Tire rotation - different schools have thought

[2buickbob]

Hey, gents, have a 92 Regal and I rotate my tires every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. I always buy the base cost high-mileage 65,000 to 100,000 mile Michelin or Bridgestone stock replacement tires and then take care of them.

 

I have always rotated front to back on the SAME side. It's a garden variety front wheel drive W-body. I've been doing this for 260,000 miles. It has given me long tire life.

 

Most shops will also do it this way. Every once in a while, at Costco, I find someone who wants to criss-cross them. I tell them NO WAY. Isn't it true that if the steel belts have been going in the same direction for tens of thousands of miles, you should keep it that way and go front to back on the SAME side? Will it change the service life of the tire if the rotating pattern is suddenly changed?

 

Let me know! Thanks.

[J]

i've always been taught to move the rears up and the fronts crisscrossed to the rear. I learned that in my beginning auto tech classes when i was 16 and even the GM dealerships do them this way as well.

[Andrew]

the belts in the tires dont care which way they are rotating.

 

I too, have always been taught the criss cross pattern.

[cutty]

Here is some good into on tire rotations:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/tire_rotation.htm

 

But i also agree i only rotate my tires front to back. From personal experience and working as a auto tech i have seen from cross rotating that will cause tire noise, tire pull or even broken belts.

[AL]

I have been told that crisscrossing them is the correct and best way to do it but personally I go front to back, no crisscross

[Venom]

Criss crossing is the preferred method, but front to back is also acceptable, and what I do at work. Plus cars with directional tires can only be rotated front to back, although at Conrads they do recommend breaking down the front tires and switching the rotation on the rims so they can be criss crossed

[tunerlover3]

I just rotate them front and back.

[2buickbob]

I have been told that crisscrossing them is the correct and best way to do it but personally I go front to back, no crisscross

Yes, even though there is that school of thought, I, too, prefer to do front to back.

 

Ok, good to know.

[tunerlover3]

I actually had a customer scream at me because I had not crisscrossed his tires..........

[mfewtrail]

On a fwd, the tires moved from the rear to front are the ones that are supposed to be criss-crossed. No matter what method you use, I doubt you'll see a measureable difference. So long as you rotate at a decent interval & keep the tires aired up on a car in proper alignment, you'll get plenty of life out of most tires.

[AL]

I was taught that the proper criss cross was crossing the tires to the drive wheels, As like the rear tires would be crossed when going on the front of a FWD and vice versa on a RWD

[89GP_SE]

I just go front to back, the only time I have seen people do the crisscross on FWD cars is if their car has a slight alignment issure and a tire is wearing funny.

[1990lumina]

I'll do front to back normally.

 

However I will criss cross/swap only two tires sometimes.. Just depends on how everything is measuring up.

 

Suzuki SX-4 FWD models for instance wear the RF tire the most because that tire gets most of the power when accelerating. The LR tire however wears the least. So in this case I will put the tire with the deepest tread on the RF and second best on LF.

 

Grand Vitaras burn off the RR tire from the factory. Once aligned properly front to back is fine.

[runt]

I typically go fronts straight back, rears crisscross. I've always done them like that and have never had any issues with wear, noise, etc. I also got my rated 40,000 miles out of my last set.

[GutlessSupreme]

The method I've seen published everywhere says rears go forward, fronts crisscross to the back. My buddy who works at a garage says he just switches front and back.

 

I have my tires off so often they never go back on the same corner anyway

[xtremerevolution]

Is the rotation mile interval really that important? I usualy rotate mine every 20K.

[AL]

I do mine every other oil change

[2buickbob]

I do mine every other oil change

About the same for me...

 

Oil changes every 2,500 or so...and tire rotations every 6,000 or so...

[89GP_SE]

Most tire manufactures recommend rotating tires every 10,000km that what, 5000 miles?

[cutty]

every 5-7K miles

[tunerlover3]

Every other oil change is a good time.

[Crazy K]

WTF??? Why would you pay to have your tires rotated? They rotate everytime you drive! *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*as told to me by a village idiot.

[cutty]

WTF??? Why would you pay to have your tires rotated? They rotate everytime you drive! *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*as told to me by a village idiot.

 

[Sidewinder]

I used to criss-cross my tires, but my Toyos are directional so I only go front to back.