How often do you really need to get your tires rotated?

[Donald]

Do you think getting your tires rotated is an essential part of regular car maintenance? I think most of us have an idea of how often we need our oil changed, but something like tire rotation seems less clear. How frequently do you need to take your car in for this service?

 

[Lamboguy]

I think it's every 3 months or so isn't it? They do it when I go in for an oil change I think. I don't even know. Or maybe I'm thinking of a tune-up. I just had new tires put on my car so I don't believe I will need it done for a while.

 

[Max]

I kind of depends on how much you drive. If you only put 2500 miles on your vehicle, it would be less than if you put 15,000 miles on per year. I do it spring and fall.

 

[Smooth]

I have never had the tires rotated on the car I have owned for the past three years. I have probably only put about 5 or 6 thousand miles on the car since then. How important is getting your tires rotated?

 

[Donald]

I kind of depends on how much you drive. If you only put 2500 miles on your vehicle, it would be less than if you put 15,000 miles on per year. I do it spring and fall.

I think you're probably right, I was thinking that it would be based more on mileage, not time. I drive pretty frequently, so twice a year sounds reasonable for me too.

 

[joeNmass]

I change my tires about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles.
You want your tires to be worn out evenly through out the tire's life span.

 

[UGoGirl]

Since we do snow tires for the winter, I get them rotated when we put the snow tires on and then get them rotated when we take them off.

 

[AWOL]

This is a good question since I don't think a lot of people think about it. Everyone can pretty much rattle off how often you need an oil change, but I don't think a lot of people think about their tires until it's time to get new ones.

 

[MaximumSpeed]

The default recommendation is every 5,000-6,000 miles, but they say you should do it sooner if you notice any uneven wear. That said, I haven't rotated mine in ages. I probably ought to do that.

 

[RacecaR]

My tires rotate every time I drive my car! Around and around they go... yeah, well. As far as moving them from one corner to another, I rarely do anything about that.