Do tires really have to be rotated?

Gruber

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I just rotated my wheels last month at almost 10,000 miles, and I could have waited a bit more. (I don't know why they call it "tire rotation." It's wheel rotation most of the time. :dunno:)

This is the first time ever I rotated my tires myself. I always had it done at a shop, and never kept the manufacturer's required schedule. (Btw. I also never before in my life had to take off a car wheel, and never had a tire fail so the spare had to be used in a vehicle where I was either a passenger or a driver). So carrying a spare and a jack for decades was all for nought.:doh:

Generally, rotating tires is recommended, because it's cheap and/or easy, so no problem. But rotating every 5000 miles is only for the benefit of the tire business. Most people (I imagine a landslide majority) fail to come in as often as they are required. Thanks to this, the tire manufacturers can claim high tire mileage in advertising, but rarely have to pay when the tires wear out prematurely. Even when they do give a discount, you also have to buy your next tires from them, not from any other place which currently may have a better deal. You don't win much, if anything by rotating as often as they require.

Generally, if you never rotate, your tires will last shorter. But if you rotate at least a couple of times during the tires' lifespan, the difference in tire wear is negligible.

If you park outside all the time and don't drive a lot, it's better to rotate than to replace the front tires when they are worn out, because tires do get old. Also, there usually are better deals on all 4 tires than on two.
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daniellee789

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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).
I had one front tire that was different because someone stole my wheel, so I ended up getting the cheapest tire from Discount Tires. I think it was a road hugger while the other ones were Firestone
 
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daniellee789

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Don’t your tires rotate when your drive the car???:lol::lol:
(Heard someone say that at work one time... didn’t know how to respond lol)
Well... They're not wrong lol
 
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daniellee789

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time for a new dad...
Okay, I'm just gonna throw my dad away and get a new one because he doesn't believe in tire rotations. I feel bad for your dad, you
time for a new dad...
Yeah, I'm just gonna throw my dad away because he doesn't believe in rotating tires. Makes perfect sense. I'll just go to WalMart and buy a new dad. Shouldn't be too expensive right?
 


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daniellee789

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I've been doing more driving recently. I think I have close to 7,000 in 5 months, which is not a lot to other people but it is to me, since I was barely even putting 5,000 miles a year on my old car haha
 
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daniellee789

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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.
Thank you! That's a good point. I also have the road hazard extended warranty thing the dealer threw in for free, idk if it covers tires but I do know it covers wheels.
 
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daniellee789

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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.


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.
No haha my dad did not read some internet forum, he doesn't even know what a forum is. And my dad doesn't know how to work on cars nor do we have the equipment to do so since we live in an apartment. But I would like to learn myself how to do simple maintenance things in the future, maybe when I get a house so I have space to work on my car
 
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daniellee789

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Time to rotate your dad.[/QUOT
Honestly, you don't have to rotate your tires.

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

orl7PDWg9e--HatGkO22K292wI8.jpg


So, in conclusion:

1. Rotate your tires every 7500 miles or so.
2. Rotate your dad in the direction of this thread. :cool:
Haha my dad is hard-headed, it's basically impossible to change his mind on anything. But since I'm making my own money, I'll just get them rotated.
 

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Thank you! That's a good point. I also have the road hazard extended warranty thing the dealer threw in for free, idk if it covers tires but I do know it covers wheels.
I’d contact the dealer and find out what that warranty covers. I always buy the hazard warranty when I get new tires installed, it’s like $5 per tire, but that extra warranty is usually for punctures. I’d also contact your insurance company to see if they offer “Road Hazard” coverage and if they do, see if it covers tires.

I know this is branching off from your tire rotation question, but it’s good information to know that deals with tires. I had a blowout on my motorcycle and it cost $360 to have it towed to a shop and my insurance covered it.
 


ulieq

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Depends on how good of a balance yoru wheels and how aligned your char is. My 2017 CRV went to 27000 miles without ever being rotated and the tires were still perfect, but I had cars that went to hell. I will say this. Don't rotate your tires unless you are doing a balance and alignment at the same time, its a complete waste and will ruin your wheels. I plan on 15k miles rotate/bal/alignment periods. Unless you have performance tires, they are cheaper to get new tires than getting rotations all the time.
 

skorj

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Depends on how good of a balance yoru wheels and how aligned your char is. My 2017 CRV went to 27000 miles without ever being rotated and the tires were still perfect, but I had cars that went to hell. I will say this. Don't rotate your tires unless you are doing a balance and alignment at the same time, its a complete waste and will ruin your wheels. I plan on 15k miles rotate/bal/alignment periods. Unless you have performance tires, they are cheaper to get new tires than getting rotations all the time.
Please elaborate on the bolded. How exactly will rotating your tires RUIN your wheels?
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