I’m surprised there haven’t been more replies from folks who do not rotate their tires (or who just let fronts wear, bring rears to front, install new on rear).
I recall previous discussions on this topic where more replies told of good experiences not rotating religiously.
My point is the way you determine whether most people are able to do something on their own is if they do it on their own. Most people do not rotate their own tires.
I would be that most people who are capable of doing it, just as they are capable of painting their home or cutting their grass, but they choose not to. Some chose not to because they don’t want to bother and some because they don’t think they can do it.
Most don't do it or have it done because they don't know the benefits or are short sighted.
This varies from area to area. If you live in a small town in Ohio and you are not wealthy, you cut your own grass. If you live in NY state and have a lawn, chances are you pay someone to cut your lawn. People in NY are no less able to cut their grass, but local custom says you don't do it.
If you like I could go on about the economics of the whole thing, but it is not worth it.“If you have a 4wd or AWD vehicle, then you need to check the tread depth frequently and rotate the tires when the tread depth varies by 1/32” from tire to tire or damage tot he 4wd components can occur."
As a general rule that is true, so it is good that you reminded owners of AWD vehicles of this. However, it does NOT apply to Subarus that are equipped with the premium Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) system. Most people are under the mistaken impression that Subaru has two different AWD systems, when in fact they have three types of AWD. The manual transmission Subarus are not as subject to problems as most of the automatic transmission Subarus if they are driven with mismatched tires, but both of these systems still need closely-matched tires.
If someone opts for a six-cylinder model from Subaru, they all come equipped with the VTD system. As evidence of their relative immunity from problems with mismatched tires, these models do not have a fuse to disable the AWD mechanism when using the “donut” spare.
And, the VTD system also has the advantage of normally splitting the power distribution in a more “sporting” fashion than the other Subaru AWD systems. The more common AWD system on automatic transmission Subarus normally splits the torque 90%front/10% rear, with the ability to vary this setting as traction conditions vary. The VTD system normally sends 55% of the torque to the rear wheels, thus making for much nicer handling when powering the car around curves. And, of course, if traction conditions are dicey, the VTD system’s torque distribution can be varied considerably from the normal 45%front/55% rear.
Please note that I still do rotate my tires–in the interest of optimum handling–but I am not as fanatical about it as I was with my first Subaru. Nowadays, I simply do a rotation when I install my winter tires, and again when I switch back to my “all-season” tires. Since the winter tires are usually mounted on the car for only ~4 months, my rotation schedule does not result in the same amount of time/odometer miles on the front, as opposed to the rear tires, but it is close enough in this case. The VTD system, just like everything else on the car, is working just as it was when the car was brand-new, despite close to 95k on the odometer.
I bought my tires last October and haven’t rotated them yet. Then again, I probably haven’t even put 7500 miles on them since I bought them.
Generally what I do,due to the state of the roads around here, among other things.If you watch some guys rotating your tires you’ll do it yourself from that time on-Kevin
Rotating tires helps spread out the wear. Esp on front wheel drive cars.
However, mathematically, you use up the same amount of tire tread whether you rotate or not.
I do all my own work myself to make sure it is done right. Including rotating tires.
If you take a tire that is unevenly worn and move to a different positon that will cause a different wear pattern, then the tire will tend to wear the high spots off first, and eventually the new pattern will be worn into the tire. It is during that transition where the increase in tire life takes place.
Tires that are wearing unevenly tend to accellerate the uneveness the more miles are put on. Put another way, tires can turn from “So-So” to “Terrible” in a hurry - much more rapidly than it took to go from “Perfect” to “So-So”. Rotating tires before they are too far gone will extend the life of the tire.
One other item that hasn’t been mentioned: There are certain situations where the vehicle will be within the spec, but the tires will wear unevenly. BMW’s, for example, use more camber than is good for tire wear. You can get vehicles that will cause tires to wear to one side. Rotating the tires to a different position tends to extend the wear and even it out.
if you don’t rotate, your tires will wear a lot faster and the extra set will still not be enough to cover what you would save by rotating.
How can you guys talk so long about rotating tires?boring
It is boring, overplayed but downright opinionated. Would like cmpike72 to give some real world experiences or justification for what he said, as I tried for my post on the subject.
My Tires Rotate Every Time I Drive My Car. Is That Simple Or What?
CSA
Exactly,if it makes you happy-Do it!-Kevin