Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For a front wheel drive vehicle, how often should the tires be rotated? 5K? 7.5K? I am thinking every other oil change.....
Every other oil change should be fine. Or every oil change, if you prefer. On most vehicles it's not going to make a HUGE difference, but it will make some.
For the brand and model I'm running right now (Nokian WR2), 7.5 is too long and the tires start to cup. 5k seems ideal. For the Kumho touring tires I had on awhile back, 10k was no problem and the tires wore beautifully right up till 80k miles when they were replaced.
So ti depends on the tire as well. I would Never wait to do it with my oil changes, but that's because I run 20k mile OCI (on a car that's now just a bit shy of 250,000 miles and only burns about half a quart in that time... )
With FWD cars, i find that the front tires definitely do wear faster than the rears if not rotated. This is especially true if the car has some HP. FWD uses the front 2 for accelerating, braking and turning, so there is significant wear that can occur.
How often do you change your oil?
Rotating every other oil change is a good rule of thumb.
Only problem with that is that if people are actually following manufacturer recommendations and/or the OLM in their car, "every other oil change" could easily be 15k-20k miles or more. On my last FWD car (2010 Malibu) the OLM called for an oil change every 12k miles or so. I rotated the tires at each oil change and made sure that I always maintained proper tire pressure.
Some manufacturers have specific recommendations on rotating and this should be followed even if it means rotating off-schedule from the oil change.
What I will say is that it is important on a FWD car to rotate the tires regularly, moreso than it is on a RWD car. The front tires will experience rapid shoulder wear and halving the life of the tire isn't uncommon if you don't rotate them. In addition, the rear tires will end up severely cupped do to the lack of load on them and you will sound like you are driving around with 44" Super Swampers on your car. Rotation evens out all of these "odd" wear characteristics on a FWD car.
Only problem with that is that if people are actually following manufacturer recommendations and/or the OLM in their car, "every other oil change" could easily be 15k-20k miles or more. On my last FWD car (2010 Malibu) the OLM called for an oil change every 12k miles or so. I rotated the tires at each oil change and made sure that I always maintained proper tire pressure.
.
That's why I asked how often OP changes it.
But 12k is a little high. While the Malibu wasn't part of GM's recent OLM recall, I just think that's too high, and oil should be inspected periodically after 3k to determine true condition. Do you use Synthetic?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,771 posts, read 81,704,810 times
Reputation: 58165
When oil was changed at 3,000 miles it was at the third change, now that we go 5,000 between changes it's every other. I have always done rotation at about 10,000 miles. You do also have to inspect regularly, for signs of unusual wear which can be caused by air pressure, balance, or suspension problems.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
