Is tire rotation really necessary on Prius?

[Prius driver]

I never rotated my tires on my previous 7 non-Prius vehicles and got full expected life out of the tires before replacement.

Tire rotations are on average about $20. The cost doesn't seem to out way the benefit of a few extra thousand miles.

The average "out the door price" at discount tire for a complete set is $475

If I got 60K miles out of the tires it would cost $240 total for rotations every 5000 miles. This seems ridiculously stupid when new tires are only $475.

Is there any special reason to rotate the tires on the Prius other than the supposed increased life span of the tire?

Thanks

[tasker109]

you know i never thought of it that way....my husband was going to rotate ours when he changed the oil this past weekend but he wasnt sure where to put the jack so we decided to just let someone else do it. my question, in addendum is, the maintenance manual says to change the tires at 5k and the tire manual says to rotate at 6k. i dont think the rotation schedule has anything to do with warranty on the rest of the car, does it?? i cant wait to get a set of sam's club tires on it so rotation is free.

[Prius driver]

Originally Posted by tasker109

i dont think the rotation schedule has anything to do with warranty on the rest of the car, does it??

I can not see or foresee a reason to void the car warranty.

I purchased a tire warranty with my Prius. The agreement does not mention rotation or invalidity for non rotation.

[qbee42]

Yes. The Prius is especially hard on the front tires. The hybrid power plant makes for a heavy front end, and all of the regenerative braking is done with the front wheels.

Tire rotation is not just an issue of tire life, but also the uniformity of the tires. Some cars will cup the front tires, eventually leading to vibrational loads in the steering. It's just good practice, like going to your dentist once a year. You might be able to get away with less without your teeth falling out, but your breath might not be so good.

Tom

[rsforkner]

Over the past 45 years I rarely rotated tires. The only thing I could tell is that when it came time to buy tires is that I bought 2 at a time instead of 4. Smaller cash outlay at a time. When the next tires wore out I again bought 2 tires instead of 4.

That said, I suppose there is something to be said for having a matched set on all four wheels. But then again does it really matter if the front two tires are a little different than the rear. I do believe that it would be important to match tires side to side.

So, other than a larger cash outlay at the time of purchase I'm not sure what the advantage of rotating is. With radial tires it is simply a matter of front to back making sure to keep them on the original side.

Bob

[richard schumacher]

There is a safety reason to rotate tires: the best tires should always be on the rear wheels so that the car will be less likely to fishtail on a slippery surface. See for example:
Tire Tech Information - Where to Install New Pairs of Tires?
Note that this implies rotating tires not according a fixed schedule, but only as-needed.

Some will argue that tires should be rotated so that the tread wear on all of them is kept as even as possible. But if the tread is the same on all tires it means that *on average* you have less tread on the rear tires than you would have had otherwise. This increases the chances that the rear can lose traction before the front. That is dangerous because it is harder to correct for it by steering than if the front loses traction.

Let the front tires wear down, purchase tires in pairs and always put the new ones on the rear.

[Danny Hamilton]

Originally Posted by rsforkner

. . . .when it came time to buy tires is that I bought 2 at a time instead of 4. . . .With radial tires it is simply a matter of front to back making sure to keep them on the original side. . . .

So in other words you do rotate the tires. You just do it every 40,000 instead of every 5,000.

I'm assuming that a 60,000 mile tire will wear faster on the front and slower on the rear, so you probably get about 40,000 on the front and 80,000 on the rear.

After 40,000 you replace the front for half the cost of replacing all. However, the tires moved to the front already have half their useful life gone, so they only last another 20,000 in the front. At this point the tires moved to the front have one fourth of their useful life gone, so you get 30,000 in the front. Next you get 25,000 miles in the front. This brings us to 115,000 miles with the final purchase.

So, without rotation, at 115,000 you've bought 4 pairs of tires.

If you rotate and get a full 60,000 on all 4 tires, then you purchase 2 pair which (with rotation) last another 60,000. This brings us to 120,000 with the final purchase.

At 120,000 you've bought 4 pairs of tires.

This of course assumes that the rate of wear is constant over the life of the tire. If the tire wears faster as progresses through its useful life, then not balancing the wear will increase the frequency with which you need to replace the tires. If the tire wears slower as it progresses through its useful life, then balancing the wear will increase the frequency with which you need to replace the tires.

I think the main reason I rotate my tires is because I like to have the brakes checked out on a regular basis, and as long as the wheels are coming off for that, I figure I might as well rotate them.

[rfruth]

Do brake rotors warp easily on the Prius (afraid some tire jocky will overtighten the lug nuts) DIY ?

[VenicePrius]

Front tires do the grunt work - they turn and experience a lot more torque than the rear tires. With the added weight of the Prius engine, Prius front tires get an additional workout, so it would be wise to rotate the tires and give the fronties a break.

[richard schumacher]

Say what? Yes, the front tires get worn faster, but tires are not muscles. They don't heal with a rest and they don't get stronger with exercise.