Tire rotation, that is routinely repositioning your vehicle’s tires in specific patterns from front to back or side to side, is an important element of tire upkeep and safety. Additionally, rotating your tires may also be required to keep your tires covered under warranty. For a quick visual summary of tire rotation, check out our Tread Life episode about tire rotation. Read on for more information about what tire rotation is, why tire rotation patterns matter, and the correct pattern for your vehicle’s needs.
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Tire rotation means periodically changing the position of each of the tires on your vehicle. You should rotate your tires as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, or every 5,000 miles. For many of you, that will mean when you get your vehicle’s oil changed.
Regularly rotating your tires also gives you a good opportunity to visually inspect them for damage, check their air pressure, have them rebalanced if you’re noticing any vibration, and check their tread depth.
There are several reasons why tire rotation is an important element of your standard tire care. First, by routinely rotating your tires, wear is spread evenly across all four tires, and their tread life is maximized. That’s because each specific position on your vehicle requires a different give from each tire—(for example, tires on the front of a front-wheel drive vehicle will take a larger proportion of the torque and friction that’s needed for turning, accelerating and braking)—and can lead to more, or less, wear on the tire. It is especially important to rotate new tires by 5,000 miles because deep, fresh tire tread is more susceptible to uneven wear.
Secondly, even tread wear keeps the tread depth on your tires uniform, which can help keep traction and handling consistent across all four tires. This will improve cornering and braking performance and keep your vehicle safer for driving overall.
Finally, if your vehicle has all-wheel-drive, evenly worn tires lower the stresses on the drivetrain, reducing wear on expensive drive components.
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The tire rotation pattern that’s best for your vehicle will depend on the type of tire you’re using, whether your vehicle is front, rear, all, or four-wheel drive, whether your tires are directional or non-directional, whether or not your tires are the same size on the front and rear of your vehicle, and whether you have a full-size spare that can be rotated through as well, unlike a temporary spare.
. Let’s take a look at tire rotation patterns recommended by the standardizing body of the tire industry, The Tire and Rim Association, Inc., for all of these possibilities.
For vehicles that are 4-wheel, all-wheel, or rear-wheel drive, the rearward cross pattern is recommended. Rear tires are moved to the forward axle and kept on the same side of the vehicle while the front tires are moved to opposite sides of the rear axle.
2. X-PATTERNRecommended for front-wheel drive vehicles such as light-weight trucks and sedans, all tires are moved diagonally, meaning tires are switched from one axle to the opposite as well as being repositioned from one side to the other.
3. FORWARD CROSSThis is the most common pattern for front-wheel drive vehicles. The front axle tires are moved directly back while the rear tires are moved up diagonally to the opposite side of the front axle.
In order to insure that all of the tires on your vehicle have even tread wear, you’ll want to be sure to rotate your full-size spare tire along with the other four. This is especially vital for all-wheel or 4-wheel drive vehicles where even small differences can put undue strain on your car’s drive train.
1. REARWARD CROSS (REAR-WHEEL OR 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES):Both rear axle tires move directly forward to the front axle while the spare tire moves to the right side of the rear axle. The right front tire moves diagonally back to the left side of the rear axle while the left front tire becomes your new spare tire.
2. FORWARD CROSS (FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES):Rear tires are moved diagonally to opposite sides on the front axle while the right front tire becomes the new spare tire. The spare tire is positioned on the right side of the rear axle while the left tire on the front axle is moved directly back into the left rear position.
All tires are switched with their same-sized partner and remain on the same axle. The two rear tires switch to the opposite side with one another while the two front tires do the same.
2. FRONT-TO-BACK (FOR DIRECTIONAL TIRES)All tires are moved from one axle to the other but remain on the same side of the vehicle. For example, the front left tire is moved to the left side of the rear axle while the rear left tire is repositioned on the left side of the front axle.
Four wheel drive vehicles mainly differ from all wheel drive cars and trucks due to 4WD being more appropriate for off-road use. AWD may have some computer-controlled settings to help it cope with off-road conditions, but it isn’t the same a dedicated low gearing to deal with harsh terrain.
