Tyre rotation - do you bother doing it?

gilbert_and_sullivan

Don't you just love this advice, one size fits all as usual.

In their drive (sic) to make us safer on the road they insist on fitting new tyres to the rear regardless of whether the car is front or rear wheel drive.
Now ignoring the under/oversteer argument for a moment, most new tyres need a bedding in/scrubbing off period of up to several hundred miles, before that time the newly fitted tyres can be skittish...any long term driver will have experienced this, so why are cars fitted with new tyres like this not sliding off the road.

Like everything else these days there's far too many experts giving advice and too little common sense.

waynedance

I rotate as the tyres will last longer and like to replace them all at the same time but this is my view.

But I guess its swings and roundabouts, could do 10k on the fronts and 15k on the rears or if you rotate them 12.5k on each for example. So its either 1 trip or 2 to the garage.

Coveredinbees!!!!

I have never rotated tyres but I check pressures regularly

focae

I'm sorry but this thread has gone on far too long without someone doing it:

I rotate my tyres every trip. They go round and round and round and round and ............................................

cpdc1030

Coming to the UK from Canada, I found it very weird that no one here rotates their tyres. In Canada it is the exact opositte - if you didn't want to rotate your tyres the garage would think you are crazy and would do them anyways! I have to say I still don't understand to logic of refusing to rotate, but as I didn't want to rock the boat I haven't insisted on it.

But surely it makes much more sense to have relativley equal levels of traction on each tyre, espescially on slippery (i.e. snow and ice covered, and just plain wet) surfaces. Same reason why you NEVER put only two snow tyres - you have to use four. I think people here are just too lazy to do it because they're used to driving in quite undemanding road conditions (with the exception of one or two days per year).

sickofusernames

I only rotate when necessary, my girlfriends car had good rear tyres but her front had half decent ones but a bubble in the side wall of one of them so had that one replaced. I got the rears which were the same make switched to the front for the pure fact that they are the driven wheels with the most weight over them.

But - what would you do with regards to a BMW or Merc? Would it be better to leave the better tyres on the rear being the driven wheels, or is it wise still having the better tyres on the front considering they will be making the directional movements?

I'm sure there's been studies on this and I've missed it on this and other sites but would like to find the outcome.

oldagetraveller

According to an old Morris driver's handbook rotation is not necessary with "the new" radial ply tyres but is recommended with crossplies. It has an illustration of what to change to where, including the spare.
That's from about 50 years ago!

somech

i always rotate to ensure near equal levels of wear/grip/traction

vikingaero

cpdc1030 wrote: »

Same reason why you NEVER put only two snow tyres - you have to use four.

Many drivers in Scotland who don't live in the Highlands just use two M+S tyres on the front driven axle. That includes many professional taxi drivers.

blued

I rotate tyres on my front wheel drive car. It is part of the service by the main dealer. Obvisously the front tyres will wear out faster than the back and if you keep replacing the front ones only you could end up with rear tyres that are perished but still have legal tread. Ideally you want to replace all four tyres together.