How to Rotate Your Tires

July 8, 2020

If you've ever owned a car for an extended period of time, chances are you've had to have your tires rotated or at least had someone tell you that it needs to be done. But what does rotating your tires do and do you have to rotate your tires at all? These are questions we'll be answering today so you can be more informed and even save some money!

1. What is a Tire Rotation?

It can be confusing because don't your tires already rotate? We're joking of course. A tire rotation involves removing your wheels and tires and switching them to another corner of the vehicle. This is pretty standard for all cars as a maintenance requirement. Typically, it's recommended that you rotate your tires every 5000 miles, so most people just end up rotating their tires with they get their oil changed since most cars now can run for 5000 miles between oil changes.

VW GTI Aftermarket Wheels

2. Why Do You Need to Rotate Your Tires?

Obviously, the next question is why would you need to rotate your tires. Well, when you're driving down the road, your tires wear down and often, they wear unevenly. Depending on whether your vehicle is all wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or front-wheel drive, your tires can be worn differently. For example, on a front-wheel drive car, the front tires will wear quicker because the front wheels are taking more torque which creates more friction that wears the tires down faster. Rotating your tires can ensure that they wear evenly which will increase their lifespan and ability to maintain grip.

Dodge Durango 22 inch wheels

3. How to Rotate Your Tires

Now that you know what a tire rotation is and why it's important, how do you rotate your tires? Well, it's pretty simple but it depends on the what drivetrain your vehicle has.

Front-Wheel Drive

For a front-wheel-drive vehicle, you're going to remove all four wheels, then bring your front wheels straight to the back of your vehicle. Take your rear wheels and move them to the front but on the opposite side. For example, your front-right wheel now becomes your rear-right wheel. Your old rear-right wheel now becomes the front left wheel.

Rear Wheel Drive

For a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, you're going to remove all four wheels, then bring your rear wheels to the front of your vehicle. Take your front wheels and move them to the back but on the opposite side. For example, your rear-right wheel now becomes your front-right wheel. Your old front-right wheel now becomes the rear-left wheel.

All Wheel Drive

For an all-wheel-drive vehicle, the process is a little more simple. Just simply remove all four wheels and cross them. Your front-left wheel would now become your rear-right wheel. Easy.

Tire Rotation