Why is Tire Rotation Important?

You bring your car into a Parma service center for a tire rotation at least twice a year. Have you ever wondered, “Why rotate tires? What does rotating your tires do?” Rotating tires lengthens the life of your tires, so you get to enjoy them for more miles. Since tires don’t wear evenly, rotating the tires every so often will prevent one tire from wearing faster than the others. Learn more from Spitzer Jeep RAM Brook Park below, including how the drivetrain affects tire rotation and how often to rotate tires.

How Does Drivetrain Affect Tire Rotation?

Every time you brake, accelerate, or turn your wheels, there is friction between your tires and the roads in Parma. That said, depending on your car’s drivetrain, your tire treads will wear at different speeds. Here are more details:

• Front-wheel drive vehicle: Engine power is directed to the front wheels, which are responsible for steering, starting, and most of the stopping force. Therefore, the front tires will wear out the fastest.
• Rear-wheel drive vehicle: Engine power is directed to the rear wheels, but the front wheels are still responsible for steering and most of the braking. The rear tires will still wear out faster than the front tires, although at a generally slower rate.

• All-wheel drive vehicle: Engine power is more evenly distributed, but many experts out there say the rear tires will still wear out faster.

• Intelligent all-wheel drive systems: Going around curves means different levels of strain and friction on the inside tires vs. outside tires. Some advanced all-wheel drive systems can even direct power to an individual wheel while driving around a curve for better cornering, which will further affect tire life.

How Often to Rotate Tires

In terms of average guidelines, tires should be rotated every 6 months or every 5,000 miles to 8,000 miles. However, that may not be true depending on your vehicle, so be sure to take a look at your owner’s manual for accurate figures. Also, feel free to contact our service technicians if you still have questions about how often to rotate your tires or what other factors affect your tire longevity in Brook Park.

What Happens if I Don’t Rotate My Tires?

Another way to think about the question “What does rotating your tires do?” is to consider the consequences of not getting tire rotations when needed. The tires will wear out faster than they should, but when you fail to rotate and replace tires at the right time, you may also face dangerous consequences, such as:

• Poor traction and skidding on the roads
• More rapid deterioration of brake pads
• Flat tires and blowouts

Keep Your Vehicle in Good Shape at Spitzer Jeep RAM Brook Park

We’ve answered, “Why rotate tires?” Do you have other car maintenance questions? Check out our other service guides, where we dive into topics like how often to change the cabin air filter and how to tune up your car for Spring!