Why should I rotate my tires?

Did you know with every oil change done here at Becker we will rotate your tires?

When it comes to the various components that make up your car, it can be easy to overlook your tires. After all, you have oil changes to remember, antifreeze to check, air filters to change, and more. However, you can’t afford to neglect your tires – they require maintenance as well. The most important thing to maintaining your tires (other than proper air pressure) is to remember to rotate them on a regular basis. Ideally, you should do this every 6,000 miles or so, but you can also incorporate it into your standard oil change service if you prefer.

Why do you need to rotate your tires? Whether you opt for touring or performance tires, general use or specialty, they represent an investment. Without proper rotation, you’ll find that your tires just don’t last as long as they should. What happens if you don’t rotate your tires?
Uneven Wear: Whether you have a front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, you will find that you experience uneven tire wear. Essentially, the “drive” tires (those responsible for propelling the vehicle) will wear faster than the other two. So, in a front-wheel drive car, the front tires will wear faster than the rear tires. Rotation helps maintain even tire wear and keeps you from shelling out for new tires sooner than you should.

Feathering/Scalloping: Another problem found with not rotating your tires is feathering or scalloping. This is basically uneven wear patterns on the tire’s tread that can result in a rough ride and premature tire failure. Other factors can also contribute to feathering or scalloping (if your car is out of alignment, for example), but a lack of tire rotation is the usual culprit.

As you can see, if you don’t rotate your tires on a regular basis, you’ll end up spending far more than you should. In addition to rotating them, you should also have your tires balanced regularly. While you don’t have to balance them during rotations, it’s the best time to do so since the wheels are already off the vehicle. Make sure that the shop you use has a speed balancer, and have the balance checked at least every other tire rotation for the best results.

Keeping your tires balanced will also help make your ride more comfortable and plays a role in tire longevity, as well. This is also the best time to spot other problems, such as brake wear, alignment problems, shock/strut leakage and more.