Proper tire rotation will extend the life of your tires.
Tire rotation is an important part of vehicle maintenance for several reasons. Rotating tires extends the life of the tires and helps preserve the handling characteristics of the car. It's common for tires to wear differently, depending on their location on the car, and rotation keeps these minor differences from accumulating and causing the premature failure of a single tire. This helps ensure a safe vehicle and reduces the cost of maintaining it. Different vehicles have different rotation patterns, so consult the owner's manual for your particular vehicle.
Instructions
Removing the Tires
1. Park the vehicle in a location allowing easy access to all four tires. Make sure the vehicle is in park, the ignition is turned off and the parking brake is engaged.
2. Plan the rotation pattern. Consult the owner's manual to determine the manufacturer's suggested rotation pattern for your vehicle. The pattern for most newer front-wheel-drive cars is to move the front tires to the rear on the same side and to move the rear tires to the front on the opposite side from which each was removed.
3. Loosen the lug nuts 1/2 turn on all four tires using a tire wrench. This allows you to use the friction of the tire on the ground to loosen the nuts. Attempting to break the lug nuts loose with the wheel off the ground can cause the car to rock, tipping it off the jack and possibly causing injury.
4. Jack up the entire vehicle one wheel at a time, lowering each corner of the car onto a jack stand. Consult the vehicle's owner's manual for proper jacking instructions for your particular vehicle. If using adjustable jack stands, set all stands to the same height, allowing approximately 1 inch between the tire and the ground with the car on the jack stands. Generally, the procedure is to jack up and block the driver's side tires first and then the passenger side tires.
5. Remove the lug nuts holding each tire to the car from the lug studs using the tire wrench. Remove each tire from the lug studs and lay it on the ground next to the corner of the vehicle it was removed from, so that all four tires are unbolted from the vehicle.
Rotating and Reinstalling the Tires
6. Move each tire from its original location to its new location according to the manufacturer's recommended rotation pattern.
7. Mount each tire on the lug studs and screw on the lug nuts. Finger tighten the lug nuts on each tire.
8. Jack up the vehicle one corner at a time and remove the jack stand. Lower the vehicle to the ground.
9. Tighten the lug nuts on each wheel according to the instructions in the vehicle's owner's manual.
Tags: each tire, owner manual, each tire from, four tires, rotation pattern
