Tires and wheel assemblies only have two maintenance needs, balancing and rotation. Tire rotation ensures that the tires wear evenly, and prolongs the life of the tire, while balancing ensures they roll smoothly without vibration.
How does a Tire Rotate and Balance work?
As tires are used, they encounter four different paths, and typical driving patterns will being to wear the tires in different places. We rotate the tires so the wear of each wheel position is blended with the next, ensuring a near perfect wear pattern. Wheel and tire assemblies also have unevenly distributed weight, so balancing ensures the tires weigh the exact same amount all the way around.
What are the symptoms of a bad Tire Rotate and Balance?
If tire rotation is forgotten, the front and rear tires will being to deviate in tread thickness. The driven tires will lose tread more quickly, and the front tire shoulder tread, the last thread, next to the tread, will being to smooth due to turning. When the tires are in need of balance, the steering wheel, brake pedal, or the entire vehicle will shake while driving, sometimes only at certain speeds.
Can I drive with a bad Tire Rotate and Balance?
It is completely safe to drive a vehicle without ever rotating or balancing the tires. It is not mandatory, but it does save tire costs, prolongs the life of suspension components, and helps maintain fuel mileage.
How often should the Tires be Rotated and Balanced?
Tire rotation and balance is part of your factory scheduled maintenance. The rotation and balance interval will be stated at some point in the service section of the owner’s manual. If you notice vibration or uneven wear on the tires, it should be addressed ahead of time.
How are Tire Rotate and Balance issues diagnosed?
The only case in which tire rotation would ever be recommended, is if the manufacturer specified interval has been missed. If the tires appear as described above, they will blend in after a few hundred miles of being repositioned. A technician noting that the vehicle shakes while driving may check the wheel balance to rule out the possibility of imbalance in the wheel and tire assembly causing the shake or shimmy.
How are Tires and Wheels Balanced and Rotated?
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. The tires will be balanced by being spun on a balancing machine and adding weights at the certain points.
RepairPal Recommendations for Tire and Wheel issues
Rotating and balancing tires is always recommended at the scheduled times, but if rotation is missed, it can be corrected on the next scheduled maintenance.
What to look out for when Rotating and Balancing Tires
Early rotation should never be recommended. Ensure you know your service record, have in with you when your vehicle is serviced, and if tire rotation is recommended, see that you are due according to your service manual. If balancing the tires is recommended, the servicing technician should clearly state that a shake in the vehicle is noted. This should be evident as you drive.
Can I replace the Tire Rotate and Balance myself?
Anyone can rotate tires. Using a jack, and jack-stands, the tires can be rotated easily as long as proper lifting and supporting techniques are used, and the wheel lug nuts are tightened to specification. Unlike tire rotation, however, tire balancing requires an expensive computerized balancing machine to identify where the weights need to be placed.