But how does this affect tire rotation patterns for 4WD? The truth is they’re largely the same. There may be some exceptions so you should refer to the vehicle manufacturer guidance in your owner’s manual just to be safe.
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4WD Tire Rotation Pattern
There are two acceptable rotation patterns for four wheel drive vehicles. The rearward cross and X-pattern. The rearward cross is the more preferable method since it better distributes the tires around the car or truck over time.
Let’s cover the details of how to deal with rotating tires on 4WD cars and trucks.
4WD systems are not the same as all wheel drive, but they are very similar. The same rotation patterns for AWD work well with 4WD.
There may be situations where a 4WD system works in a unique way and the tires may benefit from a different pattern. Be sure to refer to the owner’s manual provided by your vehicle manufacturer for any unique requirements regarding tire rotation.
The most common tire rotation pattern used on four wheel drive vehicles is the rearward cross. This pattern moves the front tires rearward and across to the opposite sides of the car or truck.
The rear tires move forward but do not switch sides of the vehicle.
The X-pattern is very popular and acceptable to with four wheel drive vehicles. It moves the front tires to the rear and across to the opposite sides of the car or truck. The rear tires move to the front and across to the opposite sides of the vehicle.
The best tire rotation pattern for most four wheel drive vehicles is the rearward cross because it will eventually move every tire to every position and create the most even wear over time.
The X-pattern simply swaps the tires at opposite corners of the vehicle and those tires will never be placed in the other two positions unless the rotation pattern is changed.
Directional tires can only spin in one direction and must stay on the side of the car or truck they were meant to be used on. If they are moved to the opposite side of the vehicle they will be spinning in the wrong direction and this can be extremely dangerous, especially in wet conditions.
Because directional tires can’t switch sides, they can only be rotated front to rear.
Front to rear tire rotation is fairly obvious. The front tires move to the rear without crossing to the opposite side of the vehicle. The rear tires then move to the front. Also, without changing sides of the car or truck.
Staggered wheels are wheels that are different sizes on the front and rear axles.
Sometimes wider or larger wheels and tires are used on the rear to improve handling and traction.
These larger rear wheels and tires should not be moved to the front axle, and hopefully it’s obvious that the smaller front wheels shouldn’t move to the rear axle.
This means that the only pattern of rotation is side to side.
Side to side rotation is very simple. The front tires swap sides and the rear tires swap sides. They do not change which axle they are mounted on, only which end of the axle.
Side to side rotation is of relatively minor benefit but can still be helpful. Especially if your tire manufacturer will honor their tire warranty while you have staggered wheels and tires.
Full size spare tires with wheels that match the four main wheels should be included in regular rotations and can make a big difference in the overall lifespan of the set of tires.
It also ensures the spare tire gets put to good use so that it doesn’t dry rot from age without using the tread depth.
The last important benefit is that the spare tire will be much more likely to be in good condition if you are in a situation where you need to use it. Non-matching spare tires often get forgotten about and can dry rot and lose air pressure over time. When you need your spare tire it may not be usable unless you are diligent about maintaining it.
The rearward cross 5-tire pattern is a modification of the standard rearward cross. The modification has the driver’s front move to the spare location and the spare go back into service at the passenger rear position.
Tire rotation is usually required to maintain any tire warranty that a tire manufacturer may provide on a set of tires. Maintaining this warranty should be important to you as it can save you a lot of money.
Not all tires will come with a warranty, but you should still have your tires rotated to ensure that they wear as evenly as possible and last a long time.
How often you should rotate your tires is determined by the tire manufacturer and will vary from tire to tire. Each tire manufacturer will specify a mileage interval to not exceed between tire rotations.
Tire manufacturers usually provide a mileage warranty for their tires and require that the tire rotation mileage not be more than the mileage they set if you expect them to honor any warranty claim.
This mileage amount is usually between 5,000 and 8,000 miles but varies for many reasons. I usually recommend rotating tires at 5,000 mile intervals since it usually will meet or exceed the tire manufacturer requirements.
