Oil Change and tire rotation queston...

I believe nowadays it's front to back.

 

I always rotate front to back, back to front without swapping sides.

Also if you look around just about every week one of the auto parts stores or even wal mart will have a good sale on Mobil 1 or Cast. Syntec under $5 per QT. I just bought a 5 quart jug of Syntec at Wal mart here for $19.98 last week, but the regular price for either one usually hovers around $24 here. As far as the filters my dealer here charges a reasonable $4.50 for the Toy. Filter which I also chose to use on my first change before deciding what aftermarket filter to choose. I have since decided to use what just happens to be cheaper between the Purolator Pure One and the Mobil 1 filter at the time of oil changes. (I have heard horror stories lately of the Fram Filters)

I have a post I started about a week ago of some pictures I took during my last oil change if you want to take a look. I also have some pics I'll post here for some places to check when you do your tire rotation. It will only take you an hour to do the oil and rotation (including cleaning up)

Pictures of Oil Change
http://priuschat.com/index.php?s=&show...st&p=531744

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Holland @ Oct 30 2007, 03:38 PM) [snapback]532567[/snapback]</div>

Front to back and i would suggestion 3qts 1st.

 

Cross over rotation only applies to cross ply tyres, radials should always spin the same way, well except in reverse.

 

Three quarts is both convenient (no fractional bottles left over to oxidize) and plenty (it leaves the level halfway between the add and full marks). Try it and see.

For greatest safety, tires should be rotated only when needed to keep the less-worn tires at the rear. This minimizes the chances of fishtailing and spinout. Yes, I know, regular rotation is part of the received wisdom of car maintenance, but it is a waste of time and reduces safety.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(patsparks @ Oct 31 2007, 04:57 AM) [snapback]532840[/snapback]</div>

The tire industry decided that was no longer applicable about 20 years ago. Switching sides is now recommended, and radial tires don't fall apart if they switch direction of rotation.

Only tires with unidirectional (or unidirectional and asymmetric) tread patterns should not switch sides.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher @ Oct 31 2007, 12:07 PM) [snapback]532949[/snapback]</div>

Right

The BEST tires always go on the rear for safety. All new tires sold in sets less than 4, the new tires have to be mounted on the rear. Any tire shop worth its salt, will insist on installing fewer than 4 tires on the rear ONLY

Check out http://www.michelinman.com/tire-care/how-to-buy/ and Michelin video

 

They will never sell tyres in more than 2 at a time if that is the case. The front tyres will never go to the rear because front tyres on front wheel drive cars will always wear fastest. The trouble with this idea is the front tyres often wear on the shoulders while the rears wear flatter. By rotating the tyres front to rear you keep the wear even, if you do it often you maintain even wear front to rear and will be unlikely to have rear tyres worn so much more than the front tyres after rotation.

It has been my experience that the front tyres aquaplane long before the rear because the front tyres dry the road ahead of the rear, however I don't wish to argue with tyre experts, I just wont be complying with the best tyres to the rear theory.
The first line of audio in the video, "You have forgotten to rotate your tyres"
So if you regularly rotate your tyres you will have even tyre wear and always replace them 4 at a time but for some other tyre damage. That's good isn't it?

PriusEnvy,

yep you are probably right, I have no idea why that rule ever was I just saw it once and haven't seen anything to contradict it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher @ Oct 31 2007, 10:07 AM) [snapback]532949[/snapback]</div>

Wth?

Only when needed? How is it unsafe to rotate tires at regular intervals? Why would you put the least worn tires in the rear?
Most front wheel drive cars (Prius included) are very front heavy. Add to that the fact that virtually all the rear tires do is keep the back of the car from dragging, and it adds up to the front tires doing way more work than the rear. FWD cars tend to wear the front tires much faster than the rear. They also need the most traction in the front (most FWD cars including the Prius tend to push rather than oversteer).
Keeping the best tires in the rear will guarantee that you will never rotate your tires, have less traction and control in rain and snow, and eventually end up with old rotted tires with lots of tread in the rear, while buying new tires in the front every 15,000 miles.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher @ Oct 31 2007, 09:07 AM) [snapback]532949[/snapback]</div>

Only an RWD car would fishtail if it had worn rear tires.

Your advice is suspect.

Edit: Ok, I see what Michelin is advising. The claim is that by putting the tires with better grip at the rear, the car will continue to understeer in the rain, as most cars do, rather than snap oversteer. Understeering is a much safer condition for the vast majority of drivers to handle, so that is why they advise that the new tires go on the rear. They aren't recommending against rotation though, only that when you have very worn and brand new tires that you don't put the worn ones in back.

 

To some people it is counterintuitive to put the good tires in the rear, but the reasoning is exactly as Pruisenvy described. Understeer is a more predictable behavior than Oversteer. (you can google those terms to determine what they mean). Most all cars suspension systems are tuned to understeer a bit. By keeping the good tires on the rear, you maintain the tendency for the car to understeer.

While it is true you want the good tires in the rear, front and rear tires wear differently. By rotating frequently you can extend the life of the tires by balancing the uneven wear between the front and rear tires. If you rotate frequently, the difference in wear between the front and rear tires is minimal, so it will not significantly affect the handling of your vehicle. However, if you wait too long to rotate your tires, it would be safer to skip rotation until it is time to replace the tires.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Nov 1 2007, 12:45 PM) [snapback]533434[/snapback]</div>

Right, they don't say DON'T ROTATE, just if you buy 2 new tires, they go on the rear. regardless if FWD, AWD or RWD. It has nothing to do with tire wear. It is safety.

Most drivers can not sense oversteer until it is too late..which is dangerous. The michelin video I posted a few posts back shows the difference..safety wise.

It sure is counter intuitive, but it makes sense, if you think about it.

Of course.. balancing and rotating your tires will give you slightly more life out of them. But the cost of most rotations and balancing (say $50-100), after a rotation or 2, you have bought another set of tires (or a tire or 2 anyway) for the money you spent on rotation/balance (of course, unless you get free rotation/balance service when you buy your tires). I usually don't rotate tires. I just replace them on a regular basis.

I wish training like in the Michelin videos was mandatory for all drivers...so they can tell what the difference is. What you can do on the cheap, go to a local autocross event, race on your street tires, with the worn ones on the rear..be better in the rain.. Just see if you can stay on course!

Still, new (or better tires of the set) go on the rear..for safety reasons.

 

After reading all of the replies to the L/R vs F/B tire rotation question, I noticed that nobody noted that the Owner's Manual requires swapping same side tires front to back. If all else fails, read the "destructions". Michelle Vabendocour, where are you when the hordes of new Prius buyers need you most?

All theories and sage advice aside, you really don't want to lose your steering in a bad situation. For some reason, some of the available advice doesn't account for the front tires removing most of the water from the road surface before the rears ever get there. So, keep the better tires on the front and rotate if you see uneven wear from groove to groove on the front tire (or tyre, if you please). I don't rotate mine on a mileage basis, but do rotate if the fronts are worn in excess of 1/32" compared to the rears. Of course, you can do as you please.

 

Two more points:

1. If the front tires are wearing on their shoulders or otherwise-unevenly, then the car needs a front-end alignment, not a tire rotation. Rotating tires will only mask the underlying problem.

2. Relying on the front tires to remove water from the path of the rear tires works, if you can arrange to drive only in a straight line when it rains.