Tires wear down over time. Tire rotation helps ensure that tires wear evenly, preserving optimal performance and prolonging tire life. Tire rotation frequency (and the rotation pattern) are vehicle-specific and you should follow the recommendations set forth by your vehicle manufacturer even if those recommendations differ from the general information provided here. Skipping or prolonging tire rotation may void your tire's mileage warranty, shorten tire life, and affect the way your vehicle handles and rides.
What is Tire Rotation?
Tire rotation is a maintenance procedure that involves moving each tire to a different position on your vehicle. Tire rotation may help even out tire wear and extend tire life. Tires are rotated in different patterns depending on your vehicle's engine location and drivetrain configuration. To fully understand the necessity behind tire rotation, it's helpful to know the factors that cause tires to wear unevenly.
A vehicle's powertrain influences tire wear and the rotation pattern followed for tire rotation. Tires on drive wheels, powered by your engine, frequently wear more due to the twisting force they experience, unlike non-drive wheel tires.
In a front-wheel drive vehicle, you may notice the front tires wearing faster than the tires mounted in the rear. You may notice the opposite for rear-wheel drive vehicles.
Tires mounted on an AWD or 4WD vehicle often wear unevenly, even when twisting force is applied to all tires. This is because tire wear is affected by more than just acceleration. Tires also wear differently because of their specific function in your vehicle's movements. Front tires may wear out faster because the weight of the vehicle shifts forward during braking. Also, consider that most vehicles have engines mounted in front and the front row is always occupied so these tires may bear more weight than rear tires.
Front tires also experience additional wear and tear over time as they turn direction and the outer section of your tire treads may wear out faster because a vehicle's weight shifts while cornering.
Do I Need To Get My Tires Rotated?
You should schedule tire rotation according to manufacturer recommendations. Tire rotation is an important maintenance task not just to help preserve your tires and optimize vehicle performance, but also to retain tire warranty coverage.
Proper tire rotation maximizes tire tread life and helps ensure tires wear optimally by seeking to expose all tires to the same conditions at different periods. Additionally, regular tire rotation keeps a check on tire pressure, tread depth, and balancing.
How Often Do I Need to Get My Tires Rotated?
Tire rotation frequency varies from vehicle to vehicle. Consult your owner's manual for the recommended tire rotation schedule and correct tire rotation pattern to use, and heed any recommendations from the manufacturer of your car's tires. Find your Toyota vehicle manual here.
What May Happen If You Don't Rotate Your Tires?
Skipping tire rotation may void your tire's warranty, increase the wear of your tires, and adversely alter the comfort of your ride. You may experience significant steering wheel vibration and excessive tire noise, both of which affect the riding comfort of your vehicle.
Uneven tire wear can affect the balance of your wheel assembly when one side of your tire is heavier than the other. This may cause your wheel assembly to vibrate and might cause your entire vehicle to shake.