The terms four wheel drive, four by four, all wheel drive, and full-time four wheel drive get thrown around a lot and often get used improperly.
The overwhelming majority of these systems, regardless of the name, will use rearward cross or x-pattern rotation. This is because almost all will produce more wear on rear tires than front. There may be some front bias systems or some that wear the front tires more and those may benefit from the forward cross pattern.
Refer to your owner’s manual to see what patterns they recommend.
Let’s break down what each means as clearly as possible.
This basically means that all four tires are being used to propel the vehicle forward. This is the parent category for all of the other names.
Typically, 4WD is a feature that allows a two wheel drive to mechanically engage the other axle and become a four wheel drive vehicle.
Full-time four wheel drive cars and trucks are essentially 4WD without the ability to mechanically disable an axle and convert to 2WD. They do usually include the ability to select 4Hi or 4Lo which is a mechanical setting that changes gearing from road and highway use to off-road appropriate gearing.
All wheel drive is the most modern system of 4×4 in some regards, but removes adjustability from the driver. All wheel drive vehicles don’t have a dedicated gearing for off-road purposes and aren’t designed for more demanding off-road situations.
They do tend to be more advanced in that they often rely on computer programming and the use of sensors to adjust grip at each of the four corners of the vehicle. They replace a lot of the dedicated mechanicals with these computer-controlled systems.
Tires are expensive. Four wheel drive off-road tires are very expensive. If you want to get the most tread life out of them, be sure and have them rotated.
Special-purpose tires are less likely to have a warranty. Tire rotation is usually a requirement to prevent your warranty from becoming voided. But if you don’t have a warranty, don’t think that means you can skip rotating your tires. It’s even more important now that you don’t have a warranty to fall back on.
Be sure and follow the guidance of your vehicle manufacturer and the guidance of your tire manufacturer when it comes to tire maintenance. Get the most out of them you can and save yourself some cash in the process.
Below are some links you may find helpful when learning about tires
Will Creech
Will has been an automotive enthusiast since he was old enough to make engine sounds. Formerly a member of the contract training team at Discount Tire, he is unusually knowledgeable on all things related to tires. He is now the owner of and main contributor to TireGrades.com.
All tires are divided into several types and types. During manufacture, tires are marked with a marking that indicates its main parameters and characteristics. We will not delve into the markings, but we will consider the main differences. Tires are divided into two large groups according to the way the cord is laid inside the tire during its manufacture.
These are radial tires and bias tires. Tires of these two types can be winter, summer and all-weather. Each of these three tires can have a regular or directional tread pattern.
A tire with a regular pattern can be installed on either side of the car, a tire with a directional pattern is installed strictly in the direction of rotation. Regular and directional tread patterns can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. A tire with such a pattern is placed according to the rule of a tire with a regular or directional pattern.
It is possible to buy 4 identical tires and assemble them with rims according to the right and left sides of the car. You will get two left wheels and two right ones. Very rarely come across directional tires with an asymmetrical pattern and with an indication of the inside and outside. These tires need to buy two on each side. Two right and two left, but it is better to refuse such tires altogether. They are not convenient to use.
Radial tires are preferable for cord construction. Such tires are more reliable, they withstand heavy loads during movement, and are more stable during deformation. Radial tires wear longer than diagonal tires. Therefore, tires with a diagonal ply are currently practically not produced. Almost all car owners have two sets of tires. For the operation of a car in the winter - these are winter tires, for the summer period - summer.
All season tires can be used in both summer and winter. Winter tires can be studded. Such tires are allowed only in a few countries, where snow often and abundantly falls in winter, frost forms on the road surface. This list also includes Russia. All-season, summer and winter tires have their own pattern characteristics that increase the car's handling.
Front or rear wheel drive vehicles can be fitted with different tire patterns. Such tires are installed in pairs on one axle, for example, tires with one pattern are in front, and with another in the back. It is forbidden to install diagonal tires on one axle and radial tires on the other. The dimension must be the same. On all-wheel drive vehicles, the same tires must be installed.
