How to Rotate Your Own Tires

Unless your vehicle is pretty aligned and you're the luckiest person on planet Earth, rotating your vehicle's tires is essential to both compensate for uneven wear and tear and to extend the life of your tires. Because your front tires carry about 60% of your vehicle’s weight, they are more likely to feel hard turns and wear out more quickly than their rear counterparts.

Generally, tires should be rotated every 5,000 miles or roughly every oil change; consult your owner’s manual to see if it provides a recommended tire rotation schedule.

Tools

• Car Jack
• Four jack stands (two minimum)
• Lug wrench

Estimated Time

• 20-30 minutes

Identify Rotation Pattern

Identify the possible rotation pattern for your vehicle, which will be based on the type of tires you have as well as whether your vehicle is front or rear wheel drive.

For directional tires, which only roll in one direction as indicated by their tread or sidewall, each front tire has to be rotated with the same-side back tire.

For non-directional tires, which can roll in either direction, you must rotate based on whether you have rear or front wheel drive:

• Front wheel drive: The rear tires move diagonally to the front. The front tires go straight back.
• Rear wheel drive: The rear tires go in a straight line to the front. The front tires move diagonally to the back.

Loosen the lug nuts

Loosen the lug nuts of all the wheels but don’t remove them yet. If you find a stubborn nut that just won't let go, there's a myriad of suggestions online that can help you break through the rust or increase the amount of torque applied to help it come loose. In some cases (including this author's personal life), a poured can of Coke or Mountain Dew has worked wonders in the absence of WD-40 or other lubricant.

Jack up your car

Jack up your car and use jack stands to support the vehicle, or consider upgrading to a pair of service ramps (read about the pros and cons of ramps vs jack stands). Consult your owner’s manual to determine the proper placement of the jacks. Many vehicles will have an indicator at the jack points to facilitate locating them. For safety, you should never work on your tire while it's supported only by the jack. If the hydraulic cylinder fails, the car will come down fast. Jack stands are engineered to support the weight safely.

Remove the tires and rotate them

Remove the tires and rotate them according to the correct pattern for your tire type. Unless you have a professional lift, it will require some careful coordination to raise/lower/move your jack and jacks stands from side to side as you perform the rotation.

Screw in the lug nuts by hand

As you place each tire in its new position, screw in the lug nuts by hand as much as you can.

Raise up your vehicle using your jack

Once your rotation is complete, grab your jack and raise your vehicle up enough to safely remove the jack stands. Then, lower your car back down.

Fully tighten the lug nuts

Finally, use the lug wrench to fully tighten the lug nuts of each tire. Tighten diagonally, in a star pattern to ensure even tightening. If you tighten them unevenly, you run the risk of warping the brake rotor.

... It's as easy as that!

The first few times will probably take much longer than anticipated, but once you get the hang of it you'll be able to easily and safely rotate your car's tires and get the most bang for your buck out of your tires. Your next DIY project? Learn how to change the oil in your car yourself and save a trip to the service station.