Is it Necessary to Rotate my Tires?
Most of us pay very little attention to the tires on our cars. If someone asks us to name the top two features of our cars, we might say “ABS and Cruise Control” or “Apple Car Play and high ground clearance”, but rarely do we mention the tires. However, it is very important to remember that tires are the only connection for your vehicle with the road. Therefore, they are critically important to the smoothness and safety of your ride, which is why you need to get periodic tire rotations done.
Even massive tire companies in the US know that customers do not pay much attention to their vehicle’s tires. However, they do understand and wish to communicate the importance of tire rotation to all vehicle users.
Why it is important to rotate tires?
Depending on whether tires are in the front or back, they wear out at different rates. For a FWD (Front Wheel Drive) vehicle, the front wheels are the ones which have the axle and turn the most. In other words, these will wear away faster than the rear tires. Rotation will enable them to even out the wear and extend tires service lives. Experts recommend the tires to be rotated after the completion of every 3000 to 5000 miles, or when you get the engine oil changed.
Tires expand and contract while moving from one season to another. One must check the outsides and insides of tires for damages during the transition from spring to summer. This is very helpful in keeping the tires in good conditions for handling uneven roads with potholes. It is also a good time to check the rims on the tires which may have been bent due to hard impacts with potholes.
Common tire problems
You are likely to come across the following common problems during tire inspection before rotation:
a) Cupping of the tires
b) Blistering on tire sidewalls
Cupping is very common in old vehicles which require repair. The old suspension systems of such vehicles generally appear to be asking for repairs. Uneven wear patterns start appearing on the tire tread, and these could lead to problems during handling, such as steering and braking power if ignored for a long time. On the other hand, blistering of the sidewalls is the formation of blisters on the tire surface, which occur due to a tear in the tire after it gets pinched. If not diagnosed over time, it could lead to a tire burst and/or a major accident.
More attention must be given to vehicles which have tires of different sizes at the front and back, since upsizing has become quite the rage around the world. Rotation patterns are different for front drive, rear drive and AWD (All Wheel Drive) patterns. An AWD vehicle owner may think that he or she does not need tire rotation since it is a rugged SUV, but that is not the case.