at every green light or cornering at high speeds, but for $27.50, why change what has been working? I wouldn't.

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^ Correct

If someone ask me what time it is, I'll often tell them how to build a clock. Especially if it's an area of interest to me.

 

[cathy63]

All my car-owning life, I have never questioned that tires should be rotated every 5,000 miles, usually when the oil is changed. Indeed, tire manufacturers' warranties require it.

So I was surprised, today, when a friend told me I'd wasted $27.50 getting my year-old tires rotated. He claimed that since the front tires get much more wear than the back tires, it makes sense to skip tire rotation, and just replace the front tires instead of all four tires at once.

Is there a shred of justification for this approach? (I don't plan to to take his advice, just thought I'd ask).

Unless you're driving an older car, you might want to double check your warranties and maintenance schedules for both tire rotation and oil changes. My 2015 Mazda only needs an oil change every 10K miles (or 1 year if that comes first, which it mostly does since I retired) and my Michelin tires from Costco are to be rotated every 7.5K miles. I usually do the tire rotation at Costco since it's free when you buy the tires from them.

 

[Bamaman]

It's best to rotate the tires about every 10K miles. I have 2 floor jacks and air tools. Sometimes I rotate, and sometimes I don't.

My Lexus IS250 had tires and brakes that only lasted 25K miles. Ultra High Performance 45 series tires will look great one day and you'll be on the steel core the next day--without warning. And with a set of tires costing $1K, I'm not thrilled.

My new Toyota SUV OEM tires were roaring at 30K miles. It's driving great after a $99 wheel alignment and a $1K set of 18" tires. There again, I'm not thrilled to pay out that kind of $ when the OEM tires on my last new Ford Explorer lasted 69K miles (for example.) Toyota can do better than they do on the quality of tires.

 

[Koolau]

The collective wisdom is to rotate tires. When it's "free" (that is, included in the price of new tires) I'll do it on their schedule (Costco tires does this.) BUT tires last 30k to 40K. Paying $25 to rotate them every 7K means you spend $100 to $150 per set to do so. My SWAG is you don't save that much in how long the tires last. SO, I check the tires and see if they look like they need rotated. YMMV

 

[street]

To summarize the DIY and car nerd advice above - By rotating them as you do, you're not doing anything wrong, and probably getting the maximum mileage out of a set of tires.

You're likely OK rotating at every other oil change if you're not smoking them at every green light or cornering at high speeds, but for $27.50, why change what has been working? I wouldn't.

Agree.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I only put 4K miles a year on my car now. Once a year I get the oil change and tires rotated at the same time. Many places offer free tire rotation when you get a oil change or where you bought the tires.

 

[old medic]

Car-Guy you gave some great advice, and it all depends. I just got two new ones on the front two weeks ago.

I'll 2nd that..

Just ordered 2 for the truck yesterday and be rotating our cars this weekend.
Try to stagger the trucks... set of 2 cost more than 4 for the car...

 

[Midpack]

I rotate tires every other oil change, instead of every time. Assuming tires will last 30-50K, there’s no need to do it every 5,000 miles. Save 50% and do it every 10,000 miles…exact same effect.

BTW, tread is only important for driving in the rain, on dry pavement it doesn’t matter much. If you don’t believe it, look at what all on track race cars run when it’s dry, and wet.

 

[JoeWras]

^^^^^^
+1 Never scrimp on tires or brakes. YMMV

+1000

Those 4 small patches of rubber are the most important system on the handling of your car.

I say rotate them, and here are my thoughts, which is especially appropriate for low mileage retired people.

Tire rot. Style changes or discontinuation. Consistent grip.

If you are only replacing the fronts, the rears will get old over time and suffer UV and air exposure, which can cause "rot" of sorts, possibly resulting in weak sidewalls.

Then there is the issue of style changes. You may not be able to get the same style tire to match. In my opinion, it is best to have the same on all 4 corners.

And do you really want your front and rear contact patches have different characteristics? It is best to keep all 4 consistent to avoid differential grip on the front and rear axles, which can result in spinouts.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Humble brag here. My Z3 roadster has different front and rear tires, so I can't rotate. And those tires have a lot of contact with the road and I do NOT drive in a reasonable manner. One does not worry about how many miles you can get out of the tire. It is how you enjoy the miles you get out of the tire.

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks for all the points of view! My car is FWD, so my pal's idea had some traction, pun intended. But it just went against everything I've ever read or been told.

I replaced all 4 tires last year, even though they seemed to have a good bit of tread left, b/c the manufacturer recommended replacing at the 6-year mark due to the risk of rot...and in coastal Florida, that is no small concern. I thought having the tires rotated at the one-year mark made sense, no matter the mileage (it was about 8,000 miles, as I recently made a long trip).

I get a full synthetic oil change every 5,000 miles, due to the low-speed, stop-and-go driving I mostly do. Also get the fuel injectors cleaned every couple of years, for the same reason. I can tell the difference in the car every time.

 

[JoeWras]

I think you did good. Florida is really harsh on wipers, tires and batteries (heat).

 

[Aerides]

My tires rotate every time I drive!






*I'll be here all week

 

[JoeWras]

My tires rotate every time I drive!






*I'll be here all week

Well, I have a hot water heater, so there!