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Tire Rotation Strategy

Do you need a tire rotation strategy? The question is why do we need to rotate tires? Is this a strategy to relieve more money from our wallets? Is it really needed?

So let’s get into this strategy thing. Why do we need to rotate tires? Well, think about what is happening to the tires as they are mounted on the car. The front tires are doing a lot of work in today’s front drive vehicles. They are pulling the vehicle forward. They are also turning the car to the left and to the right as needed. The front tires also exert most of the stopping power for the vehicle.

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The back tires are doing a lot less work than the front tires. Basically, they are along for the ride. The rear tires do not move in a turn, they follow the track of the front wheels. Any braking force at the rear tires is considerably lower than the front tires. So what does this mean? The rear tires are freeloaders when compared to the hard-working front tires.

Front And Rear Tire Workloads

This difference in workload is why a tire rotation strategy is needed. The front tires are constantly being scuffed by turning forces. They are also continually pulling the vehicle forward causing wear. So with this information, you have the answer to why we need to rotate tires. A tire rotation strategy extends the service life of the tires to it’s maximum by making those freeloading back tires come up front and share the workload.

 

So once you understand what a tire rotation strategy is going to do for you. Why wouldn’t you have one and how are you going to execute this strategy?  I find that when I purchase a tire or tires that a road hazard warranty can also be purchased or is included in the purchase. Also depending on where you purchase your tires, free pressure checks, free tire rotation, and free balancing for the tire life can be included.

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This warranty usually consists of flat tire repair in addition to the road hazard warranty. When you look at how much all these services will help extend your tire service life why would you turn it down or worse not take advantage of all these “free” services?

Making the Strategy Work

 

Make it a point to allow some time for a tire rotation with wheel balancing at least once per year. Better yet check out your road hazard warranty and tire purchase paperwork for the tire rotation schedule. Most warranties are based on time or mileage. Getting it done on time or mileage will make sure that the tire wear is spread evenly on all your tires.

 

Don’t have an air compressor at home? Free air pressure checks will keep all your tires properly inflated. Proper inflation pressures make sure that your tires wear evenly. A tire pressure gauge for your vehicle will keep you aware of your tire conditions. A tire pressure monitoring system(TPMS) can monitor all your tires and let you know when a tire is in need of inflation.

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