Why Rotate Tires?

What does rotating your tires do? It helps extend the life of your tires since tires don’t wear evenly. When you prevent one tire from wearing out faster than the others, you can use the whole set for longer and easily swap them out at the same time when it’s time. See what else our service center at Honda of Great Falls has to say about your question “Why rotate tires?” below! 

How Does Drivetrain Affect Tire Rotation? 

Whenever you accelerate, brake, turn your wheels, and go around curves, all of this driving will need some kind of friction between your tires and the road, leading to tire wear. Timely tire rotations will balance out the wear, but depending on the drivetrain of your car, your tire treads will wear differently in Missoula, which will also affect how often to rotate tires for your car.

• Front-wheel drive vehicle: The engine sends power to the front wheels, which are responsible for steering, starting, and most of the stopping force. This means the front tires will wear out the fastest. So what does rotating your tires do for an FWD car? You will move the rear set to the front, so they can wear at the same rate as the previously front set. 
• Rear-wheel drive vehicle: The engine sends power to the rear wheels, but the front wheels are still responsible for steering and much of braking. The rear tires will still wear out faster than the front tires but at a generally slower rate.
• All-wheel drive vehicle: The engine sends even power to all wheels, though many experts maintain that the rear tires will still wear out faster.
• Intelligent all-wheel drive systems: Going around curves means that there are different levels of strain and friction on the inside tires vs. outside tires. Some advanced all-wheel drive systems can even direct power to an individual wheel while driving around a curve for better cornering, which will further affect tire life, in the Lewistown area.

How Often to Rotate Tires? 

Now that you have a better idea as to why rotate tires, you might be wondering how often you should rotate them. Usually, tires should be rotated every six months or every 5,000 miles to 8,000 miles. However, for the most accurate frequency for your make and model, check your owner’s manual. 

What Happens If I Don’t Rotate My Tires?

While you know what does rotating your tires do to their wear and overall lifespan, you might not see other consequences that make this maintenance an important one. If you don’t rotate and replace tires in a timely scheduled manner, you will experience the following potentially dangerous effects: 

• Poor traction and skidding on the roads
• More rapid deterioration of brake pads
• Flat tires and blowouts

Get Quality Tire Care at Honda of Great Falls Today 

Your car tires literally get you from your Havre home to the C.M. Russell Museum you’ve been meaning to visit, so if they’re not in proper condition, you will experience trouble on the road. Contact our service team with any questions on how to take care of your tires today!