Why are tire rotations important?
Regular tire rotation extends the life of your tires and improves performance. Tires are rotated to achieve a uniform wear for all tires. Each tire performs different tasks (such as steering in front- versus rear-wheel drive), therefore tires wear at different rates. Tires should be rotated every 7,500 miles to prevent irregular tire wear.
What is a tire rotation?
Tire rotation, that is routinely repositioning your vehicle’s tires in specific patterns from front to back or side to side, is an important element of tire upkeep and safety. Additionally, rotating your tires may also be required to keep your tires covered under warranty.
Tire rotation means periodically changing the position of each of the tires on your vehicle. You should rotate your tires as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, or every 7,5000 miles. For many of you, that will mean when you get your vehicle’s oil changed.
Regularly rotating your tires also gives you a good opportunity to visually inspect them for damage, check their air pressure, have them rebalanced if you’re noticing any vibration, and check their tread depth.
How should I rotate my tires?
Tire rotation patterns vary greatly depending on the type of vehicle, wether the vehicle is FWD, RWD, or AWD and the type of tire. Tires can be directional or non-directional, have different sizes in the front and rear, all of these factors will affect the tire rotation schedule a certified technician at KCC Car Care in Homer Glen will recommend.
Let’s take a look at tire rotation patterns recommended by the standardizing body of the tire industry, The Tire and Rim Association, Inc., for all of these possibilities.
Non-directional tires, same size and offset on front and rear.
The Tire and Rim Association recommends these three main rotation patterns that can be used for most vehicles.
1. Forward cross
This pattern is used for front-wheel drive vehicles. The front tires move straight back to the rear, and the rear tires move to the opposite sides of the front axle.
2. X-pattern
For front-wheel drive vehicles, this is an alternate pattern that may be used instead of the Forward Cross. The front tires move to the opposite rear positions and the rear tires move to the opposite front positions.
3. Rearward cross
This pattern is used for rear-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive vehicles. The rear tires move straight up to the front, while the front tires move to the opposite rear positions.
Tire rotation front to back
In addition to the three main rotation patterns listed above, these two additional patterns that can be used for today’s high-performance tires and wheels.
4. Front-to-back
Directional tires are designed and constructed so that they always rotate in the same direction due to their tread pattern. If your tires are directional, they should only be rotated from front to back (or vice-versa) on the same side of the vehicle. If your vehicle has the same size and offset directional tires, it will use the pattern shown at the above left: the front tires move to the rear on the same side, and the rear tires move to the front axle on the same side of the vehicle.
5. Side-to-side
If your vehicle has differently sized, non-directional tires on the front and rear axles, it will use the side-to-side pattern shown to the right above. The front tires move to the opposite side of the front axle and the rear tires go to the opposite rear side. If your vehicle has differently-sized directional tires on the front and rear, the tires will need to be dismounted from the wheels, and remounted and balanced on the opposite wheels.