Question About Tire Rotation

[JohnGow383]

Hi,

I have a question regarding tire rotation for my 5th gen RAM 1500.
I have Nitto Ridge Grapplers true 35s fitted and got just over 2200 miles on the clock.
I believe the tires should be rotated every 3000miles or is it 6000 miles?
Also, what is the best pattern for rotation? Should it be front left to rear right (and vice versa) and rear left to front left? Like a cross pattern.

Also, is it just a matter of swapping the wheels with tire over, or do the tires have to be physically removed and re-fitted to the wheels that are in their original position?

Thanks

PS - I'm in the UK not the US and this practice seems to be rarely done here hence the dumb questions.

 

[millerbjm]

I can't recall the rotation pattern but do know it is in the owner manual - definitely a topic with lots of opinions. The pattern can also vary based on the specific tire and drive type (4wd bs 2wd). Some tires are directional which limits some patterns. Many folks rotate with each oil change but I try to do it every 5k miles - again a subject of debate for many.

I can answer the last question without any controversy however - you do not dismount the tire from the wheel - just remove the whole wheel/tire assembly and install in the new location.

 

[John Galt]

I may need a flame suit for this one…..

Unless you have alignment or suspension problems good quality modern tires don’t really need rotation. It’s mostly one of those things that stuck around since “the olden days” and service shops have really hung on to it since telling people to change their oil every 3000 miles makes the tree huggers mad. In a lot of cases they can make the same money or more in less time and with less effort by rotating you tires.

if your tires are wearing unevenly fix the cause not the symptom……and if you are going to rotate your tires every 3000 make sure they check the blinker fluid….it probably needs to be topped off.

The best thing that can happen during a tire rotation is they’ll knock off a balance weight and make some extra billable work for themselves when you come back in a few days because your vehicle is wobbly after the rotation.

if you’re going to do it, I wouldn’t do it more than 3-4 times over the lifetime of the vehicle and even 4 is probadly pushing it.

if your tires aren’t wearing evenly fix whatever is making them wear unevenly. That shouldn’t be happening……unless you’re doing donuts in the parking lot and driving like you stole it.

 

[Scram1500]

I rotate (rearward cross) every 8,000 miles or as needed monitoring tread depth. Depending on the season the weight of my right foot can vary so it could be earlier than 8k.

 

[LaxDfns15]

I rotate mine every 5k because I do it myself in the driveway, and I change the oil every 10k. Easy to keep track when it's on that schedule. The drive axle is naturally going to cause more wear on tires, this isn't opinion. At the same time the turning axle will also cause more wear on tires, but differently than the drive axle. It's important to rotate your tires.

If I took it to a shop I would probably rotate every 10k to avoid the hassle, but it takes me less than 30 minutes in my driveway with a jack and impact wrench. Because I just use a jack I only lift one side, swap back to front, then move to the other side. I don't cross unless I notice any weird wear patterns, and then I start looking for possible causes. Doing this I'll get more than 50k out of my OEM Duratracs. Doubt that would have happened if I never rotated them.

 

[John Galt]

A few vehicles ago I had a 2009 Ford Escape with the stock Michelin tires (back in the good “ol days when you could buy a new car and it came with tires that weren’t garbage). I bought new tires at 96k miles (They were 60k or 80k tires can’t remember). Those tires got rotated once when I had them rebalanced around 60k because one of I got a flat and the wheel developed a wobble after it was patched. I then put another 70k miles on it with the new set of tires with no rotation (another set of Michelin M&S). Never saw uneven wear.

since then seems like I trade for a new vehicle when the tires wear out around 30k…..guess I hate buying tires more than I hate buying vehicles.

before I switched to SUV/trucks I had a bunch of sports cars. Never managed to get more than 20k out of a set of tires….but they wore out evenly.

 

[vincentw56]

I rotate and balance every 6000 miles. Every set of tires I've had lasted longer than the mile warranty. Even these factory tires. It's not old school thinking if it actually works.

 

[John Galt]

I rotate and balance every 6000 miles. Every set of tires I've had lasted longer than the mile warranty. Even these factory tires. It's not old school thinking if it actually works.

Yeah but I didn’t do that and they STILL lasted longer than they were rated for! That’s my point.

It probably has more to do with how you drive than how often you rotate your tires.

 

[vincentw56]

Yeah but I didn’t do that and they STILL lasted longer than they were rated for! That’s my point.

It probably has more to do with how you drive than how often you rotate your tires.

Well, you are the only person I've ever heard decry tire rotation and balance intervals.

 

[HSKR R/T]

I may need a flame suit for this one…..

Unless you have alignment or suspension problems good quality modern tires don’t really need rotation. It’s mostly one of those things that stuck around since “the olden days” and service shops have really hung on to it since telling people to change their oil every 3000 miles makes the tree huggers mad. In a lot of cases they can make the same money or more in less time and with less effort by rotating you tires.

if your tires are wearing unevenly fix the cause not the symptom……and if you are going to rotate your tires every 3000 make sure they check the blinker fluid….it probably needs to be topped off.

The best thing that can happen during a tire rotation is they’ll knock off a balance weight and make some extra billable work for themselves when you come back in a few days because your vehicle is wobbly after the rotation.

if you’re going to do it, I wouldn’t do it more than 3-4 times over the lifetime of the vehicle and even 4 is probadly pushing it.

if your tires aren’t wearing evenly fix whatever is making them wear unevenly. That shouldn’t be happening……unless you’re doing donuts in the parking lot and driving like you stole it.

