Tire Rotation: How and Why?

Many drivers underestimate the value of tire rotations. Having an experienced professional rotate a vehicle’s tires is essential for upkeep and helps customers get the most out of their investments.

CEMB-USA put together this tire rotation guide to help you take matters into your own hands after a customer drops off a car, truck or SUV at your shop or garage.

How Often to Rotate Tires

The rate at which you rotate customer tires depends on their type of tires, manufacturer recommendations, vehicle model, the terrain they travel on and weather conditions.

The general rule of thumb is to complete a tire rotation every 5,000 miles.

Why Rotate Tires on a Vehicle?

Routinely rotating a vehicle’s tires leads to a long list of benefits:

• Stop uneven tire wear.
• Prevent the need for premature replacements.
• Improve ride comfort with tires that avoid sliding.
• Enhance fuel efficiency.
• Prioritize driver and passenger safety with consistent handling.
• Help customers confidently navigate wet conditions by protecting the tire tread.

How to Rotate Tires and Pattern Options

Often, the sidewall of customer tires indicates the direction tires are intended to roll. A directional or asymmetrical tire is intended to roll in a single fashion. These tires can only be changed in a lateral direction.

Symmetrical tires differ in that they can be attached to rotate in either direction, which gives your shop more flexibility in whether you place the tires in the front, rear, left or right-side location. Choose from the following patterns based on the vehicle’s setup:

• Front-to-back pattern: Detach wheel and tire assemblies, bringing the front wheels back to the rear position. The same goes for moving the back tires to the front.
• Cross rotation pattern: All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles rely on cross rotation patterns, which result in a diagonal front tire rotation to the back axle. Rear axle tires move straight upward to the front positions.
• Five-tire rotation pattern: This approach requires using a full-size spare tire identical to the remaining four. You follow one of the patterns above and change which tire is stored in the spare compartment for the customer.

Steps to Rotating Tires

The steps below describe the general process of alternating tires:

1. Park the customer’s vehicle and activate the parking brake.
2. Slightly loosen the wheel hardware.
3. Look at the customer’s owner’s manual to choose the correct rotation pattern.
4. Lift the vehicle.
5. Completely loosen the hardware and take wheel assemblies off.
6. Move the wheels to the next position.
7. Position the tires on the correct wheel hubs and tighten the hardware.
8. Bring the vehicle back to the ground and finish the final hardware tightening.

Browse Tire Balancers and Aligners From CEMB-USA

CEMB-USA sells fully assembled wheel and tire servicing equipment to auto shops and garages in the USA. Make sure your customers return to your location by adding one of our tire balancers or user-friendly aligners to your floor.

Browse our selections and reach out to CEMB-USA for more information.