Dont Forget To Rotate Your Tyres

[ThaiLife]

Ive just read this comment .....

BTW dont forget to rotate your tyres. Do it every 5000km if you want to prolong the tyres' life. The best mileage I ever got was 50k from a set of fresh tyres, if no rotation is done it can drop to below 25k.

The person did not say in which way or order to rotate the tyers...?

does it really make a difference...? and which way to rotate... any one Know ...?

[Tywais]

Tire rotation

[keebone]

Personally I dont see how it can make much difference unless your tyres are wearing unevenly in which case you'd be better off getting the cause of this sorted - most likely the tracking being out.

[Tywais]

Personally I dont see how it can make much difference unless your tyres are wearing unevenly in which case you'd be better off getting the cause of this sorted - most likely the tracking being out.

There are a couple of reasons I can think of right off. First is the front and rear tires have different loads on them and 2nd the front tire dynamics are different then the rear due to side loading in turns.

[Pink Mist]

plenty of theories, this one is from a reputable Tyre manufacturer

Most vehicles

right front to left rear

left rear to left front

left front to right rear

right rear to right front

front wheel drive vehicles they recommend the opposite procedure to above

cheers

[vprice100]

im a mechanic by trade and have not once rotated any of my cars tyres, if they are wearing unevenly something is wrong with the car, eg wheel alignment or tyre pressures are most common

rotating front to back will increse millage only if carrying heavy loads in a ute or similar but inflating the tyres to the correct pressure for the loads will almost cancel this situation out

i believe if you keep ontop of your tyre pressures and get wheel alignments when you start noticing your tyres wearing unevenly or even every 10,000kms you will be fine

[vprice100]

also watch rotational tyres as you can only rotate keeping them on the same side not opposite like just above

[Mid]

Personally I dont see how it can make much difference unless your tyres are wearing unevenly in which case you'd be better off getting the cause of this sorted - most likely the tracking being out.

There are a couple of reasons I can think of right off. First is the front and rear tires have different loads on them and 2nd the front tire dynamics are different then the rear due to side loading in turns.

true the above plus you only need to buy new tyres Two at a time !!!!!

these go on the steer ( think again the guy who couldn't see the difference ) and the old front tyres see out their days as rears ............

cheers

mid

[lingling]

Another important thing to remember in Thailand - everyone here, including mechanics, seems to think that the more air you can squeeze into your tires the better. Whenever you leave your car for an oil change or other service, remember to let out air down to the recommended pressure for the tires/vehicle you have. Most cars have a sticker with the most common tire options and recommended pressure with/without load on the driver side door...

[Beardog]

The best logical way to describe why you rotate is your front end tracking in your front end changes with age & adjustments to camber & caster adjustments- your rear end (unless it has been in a horrible wreck) is more predictable & usually does not burn your tires out unless you are a speed demon with a V-8 or have a severe differential problem your tires in your rear tend to last a heck of a lot longer than your front.

If you rotate your tires(do not forget your spare if it is the same age as your set on the vehicle) you should be able to squeeze out a significant amount of extra miles + too this will give the owner a chance to examine the way the front end is tracking & fix or adjust the front end adjustments to save the cost of 1 or 2 tires if it is unevenly burning the tread in the front.

Tire dealers in the U.S. would much rather you neglect your tires & come in & purchace some new meats for your ride so they can increase their earnings.

Same with an oil change , you can do it every 40,000 miles & just replace the engine at 60-80,000miles (or the eqivelent in kilometers) or change the oil every 3,000-5,000 miles or the equivelent in kilometers & get 150,000- 200,000 miles or the equivelant in kilos.

Beardog

[LivinLOS]

also watch rotational tyres as you can only rotate keeping them on the same side not opposite like just above

I dont follow this.. Surely you just turn the tyre around if putting it on the other side..

You can change the tyres on to other wheels remember ??

[Mid]

also watch rotational tyres as you can only rotate keeping them on the same side not opposite like just above

I dont follow this.. Surely you just turn the tyre around if putting it on the other side..

You can change the tyres on to other wheels remember ??

you would think so ,

however some top end rubber does have specific directional tread pattens and specific direction of rotation ,

arc it up a notch further and super-car have 4 different part #'s depending on which cnr of the vehicle you talking about .

[MaiChai]

I used to rotate tyres on my old Isuzu; its worth doing because the back tyres dont get any edge wear cause they are not used for steering, while the front ones do. I was still on the original tyres when hitting 130K km. Then the vechical got sold. I think I used to rotate them when I noticed more wear front to back, so I would rotate them to even out the wear. Only thing is you will get to a point where you will need to replace 4 tyres at once! Chances are you will need to replace them due to cracks in the rubber than wear if you do low mileage (eg you return to farangland and leave the vechical doing nothing while you are away).

Owning a diesel pickup in Thailand has been the lowest cost maintenance vechical I have ever owned; change oil/filter every 5k, fuel filter every 30K (I think), change the air cleaner when dirty (you used to be able to wash these or clean them with compressed air), bleed brakes every two years (break fluid only seems dirty/worn out near the brakes), fix air/replace coolant when it breaks down.

