tire rotation??

orviskid · October 12, 2012

should i follow the manual as to which tire goes where?? some said just front to back is good. i don't have 2 jacks or jack stands and the way the manual is, the truck has to be off the ground. i would rotate way more often if i didn't have to take it in every time.

oldscsc · October 12, 2012

For a rear wheel drive, the best way is to bring the rears straight forward and cross the fronts when you bring them back.

Front to back is better than nothing, as you are spreading out the shoulder wear that occurs from cornering. Still, using the aforementioned method does that as well as changing the direction of rotation.

timdan94 · October 12, 2012

should i follow the manual as to which tire goes where?? some said just front to back is good. i don't have 2 jacks or jack stands and the way the manual is, the truck has to be off the ground. i would rotate way more often if i didn't have to take it in every time.

why not use the spare tire to aid in rotating? Its good to check the function of your spare tire hoist and to keep it free.

maxco · October 12, 2012

should i follow the manual as to which tire goes where?? some said just front to back is good. i don't have 2 jacks or jack stands and the way the manual is, the truck has to be off the ground. i would rotate way more often if i didn't have to take it in every time.

why not use the spare tire to aid in rotating? Its good to check the function of your spare tire hoist and to keep it free.

The wheel is not always the same on the spare as on the other 4 tires. I know mine isn't on my '10 Sierra All Terrain.

timdan94 · October 12, 2012

should i follow the manual as to which tire goes where?? some said just front to back is good. i don't have 2 jacks or jack stands and the way the manual is, the truck has to be off the ground. i would rotate way more often if i didn't have to take it in every time.

why not use the spare tire to aid in rotating? Its good to check the function of your spare tire hoist and to keep it free.

The wheel is not always the same on the spare as on the other 4 tires. I know mine isn't on my '10 Sierra All Terrain.

Just use the spare while rotating tires.

orviskid · October 12, 2012

the spare is different. its 4x4, is front to back okay?? they make it so difficult just to rotate tires. as long as its going in the same direction, the belts should be okay.

Morgan1986 · October 12, 2012

When you get tires at costco they will rotate them for free if you just show your bill. I helped rotate tires on my dads truck and we just moved back to front. Had a block of fire wood to help .

brantjs · October 12, 2012

I rotate according to the manual. A set of jackstands is pretty inexpensive, around $35 for 2 of them if I remember right.

newdude · October 12, 2012

Rears go forward without crossing, the fronts go back and crossed. I do all trucks that way.

Hoe-n-it · October 12, 2012

the spare is different. its 4x4, is front to back okay?? they make it so difficult just to rotate tires. as long as its going in the same direction, the belts should be okay.

The belts having to go in the same direction is old school from many, many years ago. Tires today should be cross rotated but not necessarily all at the same time.

Rears go forward without crossing, the fronts go back and crossed. I do all trucks that way.

This is the correct way. The next rotation will then cross rotate the next two. I use the spare to assist in rotating .When doing it this way you only have to mount the spare when taking off the first wheel and work your way back with the last wheel replacing the spare. I have jack stands but just not sure where to place them. I place the jack where the manual recommends but can't fit jack stands there at the same time.

desrtrat · October 13, 2012

The belts having to go in the same direction is old school from many, many years ago. Tires today should be cross rotated but not necessarily all at the same time.

not always..mine are directional must be rotated front to back on same side per manufacturer..when unsure, look at the side wall for a arrow that will indicate how it will be mounted..when all else fails, contact the tire manufacturer..MY .02

kstruckcountry · October 13, 2012

Yes some are directional.... I hardly ever see them on trucks though. And many times the directional tires aren't rotated at all (ex- a sports car with 225 front and 245 rear).

But for non directional tires (most truck tires) the method above is perfect.

Hoe-n-it · October 13, 2012

The belts having to go in the same direction is old school from many, many years ago. Tires today should be cross rotated but not necessarily all at the same time.

not always..mine are directional must be rotated front to back on same side per manufacturer..when unsure, look at the side wall for a arrow that will indicate how it will be mounted..when all else fails, contact the tire manufacturer..MY .02

Well of course, that goes without saying if they are unidirectional tires. They are usually unidirectional and must rotate in one direction due to the tread pattern and not the belts like years ago when radial tires first came out. I had some unidirectional Goodyear Tripple Treads on a Highlander some time ago. I rotated them every 6K miles but on the same side. They cupped and roared REALLY loud. I will never again buy unidirectional tires for a truck or car that didn't need them.

brantjs · October 14, 2012

The belts having to go in the same direction is old school from many, many years ago. Tires today should be cross rotated but not necessarily all at the same time.

not always..mine are directional must be rotated front to back on same side per manufacturer..when unsure, look at the side wall for a arrow that will indicate how it will be mounted..when all else fails, contact the tire manufacturer..MY .02

Well of course, that goes without saying if they are unidirectional tires. They are usually unidirectional and must rotate in one direction due to the tread pattern and not the belts like years ago when radial tires first came out. I had some unidirectional Goodyear Tripple Treads on a Highlander some time ago. I rotated them every 6K miles but on the same side. They cupped and roared REALLY loud. I will never again buy unidirectional tires for a truck or car that didn't need them.

I've had 4 sets of directional tires on my car and none had wear issues. I rotated every 5000 miles when I did my oil change, and had an alignment done when installing each new set of tires. I haven't had much luck with goodyears but the problem you are describing sounds more like an alignment issue. My wife's car rotates tires front to back as well and the wear patterns on the ones I just replaced were even with the only issue being the outside corners were slightly more worn, which I attribute to the weight of the vehicle (minivan) and my wife's tendency to take 90 degree corners at speed. I wouldn't be afraid of directional tires as they often have better road characteristics.

brantjs · October 14, 2012

This is the correct way. The next rotation will then cross rotate the next two. I use the spare to assist in rotating .When doing it this way you only have to mount the spare when taking off the first wheel and work your way back with the last wheel replacing the spare. I have jack stands but just not sure where to place them. I place the jack where the manual recommends but can't fit jack stands there at the same time.

With a truck you are fine to put the jack stands anywhere on the frame. I typically lift each of the front sides and place a jack stand on the frame right next to the jack, then lift the rear from under the rear differential. I don't necessarily advocate not using a jack stand but if I'm not getting under the vehicle and only doing tires I won't put jack stands under the rear. If I have to get under the vehicle I'll put jack stands under the axle housings out by the wheels.