You rotate tires because the front and rear tires don't wear the same. In my experience, with a heavy right foot, the rear tires wear faster. So you rotate the tires so you don't wear out the rear tires to the point of needing replaced well before the front tires. Others say the front tires will wear faster because of heavier weight on the tires and when turning you wear the edges of tires more. So once agains, you rotate tires front to back to keep them even.

Either way, unless you have a vehicle with 50/50 weight distribution and AWD, you absolutely need to rotate your tires if you want them all to wear at the same rate so you can replace all four at same time

Personally, I rotate every 10k miles, and check wear in between.

 

[Jake103]

RWD/4WD rears tires go straight up fronts tires criss cross to back. I have always rotated 5-6,000 miles and have had very great wear. I had ridge grapplers at one time and they are very forgiving on rotates. I rotated them 5-6,000 miles I got about 60,000 miles out of them, I shouod have gotten rid of them though around 55,000 or so.

 

[HSKR R/T]

RWD/4WD rears tires go straight up fronts tires criss cross to back. I have always rotated 5-6,000 miles and have had very great wear. I had ridge grapplers at one time and they are very forgiving on rotates. I rotated them 5-6,000 miles I got about 60,000 miles out of them, I shouod have gotten rid of them though around 55,000 or so.

Yes, this, forgot to put that in my reply. Move the rears straight ahead to front, and criss cross the fronts to the back.

 

[Dewey]

Yes, this, forgot to put that in my reply. Move the rears straight ahead to front, and criss cross the fronts to the back.

Same thing I do every 10,000 miles. (mostly highway)

 

[Scap]

Mine rotate every time the truck moves...lol

Front to back and cross the backs as they come up front.

 

[John Galt]

You rotate tires because the front and rear tires don't wear the same. In my experience, with a heavy right foot, the rear tires wear faster. So you rotate the tires so you don't wear out the rear tires to the point of needing replaced well before the front tires. Others say the front tires will wear faster because of heavier weight on the tires and when turning you wear the edges of tires more. So once agains, you rotate tires front to back to keep them even.

Either way, unless you have a vehicle with 50/50 weight distribution and AWD, you absolutely need to rotate your tires if you want them all to wear at the same rate so you can replace all four at same time

Personally, I rotate every 10k miles, and check wear in between.

Actually most of my vehicles HAVE been close to 50/50 and AWD……

 

[vincentw56]

Actually most of my vehicles HAVE been close to 50/50 and AWD……

So, you aren't talking about Rams then.

 

[John Galt]

So, you aren't talking about Rams then.

Nope. This is my first Ram and my first non-awd vehicle in quite a while.

 

[Malodave]

My OEM Wildpeaks lasted 49K miles without rotation. The Front Drivers side tire
had the outside edge showing cords. The rest of the tread was fine. It would shake
the Steering at speed.

I replaced them with a set of Michelin Defender LTX Tires and got a 4 Wheel Alignment.
The toe in and one other setting was a small fraction of degree out of spec. I believe
that they just hit the tire with a hammer to bring it in, as you can't make adjustments
that small by turning a bolt. and it only took about 10 minutes to do the Alignment.

Malodave

 

[Rick3478]

I'm putting on my FR clothes, too. <\flame on!>

With a straight rear axle, like our trucks, the rear tires should never need rotation. Unless you over or under inflate, which is a different discussion.

The front tires can wear on the edges from steering and caster and camber angles. When that happens, you can swap with the rears to do two things:

1) Move the most evenly worn tires to the front for best steering.

2) Move the weirdly worn tires to the rear where they will be held in a straight path and wear off the high spots to make them more evenly worn over time.

And if the spare is the same size, it can be rotated in to get full use out of the rubber you paid for.

We used to figure on rotating about every 20K miles, expecting more than 60K of useful life. It wasn't uncommon to pull the wheels off junked cars and keep on using them.

Softer rubber and more extreme suspension geometry seems to be in vogue these days, so maybe tires are wearing faster, but I'm not buying 3,000 miles, that's just crazy. Even 6,000 doesn't sound reasonable to me. If my truck was wearing out tires that fast, I'd be looking for ways to fix the problem.

<\flame off>

 

[SD Rebel]

I check my tires with a digital depth gauge, and the rears are wearing more quickly than the fronts (obviously). A tire rotation every 5,000 miles seems to be perfect to offset the wear so they stay even, also helps catch any alignment issues with the front and balance.

I avoid the dealership, because their $50 rotation doesn't include a balance and often it is needed. I went with Discount Tire/American Tire Liftetime Road Hazard and Rotation Plan.

For about $180, I get free rotation & balance every 3,000 - 5,000 miles while also insuring all 4 of my tires in case of road hazard. One of my 33" tires will cost almost $300 to replace, so it's very worth it. Just the rotations & balances more than pay for this plan.

Best part is you can add it to any vehicle you want, you don't need to buy the tires there to add this protection and service plan. Probably the best no brainer programs out there, always pays for itself if not more. My last vehicle required 3 road hazard replacements over the life of the program, plus rotations it was over $1,000 if I had to pay for it, but instead less than $200!