How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?

Rotating your tires is an important part of maintenance. So how often should you rotate your tires? Typically, you should rotate your tires every 5,000 – 8,000 miles. While this is a good ground rule, you should double-check with your owner’s manual to ensure you have the exact mileage recommendations for your model. Learn more about how often you should rotate your tires with our service team at Smith Chevrolet Of Turlock near Los Banos.

Rotating Tires on FWD and RWD Vehicles

The designations of front-wheel and rear-wheel drive simply mean where power from the engine is sent. With front-wheel drive models, the power is sent to the front tires and the opposite is for the rear-wheel drive. This means the set of tires that gets the most engine power will wear faster than the others. Here are a few tire rotation tips to keep in mind:

• For FWD or RWD cars, tire rotation needs to be performed every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Be sure to consult your owner’s manual for exact figures.
• If you’re performing a FWD tire rotation yourself, keep in mind to flip sides when moving the rear tires. For example, the rear right tire will go on the front left. However, when moving the front tires to the back, keep them on the same side.
• When rotating tires on an RWD car, invert the process above. Flip sides when moving the front tires to the back, but keep the rear tires on the same side when moving them forward.
• Keep in mind how you drive, like off-roading, will affect how often you need to rotate your tires. Talk with the service experts at Smith Chevrolet Of Turlock to get a better idea of a maintenance schedule that fits your driving habits.

AWD Tire Rotation Tips

If you have an all-wheel drive, or AWD, model, then your vehicle will have a different tire rotation pattern than FWD or RWD vehicles. The power is being sent to all four tires, so you’ll need a tire rotation to be done in a very specific way to ensure your tires wear more evenly. Most AWD tires need to be rotated every 3,000 – 5,000 miles if you use AWD regularly in Modesto. You’ll also follow these tips when rotating your tires at home:

1. The left rear goes to the right front spot.
2. The right rear goes to the left front spot.
3. The right front goes to the left rear spot.
4. The left front goes to the right rear spot.

Why Rotate Tires?

Now that you know when you should rotate your tires, you may be wondering why it needs to be done in the first place. As mentioned above, tire rotation helps your tires from wearing faster, extending the life of your tires. In addition, you’ll find tire rotations will give your vehicle the following benefits:

• Improved traction on slippery roads
• Less noise on the road
• Relieves unnecessary stress on the drivetrain

Get Your Tire Advice From Smith Chevrolet Of Turlock

Schedule service with our team near Ceres today to get the tire rotation your vehicle needs. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact our team.