Best Practice 5 Tire Rotation?

[Ramble_Offroad]

So I think I made a total rookie mistake today. Took my Bronco into Belle Tire today to get my tires rotated. Assumed that since they work at a tire store and I don't, they would know what they were doing, so being a girl, I didn't ask any questions. They did all 5 tires and when they were done the guy told me that he rotated them clockwise. Hours later it dawned on me that I don't think he cross-rotated them like the many diagrams I've seen posted in this forum, I think he just moved them all one spot to the right.

Honestly I wouldn’t worry about it too much. As long as your tires are still fresh and not showing signs of feathering (inconsistent wear) it will be ok. I’ve encountered many different “correct ways” over the years but untimely the pic I posted has been the most common version recommended by people I trust. This method has never given me a reason to change. Next time just tell them what you want, if needed just print out this image and tape it to the steering wheel as a reminder. Following the same pattern in the long run is the goal but you should be fine. However tire pressure and use also plays a huge part in how tires wear. I do recommend always rotating the spare in ever time, lots of shops will skip this unless you specifically ask.

If you decide it’s something you want to do It’s not hard to do it yourself if you have the right tools or maybe a friend to help.
Good luck!

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[RedDawg]

But that was kinda might point...you will have an “odd ball” no matter what...even your first rotation, 4 will have more miles than the spare...that spare will not catch up to the other 4, however you do the math...

Well, that would depend on the frequency of your rotations…..Should I start a new thread???

 

[kodiakisland]

Well, that would depend on the frequency of your rotations…..Should I start a new thread???

maybe a thread on get back to me after 5 rotations and tell me how many miles are on each tire

 

[Mannym5]

I've read through most of the posts on this and other related threads. In my small brain, I had to write it out and came to one conclusion--based on very basic math.
The spare will always have fewer miles on it if you follow the rotation guide.

For example, if you rotate every 5,000 miles, then after the 5th rotation, the original 4 tires on the ground will have 25,000 miles and the spare will have only 20,000 miles on the ground (note that the vehicle will have ~30,000 miles--assuming it was new when the rotation process began). Again, based on rudimentary math skills from 5th grade, this would translate into an extra 16.66% (30,000-25,000=5,000; 30,000/5,000=6; 100/6=16.66) tread life per ground tire--with the spare having 33.33% extra tread life (30,000-20,000=10,000; 30,000/10,000=3; 100/3=33.33). Based on these calculations, we got an extra 5,000 miles from rotating in the spare. So, now we can go one more rotation before replacing the tires altogether (assuming our tires will last 30k miles +/-). The next questions is if we get 45k miles out of the tires, how many extra miles are we getting from rotating the spare into the mix?

Here is the math...
55,000-45,000=10,000; 55,000/10,000=5.5; 100/5.5=18.18

So now, we have increased our tire life to 18.18% after 45,000 miles on the tires and 55,000 miles on the vehicle. So, when do we get the 20% you might ask? Well, if we want to get an extra 20% of use from our tires? Lets try it... Lets say after 60,000 miles on the tires, our vehicle has traveled 75,000 miles. I know this is pushing it, but lets be optimistic that our tires might last that long (just like we've been optimistic that our Broncos will get here before Christmas-2024).

Here is the math...
75,000-60,000=15,000; 75,000/15,000=5; 100/5=20%

So, after 75,000 miles on the vehicle and 60,000 miles on each tire, we have reached the 20% mark. Now, we have to replace all 5 tires and start again. But who gets 60,000 miles on truck/LT/mud tires? Exactly!

So do we truly get an extra 20% of tire life when rotating the spare into the mix? Based on Mrs. Schmidt's lesson on percentages, I would say only if you are getting 60,000 miles from your tires. Otherwise, you will likely get an extra 5,000-10,000 miles if you're lucky and still have to replace the spare. I am still undecided but I agree that having an old worn tire on the back on my new-ish Bronco is not ideal.

Nice job putting this together. It was very helpful seeing the numbers. It is missing one element though which I don't think has been mentioned in this thread..

The front tires of our bronco's will likely wear slightly faster than the rears due to handling more of the weight, braking, steering, etc. This isn't as drastic of a difference compared to a FWD or full time AWD vehicle since majority of bronco road use is in RWD, but it is a factor nonetheless.
With proper 5 wheel rotation, you should be able to negate some of the 5k mile wear differences you mentioned. By the time all 5 tires have had a stint on the trunk, they may be much closer in tread life than you think. I assume that could be part of the reason why both recommended crosses put a front wheel on the spare holder 1st? Just a thought.

I originally planned to do a 5 wheel rotation myself. Now that I have my bronco, I noticed there are no wheel weights on the spare leading me to believe that it either balanced perfectly(not likely) or it may not have been balanced at all from the factory. Has anyone else noticed no weights on their spare?
I am also reading mixed answers on if TPMS will auto learn after rotating the spare in, or if a dealer visit would be required to reprogram when the spare is rotated in. Does anyone have an answer on this?

 

[UtahBrandon]

The correct answer is G. Less complicated than F.
And YES YES YES, you do need to rotate that 5th tire, your tires will last 20% longer that way. Do the math.

I've wondered about this - yes, your tires last 20% longer, but doesn't it also cost 20% more to replace them when they're worn?

 

[Brockdog12]

Just had my oil changed and tires rotated, I was told. Seeings how my spare tire cover wasn’t removed, pretty sure the dealer did not rotate in my spare.

 

[JBowles]

I've wondered about this - yes, your tires last 20% longer, but doesn't it also cost 20% more to replace them when they're worn?

Tires have a shelf life too, especially when exposed to the elements

 

[dcg2]

Just had my oil changed and tires rotated, I was told. Seeings how my spare tire cover wasn’t removed, pretty sure the dealer did not rotate in my spare.

You gotta very subtly mark them so you can confirm they were rotated exactly how you wanted. And provide them with a drawing.

I didn't tell my dealer when they rotated them the first time, I had marked them. But after I verified they had done it exactly as I requested, I told them that I confirmed it through the markings.

Never hurts to let them know they're work will be verified.

 

[Bender]

What if the driver weighs 20% more than the passenger and the passenger is only there 50% of the time? And the fuel tank averages %60 full? That changes things up a little...

 

[Fly2Win]

Nice job putting this together. It was very helpful seeing the numbers. It is missing one element though which I don't think has been mentioned in this thread..

The front tires of our bronco's will likely wear slightly faster than the rears due to handling more of the weight, braking, steering, etc. This isn't as drastic of a difference compared to a FWD or full time AWD vehicle since majority of bronco road use is in RWD, but it is a factor nonetheless.
With proper 5 wheel rotation, you should be able to negate some of the 5k mile wear differences you mentioned. By the time all 5 tires have had a stint on the trunk, they may be much closer in tread life than you think. I assume that could be part of the reason why both recommended crosses put a front wheel on the spare holder 1st? Just a thought.

I originally planned to do a 5 wheel rotation myself. Now that I have my bronco, I noticed there are no wheel weights on the spare leading me to believe that it either balanced perfectly(not likely) or it may not have been balanced at all from the factory. Has anyone else noticed no weights on their spare?
I am also reading mixed answers on if TPMS will auto learn after rotating the spare in, or if a dealer visit would be required to reprogram when the spare is rotated in. Does anyone have an answer on this?

Doesn’t re-learn on its own. Inexpensive TPMS tools are available.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B076KL82JP?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

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