Tires with different treads and dimensions are strictly prohibited. This is due to the design of the transmission. If you operate a car with different tires, then the car's transmission will quickly fail. In addition, driving on different tires becomes dangerous, a car on a slippery road will behave unpredictably.
All car and tire manufacturers recommend changing tires while driving. What is it for? During the operation of the car, all tires wear out unevenly. This is due to several factors. Heterogeneity of the road surface, operating conditions and vehicle transmission device. Therefore, in order to extend the life of the tires and the transmission of the car, the tires must be periodically replaced.
On all-wheel drive vehicles, uniform tire wear is more relevant. Car manufacturers recommend several tire rotation schemes. But in practice, as is often the case, it is impossible or impractical to apply such tire swap schemes. Many car owners never swap tires. Which of course is wrong.
How do you change tires and how often should you do it? The frequency is approximately 8 - 12 thousand kilometers. Therefore, tire swapping can be timed to coincide with the change of tires from summer to winter and vice versa. Winter tires can be studded. When using these tires, the studs tilt to one side. This is due to frequent wheel slip.
Therefore, these tires must be installed in the same direction as they were before. In this case, the tires from the front axle must be put on the rear axle, and the tires from the rear axle should be put on the front axle. In order not to get confused where which wheel was, in a tire shop, the master usually puts a mark on the wheel. If you apply one of the recommended schemes and change the direction of rotation to the opposite when installing the tires, the spikes will begin to tilt in the other direction, their fastening in the tread will weaken and they will start to fly out.
Which, of course, does not justify the expediency of rearranging the tires strictly according to the scheme. There is no point in this, the tires will wear out evenly, but the spikes will almost all fall out. If the tires are not studded, but have a directional pattern, the tires must also be rearranged, from the front axle to the rear, from the rear axle to the front, without changing the installation side on the car. If the tires do not have a direction of rotation, then it is possible to apply a more complex scheme.
In this case, the rear tires are moved to the front axle in accordance with the sides. And the front tires are placed on the rear axle, but at the same time the right wheel is placed on the left, and the left wheel is placed on the right. There is another scheme for rearranging wheels. In this scheme, a spare wheel is also involved. The spare must of course be identical. When using such a scheme, the tires wear out a little longer during operation. In this case, the rear tires are rearranged to the front axle without changing sides, the spare wheel is placed on the rear axle on the right, and the right front wheel is placed back on the left. The front left wheel becomes a spare. But such a scheme can be applied if non-studded tires and tires with a non-directional pattern are installed on the car.
If the vehicle is fitted with all-season tyres, it is best to change the tires in the middle of the season. That is, in summer and winter, and not during periods of changing seasons. And it turns out that some wheels constantly "ride" on the snow in front, and the other pair - on asphalt in the summer on the rear axle. Wear will again be uneven. When using a rearrangement scheme without the participation of a spare tire, the latter does not wear out. There is a situation when you have to put a spare tire on the car and drive it.
The difference between the tread height of the worn tires and the spare wheel adversely affects the vehicle's transmission. But you can still drive several tens of kilometers. It is advisable to drive as short a distance as possible using the spare wheel.
It happens that a car owner has two sets of fully assembled wheels. That is, when replacing tires, you do not need to constantly bead tires. You just need to change the wheels, for example, from winter to summer. Before changing wheels, they must be balanced. Which will also increase their service life, as well as the service life of the car suspension. Many car owners balance their wheels only when replacing tires with new ones and then drive their entire life. It is not right. During tire wear, the point of imbalance changes. During wheel spin, for example in deep snow, the weight on the disc may move. Therefore, it is necessary to balance the wheels periodically.
For safe driving and reliable driving, you cannot do without installing new tires on your car. However, rubber is not eternal and its wear cannot be uniform, for various reasons, on all wheels. Of course, no one is tempted to change all four tires at the same time in order to improve traction and steering information.
