Never rotate your tires

Or rotate every 10k miles and you skip taking it in every 5k miles.

It's fine never to rotate the tires if you don't mind replacing the tires 2 at a time.

 

Not a problem for me, I get free lifetime rotations at firestone, as long as I keep using their tires which I've had no problem with (turanza el 400). I may try ecopias next time or try something even more performance duty.

Most tire places will give you free rotations if you buy their tires.

 

Tire rotation protocal is one of those automotive internet issues inwhich a lot of people have conflicting ideas and opinions.

To me #1 priority with Tires is safety.

My personal feeling is rotations based on 5000 mile intervals is too soon and too often. On my past vehicles I basicly rotated tires once a year.

The latest information says always put your best tires on the rear.

I think the best way to handle tires is to visually monitor them. Watch how they are wearing...and react accordingly.

I also would never approach anything on the cheap. While I think rotations every 5000 unnecessary..and I have never done it...most rotations are either free or very cheap...saving 20 bucks is really not worth it. Goes back to statement #1. For me Safety is the highest concern with tires....I don't approach with an eye to be economic. Some things are worth spending money on...and tires IMO are one them.

 

In Europe (or at least in The Netherlands) the normal viewpoint is: the best tires should be in the rear. Don't do a tire rotation, but when the front tires need to be replaced, put the old tires in the front and the new tires in the back.

 

That doesn't make sense to me - why put the best tires on the rear?

I mean, if it's rear wheel drive, I can see it, for traction, etc., but the fronts turn the car and do most of the braking.

 

Not sure what u is talking about, I've been going to firestone every 5000 miles for free rotations.

 

If I rotate my tires every 5K miles an alignment problem may not become apparent. I think frequent tire rotation is only good for the dealer or tire store who does the rotation.

But I do like to rotate the tires as needed to insure they all 4 wear out at about the same time. I won't be using the same kind of tires next time. One good compromise may be to rotate them at 10K then again at 30K miles, that way when you reach 40K they will all have spent the same amount of time on the front and the rear.

I decided to do that, 10K and 30K rotation, with this Prius and I did rotate at 10K but when I measured them yesterday at 32K they all 4 had about the same amount of tread. So I decided leave them where they are. Next set I probably won't rotate at all.

 

If you drive 80,000 miles in less than 5 years, maybe. But tires age, and the rubber gets harder, provides less traction, and eventually cracks form in the sidewalls. I don't want 8 year old tires on the rear, especially if I have nice new deep tread tires in the front.

There's also the issue of ABS/Traction Control/ASC. They depend on the tires rotating at the same speed to sense what it is doing. Any large difference in wear between tires could confuse the system, or at least make it less effective, although I don't know if the 1/4" difference between new and old tires would be enough.

Myself, I rotate the tires every time I do an oil change. It takes me about 20 minutes.

 

Most drivers can deal with understeer better than oversteer. That is the reason for the advice that the best tires should be put on the rear. That usually will result in the front tires losing traction first, in the event of a low traction situation.

 

I think the idea is that your least treaded tires will loose traction first. If they're on the front you'll feel it happening due to the steering connection and can make a correction. If they're on the rear you won't feel it until it's too late.

 

You also have to consider the weight of the engine over the front tires add traction. The rear end is much lighter so you'd want the tires with the best traction on the rear. This is especially true in bad weather (rain, snow or ice) where the back end could quickly end up in front of you in a turn if you lose traction in the rear...

 

My story is I had to buy 1 replacement Bridgestone Turanza when I had sidewall damage. Since all 4 tires are still bridgestone I get free rotations.

 

Why bother? Your tires rotate every time you drive...at least mine do!!

 

+1

 

Still doesn't make sense to me. The rear follows the front. The front tires on the Prius handle the drive train, the turning, and most of the braking.
I want those to have as much tread as they can. The rear just follow.
Sorry, not buying into this at all.
Also, if your fronts are down in tread, that extra weight will cause the car to slew in turns, especially in low-traction situations.
Keep your best tires on the front.

 

Uneven tire quality means a potential turn hazard in bad conditions, either oversteer or understeer.

Oversteer vs. Understeer: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHe-aG1g0Kc"]YouTube - Top Gear - Understeer and Oversteer definition[/ame]

As you can see, you die in both cases. But really, when you understeer it is easier to correct. When you oversteer it is much harder and spinouts are more likely. Unless you have rally training, understeer is probably safer for you.

I believe that if (BIG IF HERE) you can control your car's oversteer properly then it is safer on the front. And I seriously doubt anyone who has not had race time, rally time, or lots of mucking around in a dirt pit in their car to know how it will feel will be able to react quickly and calmly enough. Once you are in a spin, you are well... dead to sum up from above.