Is Tire Rotation Necessary? Why It’s More Important Than You Think
We all know we are supposed to rotate our tires every so often, but why is that? Is tire rotation necessary? Here is why it really is.
Keyword(s): is tire rotation necessary
Is tire rotation necessary?
Your car will keep running if you don’t rotate them, but there are several reasons you should take your car in for regular tire rotations.
Your tires keep you connected to the road and directly affect your safety and control of the vehicle. If you don’t take care of your tires, you could experience problems.
Many people don’t think about their cars until they need auto repair. Maybe that’s because something goes wrong mechanically or you have a car accident.
But preventative maintenance can keep you safer and prevent costly repairs.
Keeping your tires inflated properly is the first step to keeping your car efficient and safe. Rotating your tires is another important car maintenance task.
Keep reading to learn the importance of tire rotation.
What Is a Tire Rotation?
Rotating tires simply means moving your existing tires to a different position on your car.
There are different pattern options, which depend on the type of car you have.
If you drive a front-wheel-drive car, your front tires will likely go directly to the back without switching sides. The back tires move up to the front, but they’ll switch sides. So your rear driver’s side tire will move to the front passenger side.
For a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, it’s the opposite. The rear tires move forward, staying on the same side. The front tires go back but switch sides.
Some tires have different sizes on the front than on the back. For these vehicles, the tires stay on the front and back respectively. They’ll simply change sides. The front driver’s side tire moves to the front passenger’s side and vice versa. The same happens on the back.
Some tires are directional, which means they need to stay on the same side of the vehicle. The front moves to the back and the back moves to the front on the same side.
The driver’s side front tire goes to the driver’s side back position. The driver’s side back position moves to the driver’s front side.
Tires Wear out at Different Rates
All four tires touch the ground, but they don’t maintain the same amount of contact. That leads to uneven wear on different tires.
Your front tires usually experience more wear than the back tire. The edges of the front tires take more pressure when you turn corners, which can cause them to grow thin faster than other parts of the tires.
The type of car can also affect how quickly your tires wear.
On front-wheel drive vehicles, the front wheels handle a large portion of the work, including steering, braking, and slowing down.
If you have a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the rear tires may wear out slightly faster than the front tires. Your front tires still do the steering and help with braking. But the power goes to the rear tires, which can make them wear faster.
When you rotate your tires regularly, you even out the wear.
Extend the Life of Your Tires
Rotating tires helps you prolong buying new tires. The even wear makes all of your tires last longer.
If you don’t rotate them, you may have to replace the tires that wear faster first.
It’s usually best to replace all tires at once, especially if you have all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. That means you might end up replacing all of your tires sooner than you need to.
Replacing tires sooner than necessary adds up to a lot of extra money spent over the lifetime of your vehicle.
Reduce the Risk of Blowouts and Flats
Uneven wear can increase your risk of having a flat tire or a blowout. If you don’t notice the thin tread in certain areas, you might continue driving your vehicle. This could cause a dangerous blowout while you’re driving.
Improve Handling
When the tread on your tires is uneven, your car often doesn’t handle as well. You might notice you have poor traction, which causes you to skid or have trouble steering.
Uneven tread depth can also affect braking. Being able to stop quickly is a huge safety factor any time you drive.
Under normal driving conditions, that might not seem like a huge deal. But in an emergency situation, reduced handling could affect your ability to avoid an accident.
Poor weather conditions can make the handling issues worse. If you’re driving unevenly worn tires on wet, icy, or snow-covered roads, you may have more difficulty than normal controlling the car.
Reduce Stress on the Drivetrain
If you drive an all-wheel-drive vehicle, even tire wear could help protect the vehicle. Even tread reduces the stress on the drivetrain.
If you don’t rotate the tires, the excess stress could cause expensive and premature wear on the mechanical components in the vehicle.
Satisfy Tire Warranties
Did your tires come with a warranty? Many tire warranties require you to have your tires rotated at certain intervals.
If you make a claim under the warranty, you might have to show proof that you had them rotated. If you skip tire rotations, you’ll likely void the warranty.
That means prematurely worn tires are now your problem since the warranty won’t pay out on them.
Spot Other Issues
Most people don’t spend a lot of time worrying about their tires. You’ll notice if it’s low or flat, but you might not pay attention to the overall condition otherwise.
When you get your tires rotated, your mechanic can get a closer look at them. This is the ideal time to spot damage to the tires, bent rims, blistered sidewalls, or other issues that could put your safety at risk.
How Often Is Tire Rotation Necessary?
A common recommendation for tire rotation is to do it every 5,000 to 8,000 miles. That corresponds roughly with the recommended timing for oil changes, so it’s easy to schedule both maintenance tasks in one trip.
If you already have your car scheduled for other auto repair services, add in a tire rotation at the same time.
Consult your vehicle owner’s manual to find out the recommended tire rotation mileage for your model.
If you have a tire warranty, read the terms to determine how often it requires you to rotate them. Keep records of every rotation in case you need to use the warranty to have the tires replaced.
Rotate Your Tires
The answer to, “Is tire rotation necessary?” is yes, if you want your tires to wear evenly. It can help your car drive better and save you money by making your tires last longer.
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