Therefore, let's draw a rabbit from the hat. Helps you save money by changing tires on your car. The rotation process is usually carried out during the change of seasonal tires at a service station. But tire wear does not depend on the season, but occurs as a result of everyday use of the car. And the driver needs to know when a tire change is needed, and how to do it himself.
Car tire wear is an uneven process. Let's start with the fact that the front wheels wear out faster than those that are put on the back. After all, the front of your car accounts for about 60% of the total weight. Front-mounted tires are also affected by cornering. When driving on the right side of the road, we turn much more to the left than to the right.
Therefore, the right tire at the front is subject to wear more than the others. changing wheels will help. This will provide you with significant savings in maintenance costs and predictable steering effort. And, like a real man, you can change tires yourself on your car. Not necessarily in pursuit of savings, but even so that your significant other sees that there is a man inside the “white collar”.
Every car comes with an owner's manual. If for some reason you did not have such a booklet, download the manual from the Internet. Among the tips for car maintenance, there will definitely be a tire swap scheme. Usually rotation is carried out after 5-10 thousand km. mileage, or, to make it easier to remember, at each oil change.
Car jack. The jack, which is part of the necessary minimum of tools in the trunk of the car, is designed to replace a punctured wheel on the road. Changing all four wheels with it will be a rather laborious and time-consuming process. It is easier and safer to use a hydraulic jack, which will lift one side of the machine at a time.
Stand for jack. The thing in terms of security is absolutely necessary. If you do not want to throw money away to purchase an industrial stand, which is reasonable, you can replace the store-bought one with one built from improvised means. For example, it may well be replaced by a building block covered with a board on top so as not to scratch the bottom.
Key. In this case, everything is clear.
Before you start loosening the nuts, decide on the scheme in which the wheel rotation will be carried out. Here are a few points to consider. First, look at your tires and determine if they are directional or non-directional. For many cars, this is important.
Directional tires are easily identified by the characteristic ROTATION marking and an arrow on the side indicating the direction of travel. The tread pattern of such wheels is designed to rotate in a strictly defined direction. To change them, simply swap the right front and rear tires. Do the same operation with the left side.
Non-directional tire tread allows you to install tires on a car in any place and on any side, since there is no strictly specified direction of rotation. If you have a rear-wheel drive car, put the wheels removed from the front back on opposite sides. So, the front tire on the left side will be in the back in place of the right, and the right in place of the left rear. The rear tires are simply installed in front without changing sides.
In front-wheel drive cars, everything happens the other way around: the front wheels are moved back without changing sides, and the rear wheels: left rear in place of the right front, right rear in place of the left front.
Actually, in the car, including the spare, 5 wheels, not 4. But this statement in relation to modern car spare wheels is rather controversial. They are not designed for long-term use - they have a shallow tread, modest size and weight. Their task is to reach the nearest tire fitting.
It's a completely different matter if you have a full-fledged wheel or your car is a jeep on the "spare tire". A rotation scheme with a 5th wheel is suitable here. Moreover, with the "reserve" tire run time increases by 20% and the tread wears the same on all tires.
So, front-wheel drive. The "spare wheel" is put in place of the right rear wheel, the left front - in the place of the spare, the rear right - in the place of the left front, the left rear with the right front are interchanged.
Left front - in place of the spare, spare - in the place of the right rear, left rear - in the place of the left front, right front - in the place of the left rear, right rear - in the place of the right front.
1. To ensure your own safety, raise the parking brake handle (of course, it must be in good working order).
2. Loosen the wheel nuts. Do not unscrew them completely before lifting the wheel on the jack.
3. Jack up the wheel or the entire side if you own a hydraulic jack. We put a stand under the raised side. We lower the jack. Having finished with one side, we carry out the same operation with the other. It is much easier to rotate if all wheels are available for replacement. Of course, you can change them one at a time, but this is a matter of choosing a driver and whether he has free time.
4. They removed the tires and rearranged them according to the chosen scheme. We tighten the nuts in order - one against the other.
5. Lower the machine onto its four “support points”. We tighten the nuts with a wrench until they stop diagonally according to the star principle.
