Tires – UnderstandYourCar

As a car owner, one of the most frequently received advice is to get your tires rotated. Of course, rotating your tires should be part of your vehicle’s regular maintenance. But what most people don’t tell you is that there are times when you shouldn’t be rotating them. You shouldn’t rotate your car’s tires when you’re doing it alone and without the necessary experience. That’s because raising your vehicle to rotate them can be tiresome and dangerous. That’s also why you shouldn’t do it unless you have the correct equipment. Besides, you shouldn’t rotate worn-out tires or specialty tires that require specific care. Lastly, don’t rotate your tires too soon. Keep reading to discover the moments when you shouldn’t rotate your tires and why that’s the case. When Should You Not Rotate Your Tires? The task of rotating your vehicle’s tires is a part of its regular maintenance. However, here are 5 instances when you should not be rotating those tires: #1 You’re Alone Without Experience First and foremost, you should never try to rotate your car’s tires when you’re alone without the necessary skill and knowledge to do so. Sure, there are plenty of safe vehicle maintenance tasks that you can perform in the comfort of your garage. Plus, you can even do them using nothing more than basic hand tools and the guidance of a Youtube video. Unfortunately, rotating your tires is not one of them. That’s especially true since this task involves some of your car’s most critical parts: your tires. Aside from the risk of injury, you also risk damaging your car’s components. Since we’re talking about your tires here, some damage might make the vehicle immobile. Remember: there’s no shame in leaving some car repairs to the experts. #2 You Don’t Have The Gear To Do It Safely Let’s suppose you have the knowledge and experience to rotate your tires. Even if that’s the case, you shouldn’t perform that task unless you have the gear to do it safely. Technically, you could get the job done using a typical car jack. However, using that kind of gear is both unsafe and inefficient because: A jack only raises one tire at a time (remember: ‘rotating’ means switching the positions of multiple tires)It’s unsafe to use multiple car jacks to raise all your tires simultaneously Ideally, the gear you’d want to use is a heavy-duty car lift like those you’d find at a professional workshop. That equipment can raise a vehicle and keep it off the ground while you rotate tires with minimal effort. Some examples of that equipment include: Two-post hoistFour post hoistScissor lift hoistOr at least a portable car hoist Bottom line: if you don’t have the correct gear to rotate your tires, don’t do it. #3 The Tires Are Already Worn Out Think back to why you want to rotate your tires first. Rotating a vehicle’s tire allows its surface to wear out evenly. Even wear enables you to maximize the tire’s lifespan. More importantly, the tire will maintain traction on the road throughout its life, thereby keeping your car safe on the road. With that said, you shouldn’t rotate your tires when they’re already worn out. But, of course, if your tires have already reached the end of their useful lifespan, rotating them again would make no difference. More specifically, you should not rotate a tire when its tread wear indicator is already flush with the tire’s treads. At that point, the only thing you should do is replace the tire immediately. Even if you take your car to a professional workshop, the mechanics there will likely refuse to rotate your tires for you. That’s not because they don’t want to, but because your vehicle is already unsafe to drive based on the state of your tires. #4 You Have Specialty Tires As far as auto maintenance goes, tire rotations are probably the most straightforward and routine task. Anyone with the correct gear and skills can get it done without breaking a sweat. However, there are some situations where tire rotations aren’t so straightforward. For instance, you should not rotate your tires if they’re designed for particular purposes and require specialized maintenance. To put it in the simplest terms: you can’t rotate specialty tires the same way you would the standard tires on most cars. Doing so could prevent the specialty tires from functioning correctly or, even worse, damage them. A perfect example is if you have directional tires on your vehicle. Each tire has a unique tread pattern designed in relation to its position on the car. So, rotating such a tire could not only be risky, but it could be outright dangerous. As such, you’re better off leaving tire maintenance to a mechanic who knows what they’re doing. #5 When It’s Too Soon Since The Last Rotation Lastly, you should not rotate your tires if you’ve already done so recently. Tires are typically rotated once every 6 months or after you’ve driven 6,000-8,000 miles. Naturally, you could rotate your tires sooner if you drive more than the typical driver. However, if those 6 months or 8,000 miles haven't passed since your last rotation, then there’s no need to do it just yet. Remember: there is such a thing as ‘too much’ of a good thing, even when it comes to tire rotations. When you rotate your tires too soon, you don’t give them a chance to develop even wear over their surfaces. As a result, some parts of the tire will wear out faster than others. Final Thoughts Tire rotations are crucial for maximizing the lifespan of your tires and getting the most value from them. However, as you’ve seen above, there are several situations when rotations do more harm than good. So, if you’re ever unsure, don’t be afraid to leave it to the professionals to handle. Your preferred mechanic will have the gear and the expertise to do the job quickly and safely.