5 Tire Rotation [Advance Guide 2022]
5 tire rotation is important but why? What is the recommended rotation frequency for Jeep tires? What is the cost? What is the best tire rotation pattern? We’re gonna cover all of these in this post to help you understand tire rotation.
Tire rotation is periodically repositioning a tire from side to side, from front wheel to back, or from the back wheel to front to ensure even wear. Studies show that tire rotation maximizes your vehicle’s tire lifespan by as much as 20 percent.
You should rotate your tires every 5,000 miles (8,000 km) to 8,000 miles (13,000 km) as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. However, we recommend rotating your tires every time you change Jeep oil. Rotating your tires gives you a chance to visually inspect them.
Why is the 5-tire rotation important?
For standard tire care, tire rotation is important for a variety of reasons.
The majority of vehicles are equipped with a front-mounted engine, and the four-wheel drive jeeps have not only the engine but also the transaxle in the front. Resulting in more stress on the front tires causing uneven wear.
Mechanical problems like wheel misalignment with each other or with the vehicle’s axis will tend to be dragged along by the other wheels, causing uneven wear in that tire. Turning the vehicle also causes uneven tire wear.
Rotating your tires keeps the tread depth uniform, which can help keep traction and handling consistent.
Rotating your tires will improve cornering and braking performance and keep your vehicle safer.
Tire rotation improves vehicle handling
In order to maintain a smooth ride, it is essential to rotate the tires
Your tires will last longer if you rotate them
What tire rotation pattern should we utilize
Tire rotation patterns vary depending on the type of tire (directional or non-directional tire, uniform or non uniform size of tires on front and rear axle, and full-size spare tire unlike temporary use tire) you are using.
And the type of vehicle (front-wheel drive(FWD), Rear-wheel drive(RWD), Four-wheel drive(4WD), or All-wheel drive) you have.
Let’s take look at different types of Tire Rotation patterns recommended by The Tire and Rim Association, Inc.
Four (4) Tire Rotation
For uniform size and non-directional tires:
Rearward Cross:
Rearward cross pattern is recommended for Rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. In Rearward Cross rear tires are moved to the front axle and front tires moved to the opposite side of the rear axle kept the same side of the vehicle.
X-Pattern
Forward Cross
For uniform size and directional tires:
Front-to-Rear
For non-uniform size and non-directional tires:
Side-to-Side
If the Last two pattern side-to-side and front-to-back not provide even wear then dismounting, mounting, and re-balancing is necessary for tire rotation.
Five (5) Tire Rotation
For uniform-size non-directional tires with full-size matching spare:
Rearward Cross
For jeeps having Rear-wheel drive(RWD) or Four-wheel drives (4WD) options like Jeep Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee WK, All-New Grand Cherokee 4xe, Wrangler, Wrangler 4xe, Cherokee, Patriot, Renegade or a jeep Compass then rearward cross 5 tire rotation pattern is used. In jeep 5 tire rotation rear tires directly moved to the front axle and the matching spare tire moved to the right side to the rear axle. The right front tire is diagonally moved to the left side of the rear axle and the left front tire will be your next spare tire.
Forward Cross
If you own Front-wheel drive vehicles like Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Renegade, Jeep Patriot, or a Jeep Compass then a forward cross 5 tire rotation pattern is used. In this pattern rear tires are moved diagonally to the opposite side of the front axle. The front left tire moved directly to the left side of the rear axle while the spare tire was positioned to the right side of the rear axle. And the front right becomes your next spare tire.
Six (6) Tire Rotation
For vehicles with dual rear wheels and non-directional tires of the same size:
vehicles with dual rear wheels and non-directional tires of the different sizes:
Six-tire rotation is used for dual-rear-wheel trucks.Be careful before rotating of tire for a different size on front and rear axle don’t use front-to-rear tire rotation always use side-to-side tire rotation pattern.
Studded (Snow) Tire Rotation
Studded tire rotation can be achieved by rotating tires from front to rear axle on the same side of the vehicle. This can be used for best winter performance and to maximize snow tires lifespan. The studded tire rotates periodically after every 4000 miles that can help to achieve the same tread depths on four tires for better traction and control.
Studded tires should never roll in a different direction.
The tires can also be remounted inside-out on the wheels if they’re worn unevenly.
How often should you rotate your tires?
When do you rotate your tires? According to Michelin man, on average, tires should be rotated every six months or every 6000 miles (9600 km) to 8000 miles (12800 km). However, check your vehicle’s owner’s manual for more information about tire rotation.
The duration of tire rotation also depends on the mileage of the vehicle. It is recommended to rotate tires after every 5000 to 7500 miles for front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive vehicles.The AWD jeeps rotate tires every 3000 to 5000 miles. Similarly, Tire Rack recommends rotating studded tires every winter or every 4,000 miles. Again, check your vehicle’s owner’s manual to be sure.
We highly suggest you to oil change and tire rotation at the same time to save money on your jeep maintenance service. This can help you to remember tire rotation schedules. But if you are an off-road adventure enthusiast then you should rotate tires more often than you will get your vehicle oil changes.
How to rotate jeep tires step-by-step guide:
First thing first before rotating tires you must have the right tools for that. We recommend four jack stands (6 tons), a floor hydraulic jack and a Lug wrench.
1. Identify Tire Rotation Pattern
2. Loosen the lug nuts but don’t remove the tires yet.
3.Jack up your jeep and support it with jack stand
4. Remove the tires and rotate them according to the correct pattern
5. Screw the lug nuts by hand as much as you can
6.Remove the jack stand
7. Finally, tighten lug nuts using lug wrench
Tip: Directional and non-directional tire indicated by their tread and sidewall.
How much does a tire rotation cost
Usually, tire rotation costs somewhere around $25 to $100. However, it might be less or more than that depending where you go.
Tire rotation is not a difficult job to do. Some people did this at their homes completely free of cost. But we suggest you go to a qualified and expert mechanic so that they inspect your tires tread depth inside and outside. And they will tell you if there is any difference in tread depth of tires otherwise this damage your Jeep drivetrain.
Originally published at https://jeepabc.com.