It's done! Wheel swap completed! Have a good journey: no wand, no nail.
The cost of a set of tires for prestigious cars is quite high, so the owners of premium cars seek to extend the life of tires. One of the proven ways to extend the life of tires due to uniform wear is to rotate the wheels. In order to do everything right, it is important to consider several important points.
The main reference point for various preventive maintenance operations is the vehicle's operating manual. It tells you when to change the wheels. The more often this operation is performed, the more evenly tires wear out.
But common sense dictates that it makes no sense to carry out such prophylaxis every week. Most manufacturers recommend changing the wheels after 10-20 thousand kilometers. The lower limit of this interval is relevant for those who constantly travel on bad roads or adhere to an aggressive, sporty driving style.
Other factors also increase wear: the condition of the suspension and steering, low tire pressure, regular overloading of the machine. The upper limit is acceptable for lovers of careful driving and owners of high-quality branded tires.
It resists abrasion longer and is less likely to get damaged. Very convenient to change during the seasonal tire change. When removing a summer or winter set, before sending it to storage, make notes by which you can determine which axle and which side the wheels were on - PP, PL, ZP, ZL.
It may seem to some that changing tires is an unnecessary operation. However, experienced car service employees advise not to neglect this preventive measure, because not only the timing of tire wear depends on it, but also safety on the road.
The fact is that the tread on the rear and front wheels is not erased in the same way. When cornering, braking and complex maneuvers, the same zones are involved, and as a result, the tire loses its shape. If you don't want to throw away your tires because of abrasions in some areas, it's worth taking the opportunity to extend the life of your wheels.
Although manufacturers do not produce left or right tires separately, it is important to follow certain patterns when rotating. If you decide to rearrange the tires yourself, mark them before starting work so as not to be confused.
There are several common ways to change tires. The choice depends on the drive axle and the type of rubber. For front-wheel drive cars, two options are used. In the first case, the rear wheels are rearranged to the front axle (left - to the left, right - to the right), and the front wheels to the rear. In this case, the left and right tires are swapped. The second scheme is a little more simple: the left rear wheel becomes the right front, the right rear becomes the left front, and vice versa.
So tires are replaced diagonally. If your car has four-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, the second of the above schemes can be used. Another option is to install the front wheels without changing sides back. The right rear will become the left front, the left rear will become the right front. Rubber, which has a directional tread pattern, is changed only along the axes, without changing sides. And if you have a set of different widths, you can only change the side: we swap the left and right tires on each axle.
When you notice that the tires are too worn out and changing the tires will not help, find a suitable replacement for them on the website https://megawheel.ru/. The catalog contains tires from the best European, Asian and American manufacturers, and a wide selection of sizes will allow you to choose a set for any car or truck.
Car tire wear cannot flow evenly : Front tires tend to wear out much faster than rear tires. There are several reasons for this. Yes, usually the front axle of the car is loaded more than the rear (mostly it accounts for about 60% of the mass of the car). The front tires are subject to wear when maneuvering and also wear due to non-zero settings. In addition, the type of drive of the car affects not least: the drive axle causes the tires to wear out faster. Due to the rotation (rearrangement) of the wheels, it is possible to achieve more uniform wear and, as a result, extend the service life of the .
There is another equally obvious benefit of wheel rotation: tires with the same depth provide a higher level of comfort and safety . This is especially important when it comes to difficult weather conditions. So, for example, most.
How to properly rotate the wheels? It is perhaps better to build on the type of tires installed on your car.
The most popular type of civil tire tread at the moment is asymmetric . This, for example, has most models of the MICHELIN summer line, ranging from economical to sports. When installing asymmetric tires on wheels, tire face with rim face : on the sidewalls for this there are inscriptions Outside and Inside (the outer and inner side of the tire) and there is no arrow for the direction of rotation. The convenience of this type of tread is that the complete wheels can be interchanged in any way: the outer side of the tire will remain outer . In this case, it is appropriate to use any of the rotation methods. Usually, the most suitable way to rearrange the wheels is indicated in the car's operating instructions, but if there is none on hand, then you can choose one of the methods we have proposed.