In the eight years I had an Isuzu pickup (old Rodeo) only thing I had to replace was rear brake calipers (rubbers failed). These cost me 500 baht and I changed them myself.

Amazing low cost motoring Hope my Mitsu Triton turns out to be as cheap (inflation withstanding)

[Jamie]

I rotate the tires on my truck once a year, or usually every 12,000 miles. These tires are still in good shape after 5 years of use.

[LivinLOS]

also watch rotational tyres as you can only rotate keeping them on the same side not opposite like just above

I dont follow this.. Surely you just turn the tyre around if putting it on the other side..

You can change the tyres on to other wheels remember ??

you would think so ,

however some top end rubber does have specific directional tread pattens and specific direction of rotation ,

arc it up a notch further and super-car have 4 different part #'s depending on which cnr of the vehicle you talking about .

New one on me.. having had some ok cars (993, 850CSI, 300ZX) I never knew that there was a specific corner for fronts or rears ??

Direction of rotation is obvious.. Directional tread patterns sure.. But side requirements AND directional ?? Again new one on me..

[Crossy]

OK, I'll bite, my tyres rotate every time I drive the car :D

Seriously, it's not something I've ever done since, if done properly, it ends up you with having to replace five tyres at once

I just replace the ones that wear out first (both front or both back).

EDIT An interesting point in Tywais link (regarding a 5 tyre rotation):-

When applied to many four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles, this is required to prevent driveline damage if a flat tire forces a new spare to be put into service with partially worn tires on the other three wheel positions

Something I'd never come across before.

Edited May 22, 2007 by Crossy

[Mid]

Again new one on me..

supercar ...........................

are not (993, 850CSI, 300ZX) ,

the shinny ones on that TOP shelf are what I'm refering to .

[LivinLOS]

I would have put both the 993 911, and even the 850CSI (only just tho) into the supercar bracket..

But if you mean Macha F1.. Lambo.. Enzo level exotics then fair nuff.. Hard to argue against a 911 being a supercar surely, entry level maybe but still there IMO..

[Mid]

But if you mean Macha F1.. Lambo.. Enzo level exotics then fair nuff

them shinny ones .......................................

[teejay]

Personally I dont see how it can make much difference unless your tyres are wearing unevenly in which case you'd be better off getting the cause of this sorted - most likely the tracking being out.

FWD and RWD cars will have different load characterics on each tyre and effect the sidewalls differently... Even if your suspension/alignment/camber/toe/etc/etc is sorted, you should rotate your tyres to prolong their life. Powerful FWD cars will burn thru tyres like crazy, since the front will lift under heavy acceleration and slippage (i.e. burning rubber) is likely to occur.... Example is turbocharged SAABs... my personal favorites.... I can burn thru a set of front tires in a month if i'm always on the floor...

RWD tyres will benefit from the shifting of the weight front to rear under heavy acceleration, therefore less slippage and more grip (which can also burn thru tires)... in other words, rotate your tyres. Every 5K kms is a bit excessive if you are a normal driver, but hey if you know a guy with a shop that can do it for free and he knows how to use a torque wrench properly, do it!

edit: don't forget to properly balance tires... don't want em flying off yr car or causing vibration....

Edited May 22, 2007 by teejay

[teejay]

even the 850CSI (only just tho) into the supercar bracket..

off-topic.... but i've been looking for a 850CSI in the states for years (though I don't even live there anymore, I would buy it and garage it).... my college gf's dad has one in black, and I've begged her for from the first day i saw it... (8 years now).... still not successful... I've also begged for their anthracite 740i Sport with M-parallel wheels but to no avail...

The 850CSI is a wonder of a car.... I may not put it into the supercar category, but I'd put it in the 'iconic' car category....

off topic sorry,

edit: rotate your tires!

Edited May 22, 2007 by teejay

[borracho]

Most of the bigger tire shops offer tire rotation and balancing free for the life of the tire. It does help extend the life of the tire because a tire will develop a wear pattern regardless of the mechanical condition of the car. The driven tires do indeed wear more than the non driven tires. Rotating the tires breaks a wear pattern which could allow some of the tires to wear out before others. As it's preferable to buy 4 new tires at a time it's preferable to have all 4 tires wear as evenly as possible. Rotating the tires every 10000km or so improves the odds of getting maximum life out of a set of tires.

Radial tires with few exception are rotated front to back.

On a newish car or small truck with top quality michelin tires you can easily get 100,000 km out of them with modest care.

[Crash999]

New one on me.. having had some ok cars (993, 850CSI, 300ZX) I never knew that there was a specific corner for fronts or rears ??

Direction of rotation is obvious.. Directional tread patterns sure.. But side requirements AND directional ?? Again new one on me..

Front and rear is obvious as many higher-end cars have bigger tyres on the back. If the tread pattern is not symmetrical then putting the lefts on the right side and vice versa would have an impact on performance. The OEM tyres on the NSX are one example.

Edited May 26, 2007 by Crash999