How to Do a Tire Rotation Yourself

Rotating tires

 

Is your vehicle in need of a tire rotation? You may be debating whether to leave this task to the professionals or try it yourself. In this guide from Basil Resale Sheridan, we will show you how to rotate tires at home. If, after learning how to do a tire rotation you still do not feel comfortable handling the task yourself, you can set up an appointment at our service center.

How to Rotate Your Tires at Home

Before you can learn how to rotate your tires at home, you will need to make sure you have all of the necessary supplies: car jack, lug nut wrench, and a set of car jack stands. If you have these items, you can get started:

  1. As a safety precaution, you should engage the parking brake.
  2. Loosen the lug nuts on all four wheels, but do not fully remove them. It will be much easier to unscrew them when the tire is elevated.
  3. Lift up one wheel with a car jack and place the jack stand underneath it.
  4. Remove the tires individually.
  5. Now is the perfect time to see if your tires are inflated properly. Once they are filled to the proper tire pressure, you can rotate them according to the appropriate pattern for your type of tires. You will find this information below. Place the tire back onto the wheel mount and screw the lug nuts on by hand as far as you can.
  6. Lower the car from the jack stands and use the lug wrench to finish tightening the nuts. To ensure they are tightened evenly, work diagonally from one to another in a star pattern. Lug nuts that are not tightened evenly can lead to warped brake rotors.

Importance of Tire Position

As mentioned above, you will need to rotate tires following the correct pattern for the drivetrain of your vehicle.

  • FWD Tires: You can move the front tires to the back of the car in the same left/right positions. When it comes time to move the rear tires to the front, swap sides. 
  • RWD Tires: The opposite is true with RWD vehicles. The rear tires can be moved to the front of the car in the same left/right positions, but when you move the front tires to the rear, swap sides.

Tire Rotation Benefits

Tires do not wear evenly due to a number of factors. The drivetrain of your vehicle, your driving habits, and more can all play a role in how your tires wear. If you leave your tires in place, they will wear at different speeds. Uneven tire wear will require you to replace your tires more often, which can be costly.

How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?

If you have a FWD or RWD vehicle, a tire rotation is recommended every 5,000-7,500 miles. All-wheel drive vehicles require more frequent changes at every 3,000-5,000 miles since all tires are actively engaged. There may be different requirements for your particular make and model, which is why we recommend consulting your owner’s manual.

Schedule a Tire Rotation at Basil Resale Sheridan

If you are not comfortable with how to rotate tires at home, don’t worry! Our highly-skilled technicians know how to do a tire rotation properly, and we can get your vehicle back on the roads of Amherst and Clarence in no time. Contact us for more information, and remember to check out our current service specials.

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