Tyre rotation is the systematic process of moving your car’s tyres from front to back or side to side. It can help to maximise their lifespan and improve safety by ensuring that each tyre wears evenly. Tyre wear depends on driving type, so different rotation treatments are needed for cars with front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, in addition to those that use all-wheel drive.
Road friction and pressure cause the tyres on the back of a vehicle to experience more wear than those on the front, so it is important to rotate them regularly. Failure to do so will result in uneven tread wear, deep tread damage that makes them look chopped or lumpy, reduced traction and vibration when driving, and noisy driving due to weight disturbances.
Car tyre rotation
Tyre rotation is a method of managing tyre wear. While driving, your tyres experience wear from the road surface and their movement. Tyre rotation is a way of handling this wear. During a tyre rotation, each tyre is moved to a different position on your car’s axles, like moving the front right tyre to the left back position, for example. This shuffle helps your tyres wear more evenly. You can consult the car’s owner manual or speak to a professional car mechanic to learn signs that your tyres need a rotation. Most manufacturers recommend rotating your tyres about every 7,500 miles or six months.
Why should you rotate your car tyres?
If you don’t replace your tyres as tyres wear out, then you risk having unexpected and dangerous tyre blowouts. Replacing a tyre after it has worn out also costs more than if you return it before it gets to that point. Furthermore, by measuring tread depth at regular intervals and inspecting your tyres to ensure they aren’t causing damage to your car, you can help prevent accidents that could otherwise occur due to tread wear or improper inflation.
Should you rotate your tyres on your own?
If you’re spending over a couple of hundred dollars on a set of tyres, it’s worth considering having them rotated. Rotating your tyres is a job that should be done every few thousand kilometres. An auto shop can do it, but you can do it yourself if you have the space, are handy and have a spare half hour once a month or so. You will not need any tools or materials; you can perform this procedure one afternoon. However, checking your vehicle owner’s manual for manufacturer recommendations is always a good idea.
What happens if you don’t rotate your car tyres?
Without regular tyre rotation and balancing, your car’s tyres can wear down unevenly to create a rough and potentially unstable driving surface. In the end, this type of tyre wear can pose a threat to your safety on the road. It can cause issues like heat buildup, hydroplaning, poor traction in snow and ice, and an increased risk of punctures and blowouts.
Here are some signs that your tyres need a rotation:
Heat buildup
When a vehicle is in motion, the friction between its tyres and the road generates heat. Tyres are designed to withstand such heat, but without the space for cooling airflow afforded by treads, temperatures can quickly rise above safe levels. Excessive heat can cause tyre failures such as blowouts and tread separation.
Punctures and blowouts
If you do not rotate your tyres properly, a spot on a tyre experiencing excessive strain could begin to wear thin. When this happens, the weaker that point becomes, increasing the chance that something sharp will poke through the tyre. After all, tyres like chains are only as strong as their weakest link.
Bad traction in snow
Snow tyres have more profound, wider, sharper and irregular treads to improve traction by gripping into packed snow. Driving in winter conditions with low tread depths (or inadequate tyres) can boost the chances of the car for spinning out or sliding around on icy roads.
Tyre rotation patterns you can perform
For determining the optimal rotation pattern for your vehicle, consider its drive type (front wheel drive, rear wheel, or all-wheel drive) along with tyre and wheel sizes. Also, keep in mind their directional capabilities.
For four-wheel, rear wheel & all-wheel drive
Before rotation, ensure all your tyres are the same size and non-directional. The rearward cross pattern and the X pattern are used for such settings. In the rearward cross pattern, move the rear wheels to the front and the front at the backside. In the X pattern arrangement, both pairs of tyres switch sides where the front right is replaced with the rear left and vice versa.
Rotation patterns for front-wheel drive
For this rotation pattern, the forward cross and X rotation patterns are preferred. It involves bringing the front wheels to the rear of a vehicle and then reversing them with switched sides. This pattern is a partial rotation of an X pattern, except for swapping the right front with the left rear or vice versa.
Rotation patterns for staggered wheel sizes
Some cars are equipped with directional tyres, so rotation cannot be done from side to side. If you have a non-directional tyre mounted on a staggered wheel fitment, then you should refer to the rotation pattern described for side-to-side rotation.
What to do when tyre rotation is not possible?
For some vehicles, the front tyres and wheels differ from those at the rear. This setup is staggered fitment, commonly found in high-end luxury and sports vehicles. If you come across a case where the vehicle has directional tyres, there’s no chance of swapping them without reversing their direction. The only option to rotate these tyres is side to side after dismounting and remounting them to the wheels. However, instead of going for this gruesome process and bearing loss in terms of wrong fitting, you should consider buying new tyres from the leading brands that offer options for all tyre replacement needs.
Conclusion
Summing up, you can consider this guide to understand why you need a tyre rotation and how you can perform it. However, you should also look for professional car mechanics to provide the proper knowledge and insights. So, if you own a high-performing car like BMW, you should look for the good BMW services in Melbourne for the best and most optimum outcome.