How to Do a Tire Rotation Yourself

No matter whether you choose to rotate your tires at home or bring your vehicle into a local service center, having your vehicle’s tires rotated is an important part of caring for your vehicle. When you rotate your tires on a regular basis, you’ll find you have better traction on San Francisco roads as well as extend the life of your tires. Learn more about how to rotate your tires and more with our service team at INFINITI of San Jose.

Why is Tire Rotation Important for Your Vehicle?

Not all tires will wear evenly due to driving habits and Pleasanton road conditions. Even when turning, you’ll find the outer edges of your front tires will show greater wear than your rear tires. Over time, if not rotated, your tires will wear down at different rates and need to be replaced sooner than if you complete a tire rotation regularly.

How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?

Generally, your vehicle’s tires should be rotated every 5,000-7,500 miles. Models with all-wheel drive may require more frequent tire rotations since all tires are actively engaged and will wear faster. As with any auto service, we recommend checking with your owner’s manual for more specific details.

Learn More About the Importance of Tire Position

• FWD Tires: You can move the front tires to the back of the car in the same left/right positions. When it comes time to move the rear tires to the front, you must switch the right and left tire.
• RWD Tires: The opposite is true with RWD vehicles. The rear tires can be moved to the front of the car in the same left/right positions, but when you move the front tires to the rear, you need to switch the left and right tire.

How to Rotate Your Tires at Home

If you want to avoid going to a dealership or service center to have your tires rotated, you can attempt this at home on your own. Before getting started, make sure you have a car jack and a lug nut wrench. Once you have these, follow these steps:

1. Engage your parking brake as a safety precaution.
2. Loosen the lug nuts on all four wheels, but don’t take them all the way off. This step makes unscrewing them when the tire is elevated much easier.
3. Lift up one wheel with a car jack and place the jack stand underneath it.
4. Remove the tires one by one.
5. Take this time to make sure your tires are filled to the optimal tire pressure. Once filled, you can rotate them according to the appropriate pattern for your type of tires. Place the tire back onto the wheel mount and screw the lug nuts on by hand as far as you can.
6. Lower the car from the jack stands and use the lug wrench to finish tightening the nuts. It’s best to work the lug nuts diagonally from one to another in a star pattern to ensure even tightening. If the lug nuts aren’t tightened evenly it can cause the brake rotor to warp.

Get Your Tires Rotated at INFINITI of San Jose 

If you’d rather have our professionals take a look, schedule service at our service center near Walnut Creek. We also offer service specials to help you save more on the services your vehicle needs. Have questions in the meantime? Contact our team.