Proper Tire Rotation Method

I have a '96 EB 4x4. According to the owner's guide, the proper way to
rotate four tires is to move the rear tires to the front, with the tires
remaining on the same side of the vehicle. The front tires are to switch
sides when moving to the rear of the truck.

My company maintains a large fleet of vehicles, with many Explorers among
them. One of the mechanics told me that tires should never be rotated as
described above, because moving them to the opposite side of the vehicle
changes the direction of rotation. He told me that this could lead to
catastrophic tire failure. However, I have always rotated my tires by the
above method, and have never had a problem. Besides, I am a firm believer
in following manufacturer's recommendations.

It's time to rotate my tires again. Should I go with the way I've always
done it, or is my mechanic friend correct?

Thanks!

Kevin DeAngelis wrote:
> I have a '96 EB 4x4. According to the owner's guide, the proper way to
> rotate four tires is to move the rear tires to the front, with the tires
> remaining on the same side of the vehicle. The front tires are to switch
> sides when moving to the rear of the truck.
>
> My company maintains a large fleet of vehicles, with many Explorers among
> them. One of the mechanics told me that tires should never be rotated as
> described above, because moving them to the opposite side of the vehicle
> changes the direction of rotation. He told me that this could lead to
> catastrophic tire failure. However, I have always rotated my tires by the
> above method, and have never had a problem. Besides, I am a firm believer
> in following manufacturer's recommendations.
>
> It's time to rotate my tires again. Should I go with the way I've always
> done it, or is my mechanic friend correct?

Radials should stay on the same side regardless of whether they are
directional or not for wear and balance reasons.
They will not magically exlode if you do not follow this rule.

<Controversial content>

Tire rotation is voodoo maintenance. There is no actual economy in it.
It does not extend the life of the tires. It will only allow all of
the tires to wear out at the same rate so that replacement can be done
in full sets. If that is important to you for some reason and/or you
can get it done free (or do it yourself) then knock yourself out. If
you are paying for it then you are just wasting your money.

The alternative is to leave the wheels where they are and when one axle
becomes worn replace the worn tires only. If they are wearing unevenly
(you will see this more quickly if you do *not* rotate them) then get
the suspension or steering problem causing the wear fixed because that
*will* extend the life of your tires.

</Controversial content>

-Fred W

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 05:06:15 GMT, "Kevin DeAngelis"
> wrote:

>I have a '96 EB 4x4. According to the owner's guide, the proper way to
>rotate four tires is to move the rear tires to the front, with the tires
>remaining on the same side of the vehicle. The front tires are to switch
>sides when moving to the rear of the truck.
>
>My company maintains a large fleet of vehicles, with many Explorers among
>them. One of the mechanics told me that tires should never be rotated as
>described above, because moving them to the opposite side of the vehicle
>changes the direction of rotation. He told me that this could lead to
>catastrophic tire failure. However, I have always rotated my tires by the
>above method, and have never had a problem. Besides, I am a firm believer
>in following manufacturer's recommendations.
>
>It's time to rotate my tires again. Should I go with the way I've always
>done it, or is my mechanic friend correct?
>
>Thanks!
>

Your mechanic friend is living in the past.
Today's radials (unless they are designed as directional - and few
are) can be rotated any way you like.
The first radials would take a 'set' when first driven, and needed to
roatae in that direction from then on, or the plies would tend to
seperate. Not any more.
As for Jim's balance remarks, I've never seen anything that would
confirm that.
One thing that's often overlooked is that, when rotating your tires,
if there's uneven wear on them, it's time to get that taken care of;
rotsating the tires will not fix that problem. I'm amazed at the
number of people who will look at their tires, see uneven wear, and
comment, "Well, I guess it's time to get the tires rotated."
Like that's gonna help!

--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

Thanks to everyone for their opinions. I ended up following the owner's
manual, as is my custom.


"Big Bill" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 05:06:15 GMT, "Kevin DeAngelis"
> > wrote:
>
>>I have a '96 EB 4x4. According to the owner's guide, the proper way to
>>rotate four tires is to move the rear tires to the front, with the tires
>>remaining on the same side of the vehicle. The front tires are to switch
>>sides when moving to the rear of the truck.
>>
>>My company maintains a large fleet of vehicles, with many Explorers among
>>them. One of the mechanics told me that tires should never be rotated as
>>described above, because moving them to the opposite side of the vehicle
>>changes the direction of rotation. He told me that this could lead to
>>catastrophic tire failure. However, I have always rotated my tires by the
>>above method, and have never had a problem. Besides, I am a firm believer
>>in following manufacturer's recommendations.
>>
>>It's time to rotate my tires again. Should I go with the way I've always
>>done it, or is my mechanic friend correct?
>>
>>Thanks!
>>
>
> Your mechanic friend is living in the past.
> Today's radials (unless they are designed as directional - and few
> are) can be rotated any way you like.
> The first radials would take a 'set' when first driven, and needed to
> roatae in that direction from then on, or the plies would tend to
> seperate. Not any more.
> As for Jim's balance remarks, I've never seen anything that would
> confirm that.
> One thing that's often overlooked is that, when rotating your tires,
> if there's uneven wear on them, it's time to get that taken care of;
> rotsating the tires will not fix that problem. I'm amazed at the
> number of people who will look at their tires, see uneven wear, and
> comment, "Well, I guess it's time to get the tires rotated."
> Like that's gonna help!
>
> --
> Bill Funk
> Change "g" to "a"