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Don’t forget to rotate your tires

by Feris Wall

An important way to extend the life of your tires is to rotate them to even out the difference in wear between the front and rear tires. You always want to wear out the tires evenly so that you have similar grip on all four positions to avoid over or understeering. With proper tire rotation you should be able to purchase a full new set of tires. You should always aim at having the best tires, i.e. the tires with the biggest tread depth on the rear tire position, as this avoids oversteering and gives good balance to the car.

As the tires wear over time the rear tires tend to wear faster and this is why you need to exchange them with the front tires, so you again get tires with more tread depth. You should measure the tread depth on a regular basis, so that you know when it is time to rotate the tires and when the tires are worn out and have to be replaced. When you have a difference in tread depth that is more than 5/64 inches, it is time to rotate and once you get below 5/32 inches in remaining thread depth it is time to change the tires for a new set.

You should always start with a set of high-quality set of tires. You will need to have all-season tires for the warm seasons and then dedicated winter tires to manage winter weather like snow and ice. You can also manage with a set of all-weather tires for the whole season if you want to have only one set and the winters are more uncertain and not so harsh. If you have long winters, you tend to be better off alternating between summer and winter tires. The tires should also preferably have low rolling resistance, as that will lead to lower wear. Low rolling resistance also leads to low fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

When it comes to electric cars and hybrids, they are heavier and have a higher torque causing higher wear and thus require a more frequent tire rotation to ensure that the wear is even. Once you go below the 5/32 inches in tread depth, you start losing a lot of properties that you need for being able to drive safely. Braking distance increases and the grip is reduced as the tread depth declines. Also, the ability to prevent aquaplaning as the tread depth is needed to both store and channel enough water to the sides so that you can remain in contact with the road as you drive on wet roads.

In order to maintain the rolling resistance at a low level you will need to ensure that the tire pressure in the tires is as what is recommended. Low tire pressure increases the rolling resistance and the wear. It is easy to check the tire pressure regularly and to maintain it in the right level.

For more information regarding proper tire rotation of car tires, visit: nokiantires.com