The front left wheel is interchangeable with the rear right, and the front right with the rear left. This type of replacement is suitable for any type of vehicle drive and is most preferred for all-wheel drive vehicles.
The rear wheels are moved to the front axle (the right rear wheel is put in place of the right front wheel, the left rear wheel is put in place of the left front wheel), while the front wheels are placed diagonally in place of the rear wheels (the right front wheel is put in place of the left rear wheel, the left front — in place of the right rear). This method is suitable for cars with rear and all-wheel drive.
The front wheels are installed in place of the rear wheels (the right front wheel is replaced by the right rear wheel, the left front wheel is replaced by the left rear wheel), and the rear wheels, in turn, are moved to the front axle diagonally (the right rear wheel is replaced by the left front wheel). , left rear - in place of the right front). This method is for front wheel drive vehicles.
This type of tread is mainly found on off-road and commercial tires. In the MICHELIN line, for example, tire models and. The rotation of tires with a symmetrical tread pattern is exactly the same as the method described above for asymmetric non-directional tires. There is only one difference in the operation of such tires: when assembling the wheels, it is not necessary to take into account the position of the outer and inner sides of the tire.
Such tires are becoming less and less common in summer tire lines and almost always in winter: V-shaped tread allows the most effective removal of water from the contact patch. So, in the MICHELIN model range, CrossClimate summer tires and a number of winter tires (, Latitude X-Ice 3, Alpin 5, etc.) have a directional tread pattern. Rotation with directional tires mounted on disks can be done in only one way: by changing the front and rear wheels in places, that is, the front left wheel in place of the rear left, the front right in place of the rear right.
As the name implies, in addition to the outer and inner side, the tire tread pattern has a directionality. This type of tire is used only in motorsport due to the inconvenience of use, high cost and lack of tangible benefits for civilian use. Rotation with such tires is carried out in the same way as in the case of symmetrical directional tires: the front and rear wheels of each side of the car change places with each other.
Many sports cars are sometimes equipped with wheels of different sizes: the rear tires are usually wider and larger in diameter. If the tires have an asymmetric non-directional tread pattern, then the wheels on each of the axles can be interchanged, but if we are dealing with directional tires, then alas, the rotation of such wheels without tire fitting is impossible.
This type of rotation allows extend the life of the wheels by about 20% , but in reality this method is almost never used: many modern cars either do not have a spare tire in the trunk at all, or a small-sized “stowaway” is used as its quality. And even if your car is equipped with a full-size spare wheel, in practice it most often differs in either tire model or wheel type. However, if the spare tire is completely identical to the wheels installed on the car, then rotation in this case can be extremely useful. For ease of changing wheels, the tread pattern type must be either asymmetric non-directional or symmetrical non-directional. The rotation process in this case is no longer as obvious as in the previous methods.
The front right wheel is removed in place of the spare tire, the spare wheel is installed in place of the rear right wheel, the rear right wheel in place of the front left wheel, the front left wheel in place of the rear left wheel, the rear left wheel in place of the front right wheel.
The spare wheel is installed in place of the rear right wheel, the rear right in place of the front right, the front right in place of the rear left, the rear left in place of the front left, and the front left wheel, in turn, is removed in place of the spare tire.
The more often you change the wheels, the more evenly the tires will wear . But, since it is quite troublesome to do this too often, experts advise changing the wheels in places during the periodic one - when the car is somehow lifted onto the lift. As a rule, run in 8-10 thousand km is enough for the next wheel swap: in this simple way, you can not only extend the life of your tires with , but also to maintain the safety of movement at the proper level.
Periodic relocation of vehicle tires is not only a useful procedure, but also a necessary one. Due to the design of the vehicle, different axles and individual wheels are loaded differently under different conditions. In this case, uneven abrasion of the tread surface occurs, which leads to a difference in profile height and loss in controllability.
Swapping wheels will even out the wear on the tire set, making it last longer. Upon reaching the same critical tread depth on all wheels, four can be changed at the same time. Thanks to this, it will be possible to obtain optimal performance properties and a balance of parameters.
