Tire Rotation

Tire rotation is important for even tread wear and long tread life. As a tire is driven on a road surface, it begins to wear. Tire wear rarely takes place uniformly on tires, because each tire is mounted at a different position on a vehicle.

Front and rear, drive and non-drive tires exhibit different wear pattems. Front tires tend to wear more rapidly in the shoulder area, because of steering/cornering forces. Drive tires wear more rapidly in the tread center because of drive traction forces. On front-wheel-drive cars, front tires wear much more rapidly than rear tires. Personal driving habits and vehicle performance characteristics also cause tires to wear differently. Rotating tires at frequent intervals (at 6,000 miles or less) tends to equalize tire wear and minimize the progress of irregular wear.

Tires are considered to be legally worn out and must be replaced when the tread depth across two adjacent grooves is 2/32". Look for the 2/32" tread wear indicator (TWI) bars distributed around the tire circumference at the base of the grooves. Drive tires with worn out centers or steering tires with worn out shoulders should be replaced, even though there may be useful tread remaining in less worn areas.

To get maximum life from a set of tires, they must be rotated. Vehicles are engineered to operate with a matched set of tires. Even those vehicles fitted with different size tires front and rear require a matched set on each axle. Handling capabilities, including cornering and braking traction depend on matched tires. If tires are not properly matched or equally worn, vehicle performance may be compromised.

Tires should be rotated at frequent and regular intervals. Tires can be rotated conveniently during a regular oil change, which for most vehicles occurs every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Dunlop recommends rotation every 6,000 miles or less for optimum benefit.

There are many tire rotation patterns. Any routine pattern is better than no rotation at all. The important factor in a tire rotation pattern is that all tires eventually are placed at all applicable wheel positions. If a vehicle is equipped with a full size spare, the spare should be included in the rotation pattern.

High performance vehicles equipped with directional tires and wheels, or vehicles with custom wheel offsets and/or custom wheel and tires sizes create complications for proper tire rotation. In certain cases, tires must be dismounted and remounted to achieve correct rotation patterns and optimum tire wear. Unidirectional tire patterns must always be fitted in accordance with directional arrows and refitted in the same orientation.

Source: Dunlop Tire Corporation

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