Tire Rotation Methods

Rotating your vehicle's tires is a vital maintenance duty that helps in preventing uneven and premature wear on your tires. Tires in the front normally wear in a particular way, while rear tires typically wear in a somewhat different manner. It's a good idea to rotate your tires every 6,000 miles, or in conjunction with every other regularly scheduled oil change. The ideal rotation method is determined by whether your tires are directional, and whether your vehicle is a front-, rear- or four-wheel drive.

Directional Tires

Directional tires are designed to roll in only one direction. Therefore, they need to be used on only one side of the vehicle because moving them to the opposite side of the car would cause them to roll in the other direction. Directional tires are meant to be rotated back and forth between the front axle to the rear axle on the same side of the vehicle.

Tires on a vehicle that has front-wheel drive are usually rotated in the "forward cross" pattern. In this method, the two tires on the front axle are rotated straight back onto the rear axle on the same side. The right front tire goes to the right back and the left front tire goes to the left back. The tires on the rear axle are placed onto the opposite sides on the front axle. The left rear tire goes to the right front and the right rear goes to the left front.

An alternate rotation method for front-wheel-drive vehicles is called the "X-pattern." The "X-pattern" can also be done on rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles. In this method, the front tires are rotated to the opposite sides on the rear, and the rear tires are rotated up to the opposite sides on the front. For example, the front right goes to the left rear and the front left goes to the right rear. The right rear goes to the front left, while the left rear goes to the right front.

The primary tire rotation method for rear- and four-wheel-drive vehicles is called the "rearward cross," which is basically the opposite of the "forward cross" used on front-wheel-drive vehicles. In the "rearward cross" method, the tires on the rear axle are rotated to the front axle on the same side, while the front tires are rotated to the opposite sides on the rear axle. For example, the rear right is rotated to the front right and the rear left is rotated to the front left. The front right is rotated to the left rear, while the front left is rotated to the right rear.

Vehicle tires that are differently sized and non-directional are rotated in the "side-to-side" method. In this method, the front right tire is simply rotated to the front left, while the front left tire goes to the front right. The rear right tire goes to the rear left, while the rear left tire goes to the rear right.