Why You Must Rotate Your Tires

Ryan G — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:48:56 +0000

Tire rotation is one of the most important maintenance routines every vehicle owner and driver should perform. You probably don’t want to do it yourself, but you can. If you can’t jack up your vehicle so that all four wheels are off the ground then you’ll need to do it one wheel at a time and that will take you a while.

In order to perform a tire rotation successfully, you’ll have to take your front wheel off, jack up the back end of your vehicle (on the same side) and take off the rear wheel and replace it with the front wheel you took off earlier. Then you’ll have to put the rear wheel on the front. Some don’ts:

Don’t rotate tires on the same axle (i.e. front left to front right or back right to back left)
Don’t criss-cross (back left to front right)
Don’t crawl under your vehicle while it is jacked up
Don’t let the wheel touch the ground with your tire not on it

Now for some dos:

You’ll find it easier to place blocks under the front axle while you jack up the rear so that you don’t have to let the front down, jack up the back, let the back down, jack up the front, etc. That will get tiresome in a hurry.
Make sure you rotate tires to the opposite axle on the same side of the vehicle

Rotating your tires every 5,000 to 10,000 miles will ensure they last longer and keep driving safe. As the tread wears down on the tires you’ll find that they do not handle as well. Rotate them a couple of times then replace them with new tires.

If you don’t want to rotate your own tires, be sure to hire a professional mechanic to do it for you.

Reasons for Rotating Tires on Used Cars

jcme — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:05:21 +0000

Rotating the tires is one thing that many owners of used cars ignore. It’s such a simple process, yet many used car owners feel it is not a necessity. Here are some reasons why you should rotate the tires on your used cars about every 5,000 miles or so.

• Tires wear unevenly. Your front tires wear out faster than your rear tires if your car is a front-wheel drive. The opposite is true if your used car is rear-wheel drive.
• When driving, your front tires bear about 60 percent of the car’s weight. Similarly, if it is a front-wheel drive, the front wheels are responsible for the majority of stopping the car. This makes them wear out quicker than the rear tires.
• Tires on the passenger side of your used car are more likely to be damaged due to rocks, potholes and curbs.
• Left turns are harder on front right tires. This is because drivers tend to take left turns faster than right turns and most of the weight and stress is on the right side.
• Rotating the tires on your used cars is so simple that you can do it yourself with a couple jack stands and a lug wrench.

Vinart Blog » tire rotation

Why You Must Rotate Your Tires

Reasons for Rotating Tires on Used Cars