How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?

The best way to keep your vehicle in top condition on the Kansas City roads is to bring it in for routine services like oil changes, battery inspections, and tire rotations. But, how often should you rotate your tires? Exact numbers depend on your vehicle, but tire rotations should generally be performed every 5,000 to 8,000 miles. If you want a more specific number, contact our service team, and we can give you more details! In the meantime, check out the guide below for easy information on how to rotate your tires.

Rotating Tires on FWD & RWD Vehicles

Now that we know when to rotate tires, let’s go over how to go about rotating them. It’s relatively straightforward as long as you follow the right steps, but the process differs slightly depending on whether you have a two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicle. If you have a front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive car, follow these steps to properly rotate your tires:

• You’ll want to rotate your tires or get them rotated by a service technician every 5,000 to 7,500 miles.
• When you rotate the tires on a FWD vehicle, make sure you flip sides as you move the rear tires to the front–the rear left tire will go to the front right while the right rear will go to the left front. However, keep the alignment the same when you move the front tires to the rear–left stays left and right stays right!
• The rotation process for a RWD vehicle is the same as for FWD except inverted–so, you’ll switch the alignment when moving the front tires to the rear, but keep them the same when you move the rear tires to the front.
• Your driving habits may lengthen or shorten your tire rotation intervals. For example, if you frequently take your vehicle off-road, you’ll want to rotate them more often. A member of our service team can give you more information if you’re interested.

Rotating Tires on AWD Vehicles

All-wheel drive (AWD) cars have a different rotation process than FWD or RWD models. Their tires need to be rotated more frequently–3,000 to 5,000 miles ideally–and you switch alignments for both sets of wheels when you rotate them. Here are the details:

1. The left rear goes to the right front spot.
2. The right rear goes to the left front spot.
3. The right front goes to the left rear spot.
4. The left front goes to the right rear spot.

Why Rotate Tires?

We’ve gone over how many miles to rotate your tires and how to rotate them for different drivetrains, but you may be wondering why you should rotate them at all! In addition to extending the life of your tires, proper tire care and regular rotation offers the following benefits:

• Improved traction on slippery roads
• Less noise on the road
• Relieves unnecessary stress on the drivetrain

Keep Your Vehicle in Top Condition at Lee’s Summit Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram

If it’s time to get your tires rotated, go ahead and schedule a service appointment with Lee’s Summit Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram! We’ll take care of everything and get you back on the Independence roads in no time. You can also contact us with any questions or to learn more about the services we offer. Be sure to keep an eye on our service specials if you’re looking to save on your next appointment!