Routine tire rotation is vital to maximizing the life of your vehicle’s tires. Regular rotation helps prevent uneven wear to the tires and improves the vehicle’s driving performance. This also translates into improved safety. As many tire providers offer free rotation services, you might be able to take advantage of this preventive maintenance service at no additional cost!
What is a Tire Rotation?
A tire rotation is a type of preventive maintenance that extends the life and performance of tires. You (or a mechanic) will remove a tire from one side of the vehicle and replace it in another position. Typically, since front tires wear more quickly than rear tires due to cornering and engine weight, the front and back tires need to swap positions, as well as driver side and passenger side tires. However, this is not a universal rotation pattern, because front wheel, rear wheel, or all-wheel drive vehicles all have different requirements. As a general rule, here are the rotation patterns that most service providers recommend:
Front Wheel Drive Vehicles
- Shift both front tires to the rear. Each tire remains on the same side as it was on the front.
- Move the rear passenger side tire to the front driver side.
- Move the rear driver side tire to the front passenger side.
Rear Wheel & All-Wheel Drive Vehicles
- Shift both rear tires to the front. Each tire remains on the same side as it was on the rear.
- Move the front driver side tire to the rear passenger side.
- Move the front passenger side tire to the rear driver side.
The steps listed above are the general practice among most service providers. Always check your owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommended rotation pattern.
You will also want to ensure that the tire pressure is at the correct level for its new position. Some vehicles recommend a higher or lower tire pressure for the front tires than the back tires.
Also, if your vehicle has a full-size spare tire, mechanics recommend including the spare tire in the rotation pattern. (However, this doesn’t apply to new vehicles that come with a “slime kit” or a miniature “donut” spare. These are only intended to get the vehicle to the closest repair facility.)
How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?
Most tire manufacturers recommend a rotation every 6,000 to 8,000 miles or once every 6 months. Essentially, you would get a tire rotation with every second oil change, although tire providers with free rotation packages might rotate at every oil change (especially at the 5,000 mile oil change interval schedules). When in doubt, consult the recommended maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual. In addition to the recommended rotation intervals, there are other signs that may indicate you need a tire rotation. You may feel vibrations either in the steering wheel or the car body. Another visible sign is uneven tread wear on all four tires or between the front and rear tires. Both of these signs can also be a result of misalignment or worn out shocks and struts.
Tire Rotation Vs. Wheel Alignment
Uneven tire wear is the equivalent of a “Check Engine Light” for diagnosing potential mechanical issues with a vehicle’s suspension. It’s a great idea to have your tires rotated following the vehicle manufacturer’s service interval schedule—or at least every 10,000 miles—to help ensure even wear patterns.
Although uneven tire wear can occur as a result of foregoing routine tire rotations, uneven tire wear doesn’t automatically mean you need an alignment.
One wear pattern that can occur from not rotating tires is feathering. The best way to see if any tires have a feathered wear pattern is to run your fingers from side to side. The individual tread blocks will feel thick on one edge and thin and sharp on the other block edge.
Rotating the tires can help balance uneven wear from previous issues that could be related to a wheel alignment issue or a worn out shock or strut. Uneven wear patterns that are only present on one side of the wheel (camber, feathering, and spotty/chopped wear) are indicators of misalignment or another mechanical issue.
When in doubt, seek professional advice from a service provider. Certain providers will provide free alignment checks and they can also inspect other mechanical parts that might be causing misalignment. While wheels can became misaligned because of hitting a curb too hard or going over a pothole too fast, mechanical parts also wear down with time and use (i.e., normal wear and tear).
What About Tire Balancing?
Tire balancing is an important part of preventative maintenance. An unbalanced tire creates a vibration felt either in the steering wheel or the car seat, as the wheel can “bounce” against the road up to 14 times per second. This can also cause local tread wear to a specific spot on a tire. While there is a general consensus on how often to rotate tires, the recommended frequency of tire balancing is dependent on several factors.
Most drivers balance their tires at the initial purchase, when the service provider will also perform a wheel alignment. No tires, even new tires, are perfectly round. As a result, driving unbalanced tires could cause local tread wear to occur almost immediately.
You should balance your tires whenever the tire is removed from the rim, including when new tires are purchased or when a flat tire is being repaired. Mechanics balance tires by adding small weights to each tire and performing a spin test. Some providers also have a “road test” capability that simulates impacts that would be felt on the road.
Other Indicators That Your Tires Need Balancing
There are two additional times when you should consider balancing your tires.
- Vibration in the Steering Wheel
If you feel vibration in the steering wheel, it can signify that the front tires need to be rebalanced. This feeling will be more pronounced than if the rear wheels need to be rebalanced.
- Vibration in the Car Seats or Floor
A vibration felt in the car seats or car floor indicates unbalanced rear tires.
In either instance, the vibration will begin when the car gets to speeds above 40-50 miles per hour and will worsen as the speed increases. A tire can become unbalanced if a counterweight is loose, if the tire slips from it’s original position on the rim, or if mud or another foreign object gets stuck between the tire and the rim.
Most owner’s manuals will not list tire rebalancing intervals because they recommend tire rotations. You might consider checking the balance every 15,000 miles, or if you have been in an accident or hit a curb or potholes a little too hard. Your tires could also be out of balance without a feeling of vibration. In most instances, tire rotations or alignment checks solve most tire and handling issues. But it’s a good idea to check that the tires are balanced when getting a routine tire rotation.
How Much Does a Tire Rotation & Balance Cost?
Compared to other preventative maintenance services, tire rotation and balancing are relatively cheap. These services are even cheaper if you can buy a good set of tires from a provider that offers free lifetime rotation and/or balancing.
Although prices will vary from region to region, you can expect to pay approximately $20-$30 for a tire rotation and $6-$20 per tire balanced, largely depending on the size of the tire.
Summary
Tires are often “out of sight, out of mind” until they consistently lose traction in the snow or the low tire pressure light illuminates on the dashboard. While proper air pressure and new tires help improve fuel economy and vehicle safety, consistent tire rotation and balancing help ensure peace of mind while extending the life of the tire.