Do tires really have to be rotated?

So my dad always gets mad at me when I tell him I need my tires rotated. In his opinion, he thinks it's pointless haha. I guess he just doesn't like changing all the tires at once? He prefers just changing the front tires when they're worn, since the rear tires don't get worn as much. Should I get my tires rotated when I get my oil change?

Sorry, but your Dad is wrong. Rotate your tires per the preventive maintenance schedule. Alternatively, spend more money and replace your tires more often because of uneven wear.

daniellee789 said:

So my dad always gets mad at me when I tell him I need my tires rotated. In his opinion, he thinks it's pointless haha. I guess he just doesn't like changing all the tires at once? Reviewing best pex crimping tool at Autoguysland if you concern. He prefers just changing the front tires when they're worn, since the rear tires don't get worn as much. Should I get my tires rotated when I get my oil change?

Click to expand...

Most vehicle manufactures recommend the tires should be rotated on the same schedule as oil changes. How long we rotate, it depends on your owner's manual but at least once a year.

2112 said:

Sorry, but your Dad is wrong. Rotate your tires per the preventive maintenance schedule. Alternatively, spend more money and replace your tires more often because of uneven wear.

Click to expand...

Don't be sorry haha it's just hard telling my dad he's wrong I'll just go ahead and get my tires rotated with the oil change! I think my dad still has the same rear tires on my old car from when I was driving it lol

The reason why you rotate tires is so that the wear patterns suffered by the front tires don't wear them out much more quickly than the rear tires (All you are doing is taking the wheels from the front and putting them on the back, after all). Without rotating tires, the front tires will wear out much faster than if they spent half of their lives in the back.* It will almost assuredly cost more in the long run to not rotate (assuming rotating is either free or done at home).

I have been swapping between winter and summer wheels for the last few years (every 6 months or so), so I just rotate the tires during the swap. I label the wheels during the changeover(duct tape and Shapie on the inside surface), then put them in the appropriate rotated location on the next swap. It's worked fairly well for the two sets of tires. If I didn't label them, I would have no way of telling which end they came from by the tread pattern alone.

*This depends greatly on the type of car, and how good your alignment is. Also some manufacturers use different wheel sizes for front and rear. In those cases, it's not an option to rotate the wheels.

Your dad is way wrong. Not sure where he would get that idea.

Yes, you should rotate the tires to even the wear.

With my previous car (MB), the tires were staggered. Since I could not rotate the tires, I Had to buy tires more often.
Another problem was I used Pirelli and over the years, they discontinued the tires and I ended up with different tires in front and back (OK but not ideal).

Yes ,rotate tires.

Don’t your tires rotate when your drive the car???
(Heard someone say that at work one time... didn’t know how to respond lol)

time for a new dad...

All car tires wear whether they’re rotated or not. Everything said above is good advice, BUT:

The main reason you want to keep your tires rotated is for the mileage warranty that comes with your tire. If your tire wears out prematurely or something in the tire breaks and is under the stated mileage for that tire, you can get in touch with the manufacturer to have it replaced.

BUT the first thing they will ask you is “Did you rotate your tires.” If you tell them “Yes” and I have my receipts. The next question will be “How often did you rotate your tires.” That’s why it’s important to read your manual and find out what is recommended. Or if your replacing an old set, ask the dealer what is recommended for the tires your buying. All these things can help you if your ever in this position and need to prove you did what you were suppose to do to provide the maximum time life for your tires.

in a perfect world you want all your tires to wear out at the same time that way you don't have to worry about finding just 2 tires that are the same model as your other 2, you also typically get better deals because you are eligible for rebates when you buy sets of 4 so in the long run you save more money, the issue with not rotating is say you leave the rear tires where they are and always just replace the fronts as they wear out, the tires on the rear will "age out" (get past the safe age range of 6 years, note some manufactures say up to 10 years) before they wear out and you could end up having a blowout or a tread separation or a shift in the traction of the rubber compound.

So while technically not "required" it is most definitely best practice and should be done, if he is to cheap to pay someone to do it he can do it himself, these 90 degree days are finally gone and we got some cool mid 70's days so now is a great time to knock out basic maintenance tasks without sweating to death like we would be doing last weekend.

markc72 said:

Your dad is way wrong. Not sure where he would get that idea.

Click to expand...

probably the same logic process of the "Anti-Vaxxers", he probably read some internet forum claiming tire rotations is just another way the tire shops milk you for more money and it has nothing to do with SAFETY.

justasimpleman said:

time for a new dad...

Click to expand...

Time to rotate your dad.

Honestly, you don't have to rotate your tires.

But, if you don't, your front tires will look like this much more quickly...



So, in conclusion:

1. Rotate your tires every 7500 miles or so.
2. Rotate your dad in the direction of this thread.