Rotate my own tires?

[zinzan]

Sorry, newbie question. I've never rotated my own tires, but have a 25" breaker bar, 1/2 torque wrench, two jack stands, a floor jack, and a 19mm deep socket.

If I rotate my own tires, do I need to worry about the TPMS monitors, alignment, or balancing?

Thanks,

-Z

P.S. I did search, but didn't find specific answers I was looking for.

[BRZZZZZZZZZZ]

TPMS is the only thing I would worry about, I don't know what the reset procedure is though because up here in Canada my car doesn't have them .

[Herndon]

you shouldn't have to worry about any of those in just a normal rotation. i would pick up two more jack stands so you can safely pull all the wheels at once.

unless you feel like something is out of balance with wheels or abnormal tire wear you'll be okay.

[wheelhaus]

I also recommend getting all four off the ground. Get a set of mechanic gloves, tires and wheels get really dirty.

Rotation is pretty straightforward. If all four wheels and tires are identical and don't have special directional tread, rotate away. There's some internet guidelines on what rotation patterns are recommended based on drivetrain type.

I'd recommend breaking the lug nuts loose on the ground, then lifting. Alignment, TPMS etc is a non issue. I don't believe the system has any way of knowing which tire is low, you just get the warning. As long as the four sensors are keyed to your car, it'll detect them on any corner.

[frslee]

No need to worry about anything.
Jack 1 side at a time, use torque wrench to remove lug nuts and torque it down!

[zinzan]

Thanks, everyone.

Yep, I have mechanic's gloves and a 1/2" socket, so I won't use the torque wrench to remove the lugs.

I have the OEM Primacys. I have removed the rear wheels before while installing mud flaps, so I am familiar with that part of the rotation. But happy with all the tips and reminders.

[ZDan]

Why do you think you need to rotate your tires? How do the four corners compare as far as wear across the tire treads?

Tire rotation shouldn't be needed on a decently-aligned 55/45 FR car, wear should be pretty even all around.

Even if there's a fair amount of aggressive driving, it's no big deal (to me anyway) to just replace the rears or fronts in pairs as needed.

Note that rotation does *not* increase overall tire life, it just evens it out so all four are replaced at the same time.
For me, not worth the p.i.t.a., I quit doing it on my cars years ago (still do it on wife's fwd Mazda3, though).

[FunCon5]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz17k5gCW8k"]Scion frs doing donuts. - YouTube[/ame]

Rears are worse because... Race Car. LOL

[zinzan]

I've never heard the argument to not rotate tires, but to do it as part of routine maintenance at X number of miles, whether the wear looks different or not.

Anyway, they don't need rotation right now. It's a 2014 with only 1800 miles. But since I just removed the rear wheels and bought a torque wrench, deep socket, and breaker bar (had the other stuff), it occurred to me, hey, maybe I can rotate my own tires!

My other cars have had tires from NTB on them, and the tire rotations were free.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by FunCon5

Rears are worse because... Race Car. LOL

I can't rotate on the s2000 or rX-7 because of staggered fitments, but it's no big deal at all to just replace front or rear pairs as needed. Rotation is kind of a waste of time/effort IMO.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by zinzan

I've never heard the argument to not rotate tires, but to do it as part of routine maintenance at X number of miles, whether the wear looks different or not.

Rotating tires if there's no detectable difference in wear or wear pattern is IMO a total waste of time and effort.

If you do rotate, the mileage should be based on wear. When the more-worn pair is past half-worn by the same amount that the lesser-worn pair is from getting to half-worn (say, 5/32" tread depth for the worn end and 7/32" for the less-worn), then it is time to rotate. That will ensure that you only have to do it ONCE for a set of tires.

[MightyMeeple]

I'm planning to install a new set of wheels/tires soon, and have never done it before. I have jack stands/jack/ratchet and will be renting a torque wrench from local Autozone....what torque do the lugs need to be tightened to spec? And where do you find this info...I looked in owners manual and did not find.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by ZDan

Rotating tires if there's no detectable difference in wear or wear pattern is IMO a total waste of time and effort.

If you do rotate, the mileage should be based on wear. When the more-worn pair is past half-worn by the same amount that the lesser-worn pair is from getting to half-worn (say, 5/32" tread depth for the worn end and 7/32" for the less-worn), then it is time to rotate. That will ensure that you only have to do it ONCE for a set of tires.

This would be great and true if the car always went in a straight line--but it doesn't. It would be great if the alignment on a car never needed adjustment--but it does.

I haven't seen anyone agree with you, but assuming you aren't trolling, are you trying to say that the normal, everyday driving of a car doesn't wear the tread unevenly? Or would you rather just suggest having an alignment done every 3-6 months is preferable to a half-hour of effort?

[FR-Slide]

Originally Posted by MightyMeeple

I'm planning to install a new set of wheels/tires soon, and have never done it before. I have jack stands/jack/ratchet and will be renting a torque wrench from local Autozone....what torque do the lugs need to be tightened to spec? And where do you find this info...I looked in owners manual and did not find.

For OEM lugs/wheels it was 89 ft/lbs last I checked. If your new wheels change lug type, that may vary, but best to just check with the vendor if you're unsure.

Or, German torque spec; Gudentite.