How to Rotate Tires Yourself

Why is Tire Rotation Necessary?

Due to various driving habits, not all tires will wear evenly. Since your car’s tires experience more wear and tear when turning, the outside edges of the front tires will display more wear, while the rear tires wear will wear more evely. If you were to leave your tires in the same place, you will have to replace them sooner because they will all wear down at different rates.

How Often to Rotate Your Tires

How often should you rotate tires? Both rear-wheel drive and front-wheel drive vehicles should have their tires rotated every 5,000-7500 miles. All-wheel drive vehicles require tire rotation every 3,000-5,000 miles, since every tire is constantly engaged and wearing down much faster. Regardless of the service you need, we highly recommend looking through your owners manual for detailed recommendations.

Tire Position

• FWD Tires: Move the front tires to the back of the vehicle in the same right/left positions.However, when you move the rear tires to the front position, you will need to switch the left and right tire.
• RWD Tires: For RWD vehicles, the opposite is true. The rear tires can be placed to the front of the vehicle in the same right/left positions, however when you switch the front tires to the back, you’ll need to switch the right and left tire.

Rotating Your Tires

Still wondering how to do a tire rotation yourself? First off, you will need a car jack, a set of car jack stands, and a lug nut wrench. As soon as you’ve obtained all the required tools, follow these five easy steps to complete your tire rotation:

1. Engage parking brake for an extra measure of safety.
2. Loosen the lug nuts on all four wheels, but don’t take them all the way off. This step makes unscrewing them when the tire is elevated much easier
3. Lift up one wheel with a car jack and place the jack stand underneath it. Repeat this until all four tires are off the ground.
4. Remove the tires one by one.
5. Take this time to make sure your tires are filled to the optimal tire pressure. Once filled, you can rotate them according to the appropriate pattern for your type of tires. 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. It’s best to work the lug nuts diagonally from one to another in a star pattern to ensure even tightening. If the lug nuts aren’t tightened evenly it can cause the brake rotor to warp.

Get Assistance With Tire Rotation at Lexus of Santa Fe

Not confident in rotating your tires yourself? The experienced technicians at Lexus of Santa Fe can complete this service for you whenever your vehicle needs it. At our Santa Fe service center, we offer rotating service specials that you can help you save some money on a variety of maintenance service and repair needs, even if you’re not covered by a Lexus Extended Warranty. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, and when you’re ready for your next tire rotation schedule a service appointment with us today!