Tyre Rotation

survey

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I am sure I have read the answer to this query on this forum but cannot locate it, so apologies.

Is it sensible to swap the tyres/wheels to extend/equalise tyre wear? If so should this be fronts with rears on the same side rather than diagonally?
At what mileage(s) is this appropriate. My car has 14K on the present set and appear to be about half worn, but never been swapped around.
 

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The main reason for changing them is to balance out any wear that has taken place over the surface of the tyre. On the fronts often the tyre will wear more on the inside than the outside, by putting this on the rear,it helps to balance out this wear.

Do bare in mind that the best tyres should be on the rear of the car
 

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Whether you swap diagonally or same side depends on whether you have directional tyres or not. Obviously, if they are directional, you swap same side.
 

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Whether you swap diagonally or same side depends on whether you have directional tyres or not. Obviously, if they are directional, you swap same side.

Sorry Helen with different rears you do nothing
 

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You do not just change sides,there is no point in that, if you cant change diagonally then you change nothing

I never said change sides. I said diagonally or same side (which means front to back, back to front).
 

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I never said change sides. I said diagonally or same side (which means front to back, back to front).

Yes darling you are correct and it is me seeing things :D:D
 
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survey

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Whether you swap diagonally or same side depends on whether you have directional tyres or not. Obviously, if they are directional, you swap same side.

OK, thanks. So if the tyres are directional they should be just swapped keeping to the same side. But if they are not directional is the advice the same or is there an advantage to swapping diagonally?
 

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If the geometry on your car is properly set up, and tyres inflated correctly, there should be no abnormal wear on the tyres.

Its always best, FWD or RWD, to have the tyres with the most tread on the back axle.
 

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If the geometry on your car is properly set up, and tyres inflated correctly, there should be no abnormal wear on the tyres.

On most cars, that's quite true. But not ours!

With the correct pressures, the fronts will wear the edges, and the rears in the centre, so, rotating the tyres is MB's recommendation. The bodge which one sometimes sees being pedalled is to tweak the tyre pressures to compensate.
 

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Its always best, FWD or RWD, to have the tyres with the most tread on the back axle.[/QUOTE]

That is interesting. Both you and Malcolm have said the same thing - keep the better ones on the back. I guess it would help prevent oversteer but I was always taught that it was better the other way around as steering and braking were both very important - 80% of hard braking is done by front tyres. Different schools of thought, I guess. Both have good points.
 

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yep tyres should always rotate in the same direction, and best ones on the rear cos a rear blow out will cause you to lose control of the vehicle much quicker than a front blow out...
 

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Yes as above is the correct way.

Years ago when we had front blow outs the car could overturn with ease. Blowouts are rare now and few people can steer a car when the rear is sliding, so the best always on the rear
 

Number_Cruncher

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>>80% of hard braking is done by front tyres.

Oigle,

The logic is about the consequences of lockup and/or the loss of side force from the tyre, and before grip is fully lost, keeping the car in a safe understeer regime.

If you lock up a front wheel during an emergency braking event, you'll continue in a straight(ish!) line with the locked wheel still contributing to slowing the car down.

If you lock up the rear tyres, or lose grip on the rear axle, a spin is likely, a rapid spin which the driver would not be anticipating, and control of the vehicle would be lost.


i) If mixing tyre types, it's illegal [in the UK] to fit cross plies on the rear & radials on the front

ii) In the days before ABS was common, only the rear axle braking system was fitted with any load sensing, pressure reducing, or g valves to prevent rear lock up - nothing was fitted to braking systems to prevent front lock up

iii) The advice of most tyre manufacturers is to fit the best tyres to the rear axle

Yes, point i) is somewhat out of date!!, but fits in with the idea of fitting the tyres with the best capabilities on the rear.

I'm glad no-one has trotted out the nonsense of the front tyres doing the steering! All four tyres contribute the side forces that make the car yaw and sideslip, not just the fronts, and the fact they turn relative to the body doesn't mean they bear any more of the load.
 

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i) If mixing tyre types, it's illegal [in the UK] to fit cross plies on the rear & radials on the front - quote

Thanks for that. I agree with the above as oversteer is a problem for most drivers as you say. Same rules applied here during the period when radials first came available. I can understand re the rear braking issue too with relevance to brake lockup. Perhaps though, with ABS being commonplace now, rear lockup is not such an issue and thus better front braking would be preferable, particularly on wet roads where aquaplaning is possible??
 

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i) Perhaps though, with ABS being commonplace now, rear lockup is not such an issue and thus better front braking would be preferable, particularly on wet roads where aquaplaning is possible??

The advice from tyre safety institituions is not open for conjecture, best tyres go on the rear in every scenario. This has been tested comprehensively by them on test tracks etc, unless you know something that they don't? :roll::smile::roll:

Russ
 
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survey

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So what do you all do in practise? If non-directional tyres - Diagonal swap or same side swap?
How often to swap - every 10K or 15K miles or dependent upon wear?

Number cruncher mentions MB's recommendations - what do they recommend exactly?
 

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i) If mixing tyre types, it's illegal [in the UK] to fit cross plies on the rear & radials on the front - quote

Thanks for that. I agree with the above as oversteer is a problem for most drivers as you say. Same rules applied here during the period when radials first came available. I can understand re the rear braking issue too with relevance to brake lockup. Perhaps though, with ABS being commonplace now, rear lockup is not such an issue and thus better front braking would be preferable, particularly on wet roads where aquaplaning is possible??

We have always had something like 72% of the braking energy going to the front wheels, and it is not only for braking that the best tyres should be on the rear, just take a winding lane, and the rear breaks away,the average driver cannot correct this.
 

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Apolgies if I'm stating the obvious here but my car (and I think some other Mercedes models) has different size tyres front and rear.
 


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