What is Tire Rotation?
What is tire rotation, and why is it important? As the name denotes, tire rotation is the act of moving your tires around the car to prevent them from wearing down too quickly. In turn, this tire care service extends the life of all four tires. As the Ford Scheduled Maintenance Guide indicates, Columbia drivers should rotate the tires on their vehicles every 7,500 to 10,000 miles. Want to learn more about tire rotation? The team at Jim Hudson Ford is here to help! Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or would like more car care tips.
What Does Rotating Tires Mean?
What does rotating tires mean? As we previously mentioned, rotating tires means you are moving each tire from one position to another, typically the front tires to the back and the rear tires to the front. Tires often swap sides, too, to promote even wear. A few other important things to note include:
- Front tires tend to wear out faster than the back tires, because vehicles often carry the most weight in the front.
- However, the type of drivetrain also influences the rate at which tires wear down. FWD models, for example, send the majority of their power to the front axle and wheels, so these tires will wear down faster than they might on RWD or AWD models.
- Your vehicle’s drivetrain therefore determines the tire rotation pattern to ensure even wear over time.
What Does Tire Rotation Do?
Regular tire rotation has a number of benefits, such as:
- Traction Maintenance: Worn tires have significantly lower tread depth, which in turn reduces traction. Rotating your tires ensures more even wear to properly maintain traction across all four wheels.
- Blowout Prevention: Have you ever found yourself on the side of an Irmo road with a blown-out tire? It may have happened because the tire became too worn out.
- Performance Improvement: Tires with more even wear typically perform better, whereas uneven wear produces vibration, which you can feel in the steering wheel.
- Efficiency Maximization: Worn tires reduce fuel efficiency, as they create drag and strain the engine, which increases your overall fuel consumption.
Schedule a Tire Rotation with Jim Hudson Ford
The Service Department at Jim Hudson Ford is here to handle routine maintenance like tire rotations and checking oil for all drivers from Chapin and beyond. Check your owner’s manual for specifics on how often to rotate your tires, and then make an appointment with us!