RichUF said:
Tire rotation
If the tires were in balance before rotation the have to be in balance after ? the key work is IF . It is likely the tires are not in balance before rotation. So if you are going to rotate tires you need to do the other thing that will extend tread life ? that is when they are off - balance them. BTW uneven wear will cause out of balance.
A rather interesting argument that not rotating the tires will let one buy only 2 tires at a time ? likely because the fronts usually wear out first. I.E. Spread the cost of new shoes over a few months. Note: on my Corvette the rears wear out first.
?If you do the work yourself ? and you do work for nothing ? it is a real saving to rotate. But if you take them to your favorite dealer or tire shop it's likely tire rotation won?t save you anything, it may cost more in the long run.
A little math
Assumptions
Cost of new tires - $200 each or $800 for a set.
Life of tires without rotation ? 45,000 miles
Life of tires with rotation ? 60,000 miles
Cost to remove\replace and balance - $15 each wheel or $60 each rotation
Rotation every 6000 miles ? 9 times or $540 for rotations
Cost of tires without rotation: $800 divided by 45,000 miles = 1.8 cents a mile
Cost of tires with rotation: $800 plus $540 = $1340 divided by 60,000 miles = 2.2 cents a mile
Try the numbers with your own assumptions, i.e. tires cost $250 each, or rotate every 12,000 miles. Try no rotation but with 45,000 miles for the fronts and 50,00 miles for the rears or 35,000 miles for no rotation and/or 50,000 miles for rotation. My numbers are what prices would be here in North Carolina.
My favorite NASCAR folk NEVER rotate. That is when they scuff tires before a race they ALWAYS put the tires on the same position when the need them in a race ? They say not putting on the same place as where they were scuffled will change the handling of the car. Me ? I couldn?t tell because I don?t drive in any NASCAR race.
Paul
