2. Tyre Rotation
• Periodic shifting of position of a car's wheels and tyres to ensure
uniform tread wear and longer tread life, because wear of tyres is
not equal on all tyres.
Reasons of uneven wear
• Weight of a car is not evenly distributed. The engine is at the
front, so the front tyres carry more weight. Consequently, front
tyres wear faster than the rear ones.
• Front tyres also take care of steering duties which results in more
wear of front tyres (Power steering further increases front tyre
wear)
• When we apply brakes, the weight of the car shifts forward.
Braking while cornering leads to faster wear of front tyres
• Turning affects the rate of wear. We generally take left turns faster
than we do right turns. This puts more load on the right front (and
rear) tyres which results in the right tyres wearing faster than left.
3. Tyre Rotation
• Left side tyres go down the road more frequently than right side tyres
• Crowning of roads lead to uneven tyre wear
• After thousands of kilometers of driving, uneven tread wear is clearly
visible
• The most common problem faced during tyre wear and tear is the
wearing out of front tyres before the rear. In such cases, the two front
tyres have to be either replaced with new ones, or with the old but
partly worn out units at the rear. This is where tyre rotation comes
into play.
• Rotating tyres equalizes these wear patterns by changing the
positions of tyres. Regular rotation of tyres ensures even wear on all
tyres in addition to smoother and safer ride.
• Rotation also results in saving of money by extending the life of tyres
4. • Four Wheel Rotation: This method can be applied only when
the running wheels are being used. Also, it cannot be done
with a space-saver tyre (a smaller, limited-use spare tyre)
provided by the manufacturer or if the car has a combination
of tube and tubeless tyres.
• In this method of rotation, the front tyres go in the
corresponding rear hubs and the rear tyres are put on the
opposite front hub. For example, in front wheel drive cars, the
rear right tyre will be moved to the left front and the right
rear tyre to the left front. On rear, and four-wheel-drive cars,
the front tyres are changed in a criss-cross pattern and the
rear tyres shift to the corresponding front hubs
Four Wheel Rotation
6. • Five Wheel Rotation: This method uses the spare wheel also.
• The spare wheel goes to the front right hub and the front tyres go
to the corresponding rear hubs. The right rear tyre will move to
the front left hub and the rear left tyre comes out as the spare.
• In four-wheel or rear-wheel drive cars, the front tyres are shifted
in a criss-cross fashion on to the rear hubs. The rear left tyre is
fitted on the right front hub and the rear right tyre becomes the
spare while the original spare moves to the front right hub
• Ideally, rotation of tyres needs to be done every 10,000kms. In
the rotation cycle, where the spare wheel is also included, it's
understood that the fifth wheel is also in an equally good
condition as the other four tyres
Five Wheel Rotation
8. • Unidirectional tyres
cannot be swapped
from left to right and
vice versa without
inverting them face to
face on the rim.
• To rotate directional
tyres, front tyres are
changed with rear
tyres on both sides
Unidirectional Tyre Rotation
