How to Rotate Tires Yourself

Whether you choose to rotate your tires yourself or take your Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram to a local service center, tire rotation is an important maintenance step you don’t want to skip. Rotating your tires on a regular basis can provide you better traction on Louisville, KY roads and extend the life of your tires. Follow our guide on tire rotation to keep your tires rolling for as long as possible.

Why is Tire Rotation Necessary?

Due to driving habits, all tires don’t wear evenly. Thanks to the impact they experience while turning, the outside edges of the front tires show greater wear while the rear wheels wear more evenly. This means if you leave your tires in place they will wear down at different rates and you will have to replace them sooner.

How Often to Rotate Your Tires

Front and rear wheel drive vehicles generally need their tires rotated 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 and that results in faster wear. As with any vehicle service, we always recommend checking your owners manual for more specific recommendations.

Tire Position

• 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, you must switch the right and left tire.

• 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, you need to switch the left and right tire.

Rotating Your Tires

If you want to attempt rotating your own tires you will need a car jack, lug nut wrench, and a set of car jacks. Once you have acquired the necessary tools follow these five easy steps:

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.
4. Remove the tires and take this time to make sure they 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.
5. 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 Assitance With Tire Rotation at Bachman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

Not ready to rotate your tires yourself? The trained technicians at Bachman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram can perform the service for you. We offer a variety of service specials at our Jeffersonville service center for you to take advantage of. Schedule your service today! Want to learn more with our team? Discover SRT performance vehicles, find out about oil change intervals, learn how to check your transmission fluid, or even find the best place for auto financing with help from our team!

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