Tire Rotations

Tire rotations are one of the keys to increasing the lifespan of your tires. Getting a tire rotation ensures that each of your tires is wearing equally.

Why Are Tire Rotations Important?

Your tires can wear differently depending on the wheel position in which they are installed on your vehicle. Front-wheel drive vehicles rely on the front axle tires for braking, steering, and forward motion. Since the rear tires are responsible for absorbing most of the stopping distance, they wear out much more quickly than their front counterparts.

Getting a tire rotation once every 5,000 – 7,000 miles is recommended for most vehicles, but it is important to check your owner’s manual to determine the recommended interval for getting a tire rotation on your vehicle.

Types of Tire Rotations

· Modified Cross Rotation – This method can be done on any tires that are non-directional on a front or rear-wheel drive vehicle. On a front-wheel drive vehicle the front tires are transferred to the same left or right position but installed on the rear axle and the back tires are crossed over from left to right and right to left and then transferred to the front axle. A rear-wheel drive vehicle is the reverse of this. The rear tires are transferred to the same left or right position but installed on the front axle and the front tires are crossed over from left to right and right to left and then transferred to the rear axle.

· Four-Tire Cross Rotation – This method is completed on 4-wheel drive vehicles. On a 4-wheel drive vehicle the rear and front tires are swapped left to right and right to left and then the front tires are placed on the rear axle and the rear tires are placed on the front axle.

· Straight rotation – This method is used for tires with directional tread patterns. In this method the tires are swapped from front to rear and rear to front.

· Five-Tire Rotation – This method is used if you have a full-size spare tire (not a temporary spare) and want to keep it in the rotation of your other four tires. In this method, the spare tire is moved to the right rear position and then the right rear tire is then used as your spare tire.

· Six-Tire Rotation – This method is used on dually trucks. Your driver’s side tire will be rotated to the back left-hand side and then the back left will go on the back right and the back right will be moved to the front driver’s side. The same positioning would happen for the passenger’s side tires. The front passenger tire will go to the back-left-hand side and the back left will go on the back right and the back right will be moved to the front passenger’s side.

At your shop we can help to ensure that your tires last so bring your vehicle in for a tire rotation at your next recommended service interval.