Tire rotation or tire replacement?
If you want to prolong your tires without sacrificing its performance and spending more? Most car owners have no idea how to do proper maintenance of their tires, which are one of the most important components in a vehicle.
So if this sounds like you, then you should read this post and learn how tire rotation can save you money in the long term.
What is Tire Rotation?
As its name suggest, tire rotation means changing the position of each of the tires on your car or vehicle in a periodic manner. Meaning, this should be done every particular time or mileage and should be included in your car’s maintenance schedule.
Tire rotation is needed to prevent uneven wear that helps prolong your tire’s serviceable life.
What causes uneven wear on tires? There are many factors why tires wear easily such as road conditions, driving habits (hard acceleration and hard braking), bad wheel alignment or imbalance wheels. Tire pressure also plays crucial role when it comes to tire wear.
How often should you rotate your tires you may ask?
Well, for that you should always follow what is recommended by your car’s manufacturer. Rule of the thumb is every 10,000 miles. So if you change your motor oil every 10,000 miles, you will need to rotate your tires as well.
Rotating your tires also gives you the opportunity to inspect for any damage, check air pressure and tread depth, or have it balanced if you are experiencing any vibration.
How to Rotate Tires?
To rotate tires, you’ll need at least two jack stands or two bottle type or scissor type jacks (for small cars). If you have floor jack, then much better as floor jacks are much more safe and stable to use compared to bottle and scissor jacks.
Simply use these jacking tools to lift your car safely and securely. You must ensure that your car is sturdy when it’s lifted. Otherwise, your car may crash down and damage your undercarriage or can even get you involved in an accident.
Now, simply remove the tires according to the specifications of your car manufacturer that is found on your owners manual.
For example, if your car or truck is rear-wheel drive or four by four, then you simply swap both rear wheels to the front of the vehicle, then place the front left tire to the rear right, and place the front right tire to the rear left.
You just need to follow this procedure in reverse if you have front-wheel drive vehicle.
Here is an in-depth guide on how to correctly rotate tires.
Summary
Tire rotation is a simple task that can help prolong your tire’s service life, prevents any tire-related accidents, while also saving maintenance expenses.
So the next time you change your oil, consider rotating your tires for better performance and safer ride! Watch the video below for complete guide on how to rotate tires. The video is in Tagalog but has English subtitle.
