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How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?

Mamta Mule
Rotating the tires of a vehicle is necessary in order to prolong their lifespan and more importantly, ensure a safe drive. Let us look at some information on how often should you rotate your car tires.
Tire rotation is an essential part of car maintenance. If they are not maintained or rotated regularly, they become more prone to wear and tear.
To ensure driving safety and to extend the life of your tires, rotating them is very essential. How often one should rotate their tires is a common question. First, let us find out more about the need for tire rotation.

Importance

In a car, each tire wears differently due to the difference in load and road conditions. 60% of the car's weight is carried by the front tires, making them wear more quickly than the rear ones. If your car is a front-wheel drive model, the front tires will take on more weight than the rear. In case of a rear-wheel drive model, the rear tires will wear more.
While drivingĀ on highways, there's a high chance of taking high-speed right-hand turns. While driving down a street, you might take high-speed left-hand turns, with right-hand turns being tighter. Depending on the terrain that you drive on, the tires will need to be rotated accordingly.
Driving on a rough terrain needs more frequent tire rotations compared to a smooth one. Rotating your tires will ensure that all of them wear at the same rate. This way, they will not be out of synchronization.

Frequency of Rotation

It would be best to check your vehicle's instruction manual. You can also contact your car maintenance professional to find out how often the tires should be rotated. You can also find out the tire rotation pattern for your car.
Even if your tires do not show wear and tear, they must be rotated as mentioned in the manual. If nothing is mentioned in the manual, the usual practice is to rotate them between 6000-10,000 miles.
You can take your car to a professional or rotate them on your own. This is a good time to get them inspected, as well.
You can check for any unusual wear, tire tread damage, sidewall damage, and other problems. Sharp ridges on one of your tires might be formed as a result of misalignment. In this case, you should get the wheel alignment checked and corrected.

When Should You Replace a Tire?

A tire should ideally be replaced when the tread over it has worn out. This can be identified with the help of a tread wear indicator.
This is a small raised bar that runs across the grooves of the tire tread. This device marks the minimum tread depth. You must replace the tires when the treads are very close to the minimum depth.
For extra care, the tire rotation procedure can be done during an oil change. You can also consult an authorized service station regarding the frequency of tire rotation. Always note the mileage when the rotating is done. Also, regularly check the tire pressure.