Tyre rotation - does anyone do it?

[andyoctavia]

I have been keeping an eye on the Barum Bravuris tyres which I bought last June, primarily to see if there was any evidence of uneven wear(have heard stories with regard to this), and I have noticed that the fronts are wearing much quicker (although still very much legal and not in need of changing) than the rears. I am going to swap the fronts for the rears next week weather permitting, and wondered if anyobe else still does this, as the people at Michelin think it is a good thing to do.

http://www.michelinman.com/tires-101/tire-care/tire-maintenance/tire-rotation.page

BTW, I have done around 12K miles on these tyres, and the rears have loads of tread left. How does this compare to other makes?

[silver1011]

The problem (for me at least) with rotating tyres is that when it comes to repacing them you need to buy all four at once which is often a big chunk of cash.

At least there are sometimes some discounts on buying four together.

12K seems quite low to me, especially on a 105bhp. I got 15,000 miles out of a pair of similarly priced tyres (to the Barum's) on a 170bhp vRS.

[Huskoda]

I do it, but only really when I change the wheels over from summer and winter. I make a note of where they were last time and put them back on the other axle. I also tend to swap asymmetric tyres from one side to the other at the same time.

[SPUD122]

I dont rotate until the fronts need replacing, then I put the rears on the front and the new ones on the back.

[Jim H]

I currently rotate tyres, I have a pair of summers and a pair of winters (I know a lot of people don't advise this). In winter, Winters on front, Summer to rear, In Summer, winters to rear, Summers to front.

Before I bought winters, I only rotated tyres when buying a new pair. I do the opposite of above, I always put new tyres on the front, as they put the power down (FWD), steer and do most of the braking. This of course normally opens a debate about placement of tyres.

[octavia5]

I do a relatively low annual mileage but rotate mine once a year as I prefer to buy 4 new tyres at a time rather than mix old and new

[rob_e]

Yes, I always rotate so i wear the tyres evenly, so it'll get 4 new boots at the same time.

I know the arguments for and against, but it works for me.

[Grizzle]

Each to there own if thats what you do then cool.

Not for me, i can handle understeer better than oversteer on a public road... track is different

[nickguzzi]

Front tyres don't just wear faster, they wear to a different tread profile. The shape across the tread will be different front tyre compared to a rear tyre. You can readily see the outside corner of the front tread wears more quite easily, but there is a measurable difference all over. This is due partly to the different loading ie steering braking and drive, but mainly due to the completely different suspension geometry, front to rear.

When you rotate them, you will spend a while quickly abrading both front and rear axle sets to conform to the new tread profile forced on them by the suspension geometry. Meaning you will be throwing away a measurable portion of tread before you get back to full transverse contact with the road. If you think getting less useful mileage from your tyres is ok, or driving around for maybe a few hundred miles with sub optimal grip then choose the rotation option. Some people on here were getting very hot under the collar last time this topic came up, but obviously it is your choice.

Could I be cynical enough to believe tyre companies recommend rotation so your wear your tyres out faster? Probably, having worked for Dunlop.

The general recommendation for people swaping summer/winter tyres I have seen, is to mark and replace the wheel in the same location it came from.

[cjb]

Generally I don't rotate tyres, just replace when worn., but when I swap winters for summers or vice versa, I put the least worn on the front (I know about all the arguments for the other way round, but take the view that I'd rather have the front go where I point it, and I haven't had oversteer since braking far too hard in a Mk1 Golf on an island).

[octavia5]

I check my tyres every time I rotate them and have never noticed any measurable difference in wear across the width of the front or rear tyres, if I did I would look at the tracking , geometry or suspension for wear or damage

[nickguzzi]

When I did an extended test on about twenty sets of tyres it was easy to measure, but then we did have fairly sophisticated tools. We also had access to a comparator which showed the difference in wear profile.

[FatblokeVRS]

Apart from swapping summer and winter wheels, when the fronts need changed, the new ones go on the back and the partially worn from the rear go on the front, i.e. the deepest tread always goes on the back.

[TB1]

The problem with not rotating is you end up with tyres at the rear that have done up to 60k and may be up to 10 years old depending on the car, I'd rather rotate when putting new tyres on the rear and have good rubber all round. Perished tyres are worse than budget tyres!

I guess those who are worried about a few hundred miles are also the ones who full up with 95 petrol rather than spend £5 a fill more on the expensive stuff.

[Fake elvis]

The manual does recommend it, swapping left hand side front-rear and vice versa....

[Blackline Stu]

I always swap my tyres back to front but only when there is a noticable differance between them. It also gives me the opportunity to give the insides of the alloys a thorough clean.

[andyoctavia]

Cheers guys, yes this is going to be the next job.

[JR RS]

so if one was to rotate, wat is the best practice?

1. front left to rear left; front right to rear right? (i.e. same side)

or

2. front left to rear right; front right to rear left? (i.e. opposite side)

[TB1]

so if one was to rotate, wat is the best practice?

1. front left to rear left; front right to rear right? (i.e. same side)

or

2. front left to rear right; front right to rear left? (i.e. opposite side)

If your tyres are directional you won't be able to swap sides, but generally it's accepted front to rear.

[zei20t]

are people really putting semi-worn tyres on the front axel?

being front-wheel-drive cars, id want all the grip up there. it also does most of your braking and more than half the weight of the car.

put the new tyres on the front!

[Sarge]

I think there is a school of thought that on fwd cars a new pair of tyres should go on the rear and the rears should go on the front. As you say front does most of the work but there's no point the front being able to cope if the back can't. I guess it's a bit like the argument for not just putting winter tyres on the front?

Sarge.

[gadgetman]

are people really putting semi-worn tyres on the front axel?

being front-wheel-drive cars, id want all the grip up there. it also does most of your braking and more than half the weight of the car.

put the new tyres on the front!

Not again.

Look on YouTube for 5th gear new tyres rear, or the forum for a thread on it.

Personally don't bother rotating tyres. New go on the rear.

As for life, 12k is very low. Assuming these are budgets, which is a false economy

[Mison]

I always swap mine when the fronts are between 5 - 6 mm then change all 4 at between 2 - 3 mm.

[Stuart_J]

Best tyres always on the back

When the fronts need replacing put the old rears on the front & new tyres on the back, tyre companies do it for free & any Good tyre fitting company should know this

See point 6 http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/care-guide/ten-tyre-care-tips

Watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rvAJSMT5jc

[Huskoda]

I have a 4x4 Octy, so I like to replace all 4 at once, which is the reason I rotate them. I replace them at 3mm anyway, so there are never heavily worn tyres on any axle.