Rotating Tires
Tire rotation can be beneficial in several ways. When done at the recommended times, it can preserve balanced handling and traction of the tires and even out tire wear. It can even provide performance advantages. Manufacturers recommend that tires be rotated every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, even if they do not show signs of wear. Tire rotation when done at the recommended times helps even out tire wear by allowing each tire to serve in as many of the wheel positions of the vehicle as possible.

NOTE

Remember that tire rotation can NOT correct problems due to worn mechanical parts or incorrect inflation pressures.

While every vehicle is equipped with four tires, usually tires on the front need to accomplish very different tasks than the rear tires. And the tasks encountered on a front-wheel drive vehicle are considerably different than those of a rear-wheel drive vehicle. Each wheel position can cause different wear rates and different types of tire wear. It is to your advantage when al! four tires wear together because as wear reduces tread depth of a tire, it allows tires to respond to the operator's input more quickly, maintains the handling, and it helps increase the cornering traction of a tire. Figure 8-41 shows common tire rotation diagrams. A description of each is as follows.

On front-wheel drive vehicles, rotate the tires in a forward cross pattern (A) or the alternative X pattern (B).

On rear-wheel drive vehicles, rotate the tires in a rearward cross pattern (C) or the alternative X pattern (B).

If the vehicle has directional tires, rotate these tires from front to back only and vise versa( D).

If the vehicle has nondirectional tires that are a different size from front to rear, rotate these tires from side to side only (E).

Figure 8-41.- Tire rotation diagrams.

When your tires wear out together, you can get a new set of tires without being forced to change tires in pairs. By replacing tires as sets, you will maintain the original handling balance.

Figure 8-42.- Dynamic imbalance.