If you ask anyone what the most important part of a car is, you may get a few different answers – the engine, the brakes and, oh yes, the tires. The fact is, without good functioning tires, an automobile is not an automobile because it cannot perform its most essential function: to move. We can probably all agree that a vehicle without functioning tires does little to improve our lives or get us where we need to go. Clark Automotive offers tire rotation and services that prolong the life of your vehicle’s most basic and fundamental component: your tires.
Importance of Tire Rotations
Front tires will wear faster than rear tires. The reasons are many, but the most obvious is that the front tires experience more friction than rear tires due to the more severe turning to which they are subjected. Rear tires follow the line of your front tires, so their workload is lighter. Most vehicles are equipped with engines in the front, which means that there is more weight in the front. That added weight increases the friction experienced by the tires on the front of your vehicle. Fortunately, the loss of tread due to friction is gradual enough that you can drive for thousands of miles before the wear becomes more pronounced between the front and rear tires.
The main way of combating uneven wear between front and rear tires is to rotate them at the correct intervals. The tires you purchased with your car, or purchased thereafter, come with manufacturer’s recommendations for the rate of frequency of tire rotation. In general, most fall in the 3,000- to 7,000-mile range. There are variables that need to be accounted for, and some of those include what mileage your tires are rated for, the kind of driving you do, and the weight of your vehicle.
Tires rated for 50,000 miles will likely need to be rotated more frequently because their built-in life span is shorter. Tires rated for 80,000 miles or greater can probably wait for rotation closer to the higher mileage estimate. But if the tires are regularly subjected to higher weight loads or extreme driving conditions, it is possible that they will need to be rotated more frequently, despite their higher mileage rating.
Minnesota Auto Shop Focusing on Tire Care
Ultimately, the best way to determine when to rotate the tires on your vehicle is to balance the variables with the known qualities of the tire. The goal is even wear, which maximizes tire life and driver and passenger safety. Call us at (763) 784-7944 and let our mechanics help you maximize the life of your tires.
