Rotate Tires <as necessary>???

Longo Toyota put out an advertisement for a 5000 mile service for $78.88 where most things are "inspect/check" and one item in big bold says ROTATE TIRES and then in small print (as necessary).

Sounds like another ripoff - ??? Is tire rotation based on a visual inspection? RC

Reply to
RC
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The only way to determine "as necessary" is through visual inspection. The only other way to decide to rotate tire is to just do it.

For most cars, it is not recommended to cross-rotate any more. Simply move the front tires to the back, and vice versa, and keep them on the same side of the car. If your car has a staggered set up -- the rears are wider than the fronts -- then you do not rotate at all.

As a practical matter, I've been driving for 40+ years and I can't remember the last time I rotated tires. Well, that's not entirely true. I have an F150 with a heavy load, and I rotated the tires recently, and I have a BMW 3 Series that had a tire damaged on the front, so I had them rotated to put the new tire and the best tire on the back.

If you can see that the tires need to be rotated, odds favor alignment problems with the car. You could have pressure issues too, and these will appear as worn shoulders if low pressure, and worn centers if high pressure. If only one shoulder on a tire is worn, this is typically an alignmentn issue.

As for $78.88 to look inside a reservoir and a casual glance at the tires, I'd suggest this is alot to be paying. You can have the tires rotated for free at America's Tire Stores (aka, Discount Tire Stores) for free. You can have the oil changed for less than 30 bucks, and you can look inside the power steering reservior, and the other reserviors, for free at home.

Reply to
Jeff Strickland

It is probably based on the recommendations of Toyota for how often tires are supposed to be rotated.

jeff

Reply to
dr_jeff

Once you stop buying tires from Toyota, you'd listen to whomever you bought them from on when to rotate. not Toyota.

If your tires aren't cupped, you don't need to rotate. Depending on tire and rim combination, you might not ever rotate.

Example: I've got 3/4" offset 8" rims on the back of my Solara and zero offset 8" rims on the front with full directional tires on them.

They stay in the position they're placed on the car until thei're worn enough to replace.

Rule of thumb: If you need to remove the tires from the rims to rotate them, you don't rotate them. If they're not cupped or wearing badly, don't rotate them. If the're cupped or wearing badly, rotate them, then fix what's wrong with your car, then buy new tires.

Reply to
Gary L. Burnore

Wrong. Most tires need to be rotated periodically, even if they aren't cupped. If I'm wrong, back your claim.

Directional tires an exception. There are few others.

Wrong. Rotate them. Rotation also helps them wear evenly, even if they don't appear to be wearing badly. Plus, they will wear out at the same rate. So, rotation helps your tires last longer.

Reply to
dr_jeff

I'll just say that BMW disagrees with you. BMW specifies never to rotate tires.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

Your owner's manual specifies the mileage interval for rotating tires, so you can use the owner's manual as a guide for whether or not rotation is necessary.

I keep it simple and rotate tires with every oil change. This give me a chance to inspect brake linings at the same time.

Reply to
Ray O

** Until such time that you change make or size of tire and or rims. Then your owners manual means nothing.

Were it not for what you do with the wheels off, that'd be a waste of time. :)

Reply to
Gary L. Burnore

Not really, unless you go with very different tire sizes. Changing rim size shouldn't make that much difference, either.

If I am incorrect, show it.

Reply to
dr_jeff

If cars are driven in a straight line and camber is zero, then tire rotation would not be necessary. Since the front wheels change direction and camber is not necessarily the same for the front and rear suspension, rotating tires evens out the wear. The recommendations for tire rotation come from the automaker, not the tire supplier. For example, Toyota has several different tire suppliers for most models, and the tire rotation frequency does not change depending on the tires mounted on the vehicle. Most tire makers also have a recommendation for tire rotation.

That said, tires mounted on a properly aligned vehicle that is driven in an urban environment without being heavily laden can last advertised life without rotation.

Reply to
Ray O

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