Extended Tire rotation interval

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Messages
118
Location
NJ, USA
Hello all,
Does anyone have information about extending tire rotation intervals out?
I know the vast majority of sources say to rotatate every 6k-8k but I'm wondering if I can get away with rotating every oil change (10k-12K). Will that reduce the life of the tire? I know tire rotations are crucial to maximizing tire life, but no one mentioned extended interval results. I'm asking for the sheer sake of convenience. Otherwise I'm making trips to the shop twice as often to rotate and oil change
 
12k miles is double the normal recommendation. I wouldn't wait that long. You are looking at uneven wear and the possibility of noisy tires when you do rotate. Convenience isn't always the best indicator of quality maintenance. Just my .2¢
 
Last edited:
Rotations are useful for evening out wear, but if you don't have particularly uneven wear at any of the four corners then rotations will actually do the opposite of minimizing wear. I prefer to buy my tires in sets of four, but if you don't mind buying two at a time NOT rotating them will maximize their lives. I agree with a long time poster on another automotive forum about this. After each rotation there is an interval of miles during which the tires all wear at an accelerated rate to "seat in" to their new locations. This is especially true when you reverse the direction of rotation. So, if you rotate too often it's actually counterproductive. If you have uneven wear rotation, or more frequent rotation, may be necessary to prevent one or two tires from wearing our REALLY prematurely. For most of us I think whether or not to rotate is a decision you can base upon whether you prefer buying tires in twos or fours.

I'm sure many will disagree with this.
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
BMW doesn't recommend tire rotations.

Most BMWs have staggered sizes front and rear. His xDrive doesn't, and I would rotate the tires whenever the car has its scheduled oil changes.
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
BMW doesn't recommend tire rotations.


Interesting, don't all FWD cars require frequent rotation to maintain 'even' treadwear? Do tire companies make an exception for BMW's when it comes to treadwear warranty?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: 2civics
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
BMW doesn't recommend tire rotations.

Interesting, don't all FWD cars require frequent rotation to maintain 'even' treadwear? Do tire companies make an exception for BMW's when it comes to treadwear warranty?

Is the OP's 2012 528i xDrive FWD?
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: 2civics
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
BMW doesn't recommend tire rotations.

Interesting, don't all FWD cars require frequent rotation to maintain 'even' treadwear? Do tire companies make an exception for BMW's when it comes to treadwear warranty?

Is the OP's 2012 528i xDrive FWD?


Further research tells me no. Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: gtmaster303
...but I'm wondering if I can get away with rotating every oil change (10k-12K).


I think you can. I rotate mine every 15,000 miles, and I get good longevity from my tires. Never an issue.

BTW, I drove a 2010 Porsche Cayenne in Las Vegas to preview the track before driving the 991 at the LV Speedway.

http://www.exoticsracing.com/
 
Why do you have to wait for a shop to do it? 25-30 minutes to do it in the driveway yourself.
 
I've done it before due to cooler weather and laziness. No issues, but the tires had even wear to begin with.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Why do you have to wait for a shop to do it? 25-30 minutes to do it in the driveway yourself.

many places balance when they rotate.

I'd like to see a 25-30 minute cross rotate without a lift and air tools.
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Why do you have to wait for a shop to do it? 25-30 minutes to do it in the driveway yourself.


many places balance when they rotate.

Why if they arent having any issues I dont want some guy having a bad day screwing them up.

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW

I'd like to see a 25-30 minute cross rotate without a lift and air tools.
wink.gif



Using 2 Jacks its not hard. you flip the front or rear tires side to side
depending on if you want a forward or rear cross pattern

then go front to back on each side.

Alternatively you can use the extra wheel method and 1 jack. with for example a spare tire or a tire/wheel from your winter set
you just work your way around the vehicle

You say air tools but it takes about 2 min to loosen the lugs with a breaker bar
then you can zip them off and on with a impact driver.. and final tighten with torque wrench.

Yes that is work.. but I dont crossthread or otherwise damage my lugnuts or studs.
 
From my experience, irregular wear (a major reason to rotation tires) starts to show up at about 8K on vehicles with alignments at the edge of the spec. If the vehicle is better than that, it takes longer.

So the answer to the OP's question is, if you know you have good alignment, then you can extend the mileage rotation. And how do you know if your alignment is good? If you don't get irregular wear. (Vicious circle!)

My advice would be to be to use whatever interval you want for tire rotation, but be aware that the longer you extend it, the more likely you are to develop irregular wear - and once you've got irregular wear, it is hard to get rid of.

About BMW and their *No Rotation* policy. I've talked to the BMW engineers and it is clear they value vehicle handling over tire wear. And it is ture that during the period of time between the tire rotation and when the tires wear in, the handling is diminished. That's why they don't recommend tire rotation.

How do the tire manufacturers handle the wear warranty? BMW's are known to wear tires irregularly because of their alignment. That means the chances of seeing a tire presented for warranty from a BMW that is worn evenly is almost zero. Yes, I've had the discussion with a few BMW owners concerning this matter and at worse a one time 50% credit will smooth things over enough to move on.
 
You buy and drive a BMW to enjoy the ride (pun intended).
If you want a car easy on tires buy a Corolla.



Rand,

Some lazy idiot tire techs don't balance tires correctly unless its going on their car.
 
Before I retired, I used to be lazy about my rotations. Intervals usually ended up between 10k-15k. Today I never go past 7500 miles and the tire life doesn't seem to benefit. I'm not an aggressive driver and check the air pressure every two weeks which is probably more important than early rotations.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top