Tire Rotation Interval Questions
 

Search Disclaimer: Did a search, couldn't find anything, so my apologies if this is a repost.


So as I get closer to my oil change/tire rotation interval, I looked in the manual and it shows the rotation as merely switching the front and rear tires, and not crossing them (putting them on the other side of the car).

So, Noob questions:

Are the tires or the car designed so that you are only supposed to swap front and rears, not switch sides?

Manual recommends 7500 mi for rotation, same as oil changes. Should the tires be rotated more often than that? I've been used to rotating them every 5k miles.

Thanks guys.

I think the tires can be rotated either way; front to back or cross.

I guess only front to back rotation applies if your tires are directional.

For frequency... I think 7500 is fine for stock setup. If you run some camber, I'd rotate it every 5000 miles.

The Michelin Primacy HP tires are not directional; therefore, the typical cross-pattern rotation is best.

Directional tires will have the direction marked on the side of each tire, typically with a big ARROW. The arrow points forward in the direction of the car’s travel, the direction the tire will rotate when moving forward.

If your FR-S has the Bridgestone all season tires, I cannot say, as I’m unfamiliar with them. But, just examine the tire sidewall to see if there’s a directional arrow on the tire. If “Yes,” then keep the tire on the same side, moving it only front to rear, etc.

Otherwise, move the rears straight forward, and cross the fronts over to the back. Repeat as often as you like, but 5000-7500 miles is generally recommended in normal use.

My BRZ manual shows the normal cross-over rotation pattern. My BRZ came equipped with the Primacy HP tires.

Good info, I had forgotten about the "directional" part of this. I will check this out before I get my tires rotated.

Isn't the cross-over rotation pattern in the generic maintenance manual used for all Subaru's?
It's kind of like how the maintenance schedule has that extra line just for BRZ's since there's no center differential.

So the Michelin Primacy HP is definitely asymmetrical. The tread pattern is different on both sides, one side has more "curved" fins, while the other is more "straight".

Even though it's asymmetrical, can anyone confirm if it's directional or non-directional?

Rotating tires won't help with camber wear, unless you have way worse wear on one end of the car. The only way to even out camber wear is to flip the tires on the wheels.

Definitely not directional. If it's asymmetrical and directional you would see them stamped "left" or "right" as well as with an arrow indicating direction of rotation. There are very few asymmetrical directional tires on the market.

Both sides of the treads are clearly not the same.

Now we have to correct you. [rhetorical]Do you see a rotation arrow on your stock tires?[/rhetorical]

Asymmetry does not imply directionality.


These are symmetrical and VERY directional. Mount them backwards and they will hydroplane like, well, a hydroplane.
http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires...p2as_sr190.jpg

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires...gsd3_ci2_l.jpg

You are right. The Michelin Primacy HP tires do not have arrows on them. They are not directional like your photos shown. So then what's with the Michelin Primacy HP tires? Left tread pattern is different from right.

They have an outside and an inside to address many design goals including modulating lateral grip as a function of camber and load vector.

So....... how should these tires be rotated? Front to back or cross?

Doesn't matter how they are rotated as the outside of the tire is still on the outside of the wheel when it's on the left or right side of the car.

The Primacys, like other tires with different patterns on the left half of the tire than the right, are marked with the words "outside" or "inside" so that when they are mounted, the outside of the tire is placed on the outside of the rim.

Got it. Thanks for the clarification! :bonk:

Do these look right?

Passenger tire on left & Driver side tire on right.
(Rotated, not mirrored)