Importance of Tire Rotation

Most people will have heard that it's good practice to rotate tires on a periodic basis so the wear is as even as possible, and so they last as long as your driving style allows. However, many will inevitably wonder if it's really necessary or if it is a way of getting us to spend more on maintenance.

This leads to tire rotation and tire balancing being among the most neglected tasks as far as routine car maintenance to avoid unnecessary expense and inconvenience is concerned. So, let's look at tire rotation in more detail to show how important a part of a good car care or car servicing regime it can actually be.

The reason for tire rotation

It doesn’t matter if your particular vehicle has front-, rear-, all- or four-wheel drive; regular rotation will always benefit your tires because the weight and workload is always likely to be unevenly distributed across the four wheels, leading them to wear unevenly. Most vehicles today tend to be front-wheel drive or have all-wheel-drive systems that operate largely as front-drive in ideal road conditions, so those at the front are going to be carrying a huge amount of the load with those vehicles.

In most cases, our front tires handle much more weight than the rear because the engine and transmission are likely to be mounted transversely above the front axle. When the brakes are then applied, even more weight shifts forward, which then adds even more to the load they already deal with. Tires at the front also experience additional wear and tear from powering and steering the vehicle, and cornering also takes its toll as the weight shifts to the outside of a turn. While all this is going on at the front, the rear tires on front-drive vehicles are pretty much just along for the ride by comparison.

Vehicles with rear- and four-wheel-drive do spread a greater proportion of the load to the rear tires as they're driving the vehicle to varying degrees, but those at the front are still doing their fair share of the work because of steering and extra weight they have to handle.

How often to rotate tires

How often you rotate your tires depends on the type vehicle you have, the type of driving you do, and the interval recommended by the manufacturer. You should be able to find the correct advice in the service section of your vehicle's owner's manual. Otherwise, a good rule of thumb is to rotate them at least as often as you change your oil, but more often is even better. If you're driving 12,000 to 15,000 km per year, you should probably plan on rotating your tires something like twice a year.