How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?

If you’re new to vehicle ownership, you may be wondering, “How often should I rotate my tires?” Experts recommend rotating your tires every 5,000 to 7,500 miles. That’s a wide margin, so how will you know it’s the right time for your car? To start, check your owner’s manual to learn how often you should rotate your tires on your specific make and model. Additionally, patterns in Mount Pleasant weather, North Charleston terrain, and your own driving habits can also impact the rate of tire wear.

In the guide below, you’ll learn how to estimate tire rotation frequency for your car, and how to read the warning signs that it’s time to schedule this routine service for your car. The Rick Hendrick Chevrolet service team is happy to answer your questions about tire rotation or other routine maintenance like Chevrolet oil changes.

Why Tire Rotation is Important

Even if you drive on only the flattest of Mount Pleasant roads, you can’t avoid uneven tire wear. For instance, simply turning causes more wear to a tire’s outer edges. Tire rotations move each tire so its opposite edge can wear too, evening out tread wear across the tire. Waiting too long between tire rotations can result in unevenly worn tires, with possible consequences including:

• Unevenly worn tires can’t properly grip the road surface. Over time, imbalanced wearing adds up to decreased traction on the road in James Island.
• Unevenly worn tires are less safe. Unevenly worn tire treads won’t make full contact with the road surface — a safety hazard if the road is slick or the terrain is unstable.
• You’ll need to replace your tires sooner. Neglecting your tire rotation will result in quicker overall tire wear, and you’ll spend even more on new tires.

How Many Miles to Rotate Tires for AWD, FWD, and RWD

When seeking an answer for “How often should you rotate tires?”, one factor you need to consider is the drivetrain your vehicle utilizes. If your Chevy Traverse or other Chevy SUV has AWD, all four tires are actively engaged, so they’ll wear differently than the tires on a FWD or RWD vehicle. As a result, the answer to when to rotate tires will vary between drivetrains. Read how often to rotate tires on AWD, RWD, and FWD vehicles:

• Front-Wheel Drive — Rotate every 5,000 to 7,500 miles.
• Rear-Wheel Drive — Rotate every 5,000 to 7,500 miles.
• All-Wheel Drive — Rotate every 3,000 to 5,000 miles.

When is it Time to Rotate My Tires?

Keeping tabs on tire wear yourself is the best way to be sure you won’t miss a rotation. Check for the following signs of tread wear:

• Uneven wear — Check for uneven wear between your car’s front tires vs. back tires.
• Vehicle vibration — If your car seems to vibrate at speeds above 45 mph, uneven tire wear may be the culprit. Vehicle imbalance can have other causes, but if you don’t find clear wearing on your tires, it’s best for a professional to take a look and diagnose the problem.
• Pressure loss — If you notice that one tire is losing air pressure slightly faster than the rest, it’s a sign that this tire is under more pressure than the others. Your best option, in this case, is a trip to the service center, so you can be sure there’s not a serious underlying issue.

If you notice an irregular wear pattern where one side has less tread than another, it’s likely time to replace the tire. You can still rotate such a tire if the wear is mild, but a severely worn tire is a safety hazard and should be changed out for a new one.

Rely on Rick Hendrick Chevrolet for Tire Rotation and More

Contact our service center near North Charleston to learn more about safety and service checks for your Chevy vehicle, including how to check the brake fluid. Our dealership is proud to serve local drivers with quality service, fair prices, and great deals on service and parts. Stop by today for more car care tips, like how often to change your spark plugs!