So you want to know how often you need to rotate your tires? Good on you for getting proactive about your vehicle’s health and safety, we wish others were as attentive. Tire rotation is crucial to maintaining the tires’ performance capabilities and, best of all, saving you some cash.
A car’s tire is under a constant state of degradation, and as such, you want to maintain an even wear. Weight, aggressive driving, uneven roads, and weather all play a factor into wear and tear on a tire. This cannot be stopped, but it can be managed by rotating your tires from one corner of your car to the other. This helps even out the wear and maintain a solid contact patch between the tire and the pavement, which helps provide better grip.
Owners should rotate their tires based on the provided instructions found in the vehicle’s instruction and owner’s manual, or those that came with the tires themselves. Not to fret, we’re here to help. So let’s get to this and allow The Drive’s crack information team explain how and how often you need to rotate your tires.
Ready?
Estimated Time Needed: Less than an hour
Skill Level: Beginner
Vehicle System: Tires
Rotating a tire is the act of removing one wheel and swapping it for another one of your car’s wheels. When rotating tires, your tires are relocated in a specific pattern, depending on the type of vehicle and type of tires. In short, you are rotating the tires around the vehicle, but not in a circle.
Working on your car can be dangerous and messy, so here’s exactly what you’ll need to ensure you don’t die, lose a finger, burn your skin, or grate your eyeball.d
Rotating tires is a fairly simple procedure that could technically be done with a vehicle’s standard scissor jack and spare tire. But we want you to get this done as safely and quickly as possible. Use the tools below for protection and convenience.
Tool List
Organizing your tools and gear so everything is easily reachable will save precious minutes waiting for your handy-dandy child or four-legged helper to bring you the sandpaper or blowtorch. (You won't need a blowtorch for this job. Please don’t have your kid hand you a blowtorch—Ed.)
You’ll also need a flat workspace, such as a garage floor, driveway, or street parking. Check your local laws to make sure you’re not violating any codes when using the street because we aren’t getting your ride out of hock.
Once the workspace is ready, it’s time to get to the action, but it’s important to understand that not all tires and cars are the same. Tires can be split into directional and non-directional, and each type of vehicle requires different rotational patterns. Allow us to explain.
Non-directional tires can be used on either side of the vehicle, but it is important to follow a predetermined rotational pattern that is dependent on the vehicle’s drivetrain type.
Let’s do this!
Front-Wheel Drive
Required Pattern: Both front tires slide to the rear. Rear tires move to the front and cross sides.
Rear-Wheel Drive/All-Wheel Drive:
Required Pattern: Both rear tires move forward to the front without crisscrossing. Front tires move to the rear and crisscross sides.
Staggered Tires:
Required Pattern: Swap front tires left-to-right and right-to-left. Swap rear tires left-to-right and right-to-left.
With directional tires, the tires remain on the same side of the vehicle and are moved straight forward or straight back to swap places with the front or rear tires.
Your owner's manual will give you guidelines and instructions for your specific car, but as a general rule, you should rotate your tires roughly every 5,000 miles. We tend to check for uneven tire tread wear every time we change the oil or perform other regular service.
The Drive recognizes that while our How-To guides are detailed and easily followed, a rusty bolt, an engine component not in the correct position, or oil leaking everywhere can derail a project. That’s why we’ve partnered with JustAnswer, which connects you to certified mechanics around the globe, to get you through even the toughest jobs. So if you have a question or are stuck, click here and talk to a mechanic near you.
Over the years, The Drive’s editors have made friends with professionals across the industry. That’s why we reached out to one of our friends who is a Service Manager at a nationwide tire and automotive repair chain to give us his pro tips for how to inspect and rotate tires. Here are his suggestions:
When done consistently, rotating your tires will actually save money, not cost extra. Rotating your own tires costs nothing but a little time and effort, and in some instances, tire retailers and service centers offer free rotation for the life of the tires when purchased from that retailer.
If you are unable to rotate your own tires, service centers will typically charge roughly $20-50.
Not everybody has an upgraded garage with premium tools such as a lift, a heavy duty jack, or an impact wrench, but that’s not a problem. Follow The Drive’s tire rotation life hacks to make the job just a bit easier and safer.
Listen, we know how hard it can be to pick the right tire. Between the word-jumble that are tire specifications, as well as the tire manufacturer's names for tires that never just say what they are, it can be a pain and you might end up with the wrong shoes for your ride. That's why we've partnered up with our friends at Tire Rack. They'll take the headache out of tire shopping. All you have to do is click here.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S All-Season Tire
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 Winter Tire
Pittsburgh 1.5-Ton Aluminum Racing Jack
Got a question? Got a pro tip? Send us a note: guidesandgear@thedrive.com
