Tire Rotation Instructions

We all hear that tire rotation is important, but why? How often should you do it? HOW do you do it?

Using tire rotation as preventative maintenance will help ensure your tires wear evenly, both front-to-back and side-to-side. This helps enhance wear quality and prevent an increase in pattern noise. And if you have a minor 1/32"-2/32" difference in front-to-rear tread depth, don't let that stop you from rotating due to concerns in hydroplaning balance. The small difference is unlikely to upset the balance between the front and rear axles, so make a note of it, and remember that any differences in wear rates actually indicate that tire rotations should be done more frequently.

Tires on the front and rear axles perform very different tasks, and rotating tires every 3,000-5,000 miles (or more frequently for tires with aggressive, all-terrain or off-road-focused patterns) allows each tire to spend time at each wheel position on the vehicle. “Spreading the work” of each wheel position amongst all the tires helps to keep the wear even, maintaining the vehicle's proper handling balance and helping to ensure any tire tread life warranty remains valid.

Additionally, if your tires wear out as a set, you can replace them all at the same time, allowing you to switch to a more modern, likely improved, product, instead of being forced to match the existing pair that hasn't yet worn out.

Tires should be serviced periodically following the rotation patterns provided in the vehicle's owner's manual or as established by the tire industry, so if your vehicle doesn't have rotation instructions in the owner's manual, the diagrams below can be your guide.