What Is a Tire Rotation? (Why It Matters)

What Does Rotating Tires Mean?

Other Honda Tire Rotation Considerations

• The majority of vehicles carry more weight in the front, causing the front tires to wear out faster, but your vehicle’s drivetrain will also affect the wear rate for each tire.
• An example of this is with front-wheel drive cars, power is sent to the front axle and wheels to produce forward motion. This means the front tires will wear faster than they would in rear-wheel, all-wheel, or four-wheel drive models.
• This also means that your car’s drivetrain will impact the tire rotation pattern, in order to help ensure one or two tires don’t wear down faster than the others.

Common Tire Rotation Patterns

• Front-wheel drive (FWD): Often uses a forward-cross pattern
• Rear-wheel drive (RWD): Often uses a rearward-cross pattern
• All-wheel drive (AWD) / 4WD: Often uses an X-pattern (varies by manufacturer)

What Does Tire Rotation Do?

Even though you know what a tire rotation means, you may not fully understand what a tire rotation does. Having your tires rotated every several thousand miles will not only ensure your tires wear down evenly whether you have FWD, AWD, or RWD but also offer plenty of other benefits that will keep your vehicle running strong and protect you behind the wheel. These include:

• Maintain Traction: Tires lose tread depth as they wear down. A loss of tread depth can lead to reduced traction, which can interfere with vehicle control in challenging road conditions. Preventing uneven tire wear helps ensure all tires have a more consistent amount of tread.
• Prevents Blowouts: As tires get more worn down, they are more likely to fail. If you’ve ever had one blow out as you drive, you’ll know how unpleasant and potentially dangerous it can be.
• Improve Performance: When tires that have uneven wear are working together it can create a vibration that can eventually be felt through the steering wheel.
• Maximize Efficiency: Worn tires create drag, placing a strain on the engine and increasing your fuel consumption.

Signs You May Need a Tire Rotation

• Uneven tread wear from front to rear
• Vibration you can feel through the steering wheel
• Tires getting louder over time on certain road surfaces
• You’re due based on mileage or your maintenance schedule

Find Exceptional Honda Service at Underriner Honda of Walla Walla

Now that you know what is tire rotation, you can count on the tire center at Underriner Honda of Walla Walla which has certified technicians who can assess the condition of your tires and determine if it is time for a Honda tire rotation. Schedule your appointment today or contact us with your additional service questions, such as how to remove mold from your car or how to remove stickers from cars.