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Tire Rotation 101

Tire rotation isn’t just a tire rotating, it’s repositioning your vehicle’s tires in specific patterns—usually, side to side or front to back. Many people over the look the need for tire rotation and leave their tires vulnerable to uneven wear and tear—meaning they will likely need to purchase new tires much soon than they would have otherwise. 

Why do you need to rotate your tires?

Rotating your tires may not seem so vital, but it can greatly impact your car. Practicing tire rotating helps ensure even wear down on your tires. When you fail to rotate your tires, you leave your car prone to uneven wear down and potential alignment issues. Each position of your tires on your specific vehicle will require different give from each tire. Some places can do more or less wear on that tire. More even wear down makes for a smoother ride and keeps your car handling safer. Rotating tires can also extend the life of your tires, which will save you time and money. Make your tires last longer and save yourself from the hassle of dealing with flat tires. Rotating your tires will help you maximize tread life. Equal tread wear keeps the tread depth on your tires uniform. 

How often do you need to rotate your tires?

You’ll likely need to replace your tires thousands of miles sooner if you aren’t rotating them—so how often should you be rotating them? That depends. You should be rotating your tires as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, or about every 5,000 miles. Your tires will need to be rotated about as often as you change your oil. Schedule them together to ensure you never forget to do one! 

How do you rotate your tires?

How you rotate your tires will differ based on the kind of car you drive and the type of tire you’re using. Tire rotating means that you are moving tires from one wheel to another—from left to right or front to back. The best tire rotation pattern for you may differ based on car size, whether tired are directional or non-directional, and whether a vehicle is front, rear, or four-wheel drive. 

For tires that uniform size and non-directional, try a rearward cross, x-pattern, or a forward cross. For tires that are uniform size and non-directional with a full-size spare tire, try a rearward or forward cross, front to front, or side to side. Sometimes with a full-size spare tire, you can work that into the rotation. And for high performance and directional tires, try side to side or front to back. 

Tire rotation is a quick and easy practice that can save you hundreds of dollars on tires as your tires last thousands of miles longer. Work this practice into your car maintenance and you’ll surely see the results.

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