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Tyre Rotation: How To Rotate Your Tyres Correctly?

If you are new to changing your tyres, you have probably heard of the term rotation at some point. However, rotating your tyres is not as simple as it sounds.

Basically, tyre rotation is the process of repositioning your vehicle’s tyres in specific patterns from front to back or side to side. As such, it is an important element of tyre upkeep and safety. Additionally, this may be required if you want to keep your tyres covered under a warranty.

If you want more details on tyre rotation, how to do it right and why is it important, continue reading.

What Is Tyre Rotation And Why Is It So Important?

As we said above, the process of rotating your tyres means periodically changing their position. In other words, it means changing the position of every tyre on your car to a new position.

According to vehicle manufacturers and technicians, rotating your tyres is a recommended thing to do every 5,000 miles or 7,000 kilometers. For most of the people out there, this means that tyre rotation should occur with every oil change.

Regular rotation of your tyres can also give you a great opportunity to inspect each one of them for any potential damage as well as check their air pressure or have them rebalanced. If you are noticing any vibration, tyre rotation can also help you detect the problem and see which tyre has it.

Note: When you learn how to rotate your tyres correctly, you will also check the tread depth of each tyre – something that can help you see their wear and tear.

The importance of tyre rotation is big. In fact, this process should be a standard element of your standard tyre care and maintenance. First, routinely rotating your tyres means that the wear on them would be spread evenly across the surface of all four tyres.

Second of all, rotation is good because each specific position of your car requires a different give from each tyre. For instance, if you are driving a car with front-wheel drive, your front tyres are most commonly used for torque and may have greater wear on them. So, rotating them with the ones in the back can help you make most of each tyre.

Most importantly, your tread wear keeps the tread depth on your tyres consistent – it can improve your cornering and braking performance and help keep your vehicle safer for driving. 

Note: If your vehicle has an all-wheel drive, the evenly worn tyres can lower the stresses on the drivetrain and reduce wear on expensive drive components.

Tyre Rotation Patterns: Which One Should You Consider?

The best tyre rotation pattern for your vehicle depends on the type of tyres that you are using. This is based on a couple of factors, including:

  • The drive of your car (front-wheel, rear-wheel or all-wheel)
  • The direction of your tyres (whether they are directional or non-directional)
  • The size of your tyres (whether they are the same size on the front and rear of your vehicle)
  • Whether you have a full-size spare (which can be rotated as well) unlike a temporary spare

Below, we are listing some of the most common tyre rotation patterns.

As you can see, there are three main ways to rotate your car tyres. They include:

  • The Rearward Cross: Rear-wheel drive and 4WD vehicles should rotate the back tyres to the front (on the same side) and the front ones to the back (on opposite sides).
  • The Forward Cross: Front-wheel vehicles should rotate the tyres in a way where the front should go to the back on the same side, while the back ones go to the front on the opposite side. 
  • The X-Pattern: On all other vehicles, the recommended tyre rotation is front with rear, either on the same side or at opposite sides.

Note: Tyres which are of uniform size and non-directional with full-size spare tyres should do the rearward cross (for rear-wheel or 4-wheel drive vehicles) and the forward cross (for front-wheel drive vehicles).

What About High Performance And Directional Tyres?

When it comes to high-performance tyres, the rotation should be done either side-to-side (changing the upper left with the upper right tyre, for example).

On directional tyres, the recommended rotation is the front-to-back one, where all tyres are moved from one axle to the other but remain on the same side of the vehicle.

Final Thoughts

In the end, the key takeaway from tyre rotation is that it is one of the things you can do to get the best lifespan out of your tyres. Knowing that on most vehicles, the front tyres carry more than 60% of the car’s weight, it is important to consider swapping them with the rear tyres.

If you add the fact that most of the vehicles are front-drive and that rear-drive and all-wheel drive vehicles should practice tyre rotation with specific rules, you can clearly see why tyre rotation is important after thousands of miles on the road.

Want to inspect your tyres and get expert advice? Contact us today!

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