As for truck tires, rearrangements will be especially appropriate here, because the difference in the load on different axles of the truck is more noticeable and is reflected in the degree of wear of the tread.
In today's article, we will consider the basic rules for changing the positions of tires or wheels on cars and trucks.
It is recommended to change tires every 5-8 thousand kilometers, even at the stage when obvious signs of wear are not yet visible. The rearrangement schemes depend on which wheels are driving, as well as directly on the type of tire tread pattern.
On front-wheel drive vehicles, when using models with a non-directional pattern, rotation can be done in two ways:
For rear-wheel drive vehicles with non-directional design, rearrange as follows:
For 4WD vehicles, use a cross pattern when using non-directional wheels.
Models with directional tread patterns should only be changed from front to rear on the same side of the vehicle.
If you have a spare wheel with the same parameters as the other wheels, this must also be included in the swap plan. In this case, it should be put each time in place of the rear right wheel, unless otherwise indicated in the manufacturer's instructions. And the wheel that was supposed to be in this position according to the standard permutation scheme should be put in the trunk.
In this way, even wear of all five wheels can be ensured.
Truck tires should be rotated every 40-50 thousand kilometers or when significant uneven tread wear is detected.
The following factors should be taken into account when planning replacements:
In a standard three-axle trailer, the third axle is the most loaded, while the second one works in the most gentle conditions. At certain intervals, the residual tread depth should be measured and the least and most worn tires of the same functional purpose should be swapped. Twin wheels should also be interchanged periodically, especially if the difference in their residual depth is more than 3 mm.
When swapping non-directional tires, it is advisable to reverse their direction of rotation.
Some manufacturers produce universal ones that can be installed on any axle. Such tires can first be put on the steering position, and after some run they can be rearranged on the wheels of the free-rolling axles.
Rotating the wheels will save you money on tire changes, because with even wear, the service life of one set is significantly increased. In addition, the same tread height contributes to the stability of the vehicle's behavior while driving.
Rotation useful for a number of reasons. If it is produced in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations, tires provide better handling and more effective grip, wear more evenly. Maybe improvement of other running characteristics. So when should you change wheels? For tires with improved performance, we we recommend doing this every 5000 - 8000 kilometers, even if the tires show no signs of wear. Easy to rotate at the same time as changing the oil, when the car, one way or another, installed on a lift. If the wheels move uniformly along rotation pattern, all tires wear equally. remember, that repositioning cannot affect wear caused by mechanical malfunctions or incorrect tire pressures. It is also necessary study the instructions to follow the scheme recommended by the manufacturer.
Tires work differently on the front axle than on the rear axle. A front wheel drive car loads tires differently than a rear wheel drive car. A sports car wears tires more than a family sedan. The location of each wheel determines its degree and type of wear.
Tires cannot help but wear out over time, but it will be much better if this process will proceed evenly. As the depth decreases tire tread begin to respond faster to the actions of the driver and perform better on dry surfaces. However, stable reactions can only be expected if all tires wear equally.
When the rubber will serve its due date, it is better to immediately change the entire set, then the replacement will not have a negative impact on handling car. In addition, new tire models are constantly appearing on the market, improving the performance of their predecessors. Replacement of the whole set allows you to keep up with modern tire technology rather than enjoy yesterday.
Four (4) wheel rotation
Five (5) wheel rotation
Many cars are equipped with a dokatka, which cannot be included in the scheme rotation (permutation) of the wheels, however, if the spare wheel of the car has the same size, type and load capacity as the four main wheels, it should also (unless otherwise indicated) be included in the scheme permutations. Follow the replacement procedure recommended vehicle manufacturer, if available, or use one from the indicated schemes and put the spare wheel in place of the right rear with every permutation. Wheel, passing to the place of the right rear, stored in the trunk until the next permutation.
Thanks to the scheme permutations of five wheels, you can always be sure that the tire the spare tire is in good condition and the tire itself is inflated and ready to use.
