Tire rotations are performed to keep the wear of the tires even. There are specific patterns (front to back, side to side, and so on) that are recommended for specific tires to prolong their service life.
How does the tire rotation work?
While driving, all four tires are subjected to different forces. Turning, braking, and powering drive wheels will wear tires differently depending on what corner of the vehicle they're on. The outside edges of the front wheels may wear quicker, and the inside edges of the rear tires may wear quicker. When tires are rotated, they "take turns" being subjected to the differing forces, ensuring even wear.
What are the symptoms related to a bad tire rotation?
Depending on the manufacturer wheel alignment specifications, vehicles will wear their tires unevenly in normal driving. Heavy vehicles, more powerful vehicles, or sportier vehicles will exacerbate this behavior. If tire rotations are skipped, the uneven wear will cause the tire to make noise, affect the vehicle handling, and even cause tire failure if the wear goes to the tire's metal cords.
Regardless of the last time the tires were rotated, it is important to keep track of the tire wear. You can drive a vehicle without having a tire rotation performed, but decreased fuel mileage, tire life, and inconsistent handling may result if the tires are too unevenly worn.
How often do tire rotations need to be performed?
Tire rotation is part of your factory scheduled maintenance. The rotation interval will be stated at some point in the service section of the owner’s manual.
How are tire rotation issues diagnosed?
If necessary, the technician will inspect the tires for wear. If the manufacturer specified interval has been missed, or differing wear is observed, a tire rotation will be recommended.
How is a tire rotation replaced?
To rotate the tires, the technician checks for directional or non-directional tires. Directional tires are made to rotate in one direction, so if they were taken to the other side of the vehicle, the tire would be facing backwards. For directional tires, the wheels are moved from the back to the front, and front to back. For all other tires, the tires are moved in a crossing pattern that moves the tires from spare tire position to front tire position, and back. One pattern is spare position, right-rear position, right-front position, left-rear position, left-front position, and repeat.
How is a tire rotation performed?
To rotate the tires, the technician checks for directional or non-directional tires. Directional tires are made to rotate in one direction, so if they were taken to the other side of the vehicle, the tire would be facing backwards. For directional tires, the wheels are moved from the back to the front, and front to back. For all other tires, the tires are moved in a crossing pattern that moves the tires from spare tire position to front tire position, and back. One pattern is spare position, right-rear position, right-front position, left-rear position, left-front position, and repeat.
To get the maximum life from your tires, rotate them every 5000 to 7500 miles so they wear evenly. This may not be possible on some vehicles because of directional tread design or rim size differences.
RepairPal Recommendations for tire rotation issues
Rotating tires is always recommended at the scheduled times If rotation is missed, it can be performed on the next scheduled maintenance visit.
