Rotate Tires : worth the hassle and $$ ?
 

OK, sound like a lame question, BUT, given the fact the the tires are asymmetric, and rotation would require that the tires be removed : swap the fronts and swap rears (assuming that their is no restriction for rotation directionality)...............

what are the groups opinions re. cost/benefit ratio for tire rotation?


thanks in advance for your comments

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, you can't rotate staggered wheels/tires.

Correct! Since the rears are much larger than the fronts .. rotation is not an option.

That depends .Which car do you have ?

I believe that the front for for front and rear for rear is possible
 

Guys, correct me if I am wrong:

I believe that the front tires can be exchanged for each other by removal and swapping sides, same for the rear.

However, if the tires are directional, in terms of rotation, they cannot be rotated even front for front, and rear for rear.....

I was told you can't swap side to side asymetrical tires. I was going to do the same thing. My tire guy said that asymetrical tires tell you which side of the tire shows on the outside on the sidewall.

Yes, I had rotated left/right wheel (Michelin PS2) because the left front was wearing faster to due DEs (mostly right turns).

I swaped the wheels (side to side, very simple).
0 <-> 0
O <-> O

Perhaps that would help with the understeer that my car was demonstrating while autocrossing over the weekend.

295s in front! :D

colonel, I salute you
 

Thanks for the reply -

That makes it clear - it helps that the assymetric tires do not have a rotational direction.

Tire prices are quite up there and I wanted to max my wear.

rotating tires is for suckers!

Of course you can swap left for right with the PS2s. They are unidirectional -- keep the "Outside" out and you are all set. Been doing it for 3-4 years when I started running PS2s to even out the cold / wet track day wear variation.

To get max mileage out of your tires, just check your pressure regularly. That's the #1 failure on most cars and owners...they don't check and keep them inflated properly.

Now, that said, properly does not necessarily mean what's on the sticker in the door jamb. Inflate to what works best for you. On my C4S, it's a tad lower than recommendation, but not much, and I check it twice a month at the least. Same for all my other vehicles.

Asymetric tires can be flipped side to side on the same axle, or rotated anywhere if all 4 tires are the same.

Directional tires can be rotated on the same axle if dismounted and moved over to the other side and remounted, keeping the rotation arrow aimed forward. They can also be rotated front to rear only on the same side if on a car with four like sizes. We do recommend rotating/flipping as a scheduled item. Lifespan will be improved.

You can read up on it and others at:

http://www.tirerack.com/about/techcenter.jsp

Thanks for the useful info re. rotation: Col, RonCT, Eric and Damon
 

Damon, oh mighty tire meister:

1. How often should I rotate the same axel fronts and the rears for PS2s onna C4S?
2. Any other tire pressure values that I should consider besides the OEM supplied values in door jam or in the manual ?

Thanks in advance.

Rotate never if you don't track. If you do track and have uneven wear from it (as we all do -- the left side takes a beating), then rotate whenever you feel up to it. Unfortunately, I waited too long (lazy) and the shoulders of my PS2s are a bit ragged. Now that I have camber dialed in and am using the RA1s (I used the oem PS2s on my first few DEs with this new car to acclimate myself to my first rear-engined car).