Like most regular maintenance, most people assume tire rotation is beneficial to their car, but don’t know exactly how it helps. Having your tires rotated regularly has quite a few benefits, from extending the life of the tires themselves to improving your vehicle’s performance. A regular tire rotation schedule can save you money and keep you safer in the long run.
Tire Wear
It is completely natural for the tires on your car to wear unevenly. Many different things can cause this, including terrain, driving habits, weather, or poor balance or alignment. The front tires on front-wheel drive vehicles also typically wear faster than the back, since they must steer as well as carry the car. Some of this is avoidable, but mostly it is normal. Regular tire rotations change the positions of the tires and help ensure that the wear on the treads is as even as possible. This can extend the life of your tires by keeping you from wearing all the way through the tread in one particular spot too quickly. It is important to decide on a tire rotation schedule and stick to it, as deviating from the schedule can result in uneven tire wear, undoing all the benefits you stand to reap from this practice.
Vehicle Performance
As mentioned, above, the front tires on your vehicle often wear down faster than the back tires. Because they are more responsible for traction on wet or snowy/icy roads, you want to be sure the front tires have plenty of tread. Getting regular tire rotations ensures that the tread is as fresh as possible, increasing your traction in potentially dangerous situations. Uneven wear can also cause front-end misalignment and loss of balance, which can make steering more difficult and cause more wear to other parts of your car. It can also cause even more uneven wear on your tire treads, causing you to need tire replacements more often.
Gas Mileage
When uneven wear on your tires is causing poor balance and misalignment, and poor traction on the road, your car is having to work harder to keep moving in the direction you want it to go. Regular tire rotations help your car run more efficiently, as all the parts are working in accord with each other. It then takes less gas for your car to move the car, and you spend less to get where you need to go.
Tire Failure
On top of increasing vehicle performance, getting regular tire rotations will decrease your chance of having to deal with a tire failure. When a tire becomes excessively worn in one place, it weakens the tire and can make driving on it treacherous. A blowout can be terrifying, but it can also be dangerous, resulting in the loss of control over your vehicle. In traffic or other hazardous driving conditions this could easily result in a wreck, even the smallest of which can be costly and scary.