Tire rotation question

Not Unidirectional, as far as I know.

No cross-rotation needed since these are modern radial tires...NOT bias-ply. whatever those terms mean. I'll let more knowledgeable folks chime in.

I'm doing 5,000 mile rotations F to R and (now) 10,000 mile oil changes. Been using Mobil 1 syn since early on. Cleaning both air filters (K and N engine and toyota cabin) every 10,000 as well.

As usual, YMMV (your mileage may vary)

Enjoy your car, it's still the best out there and the one to beat in all-around performance (emissions, efficiency,room, speed, and gadgets!)

 

Typically, standard radial tires are not criss-crossed during rotation. They're just moved front to rear.

Unidirectional tires, of course, are never swapped side-to-side.

 

I have had bad left side wear by rotation from front to rear. Toyota says this correct but Honda says to move the from tires to rear on opposite sides, then move the rear to the front on the same side. I have done this for years with good results. I did the Toyota way on the Prius and the left side is worn but the right side is still good. I have ordered new tires for the Prius and will use the Honda method from now on.

 

In the manual, Toyota recommends just rotation them front to back on the same side.

I've read couple of tire articles, they seem to recommend doing the forward cross method for front wheel drive vehicles, see http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=43

"On front-wheel drive cars, rotate the tires in a forward cross pattern (Figure A) or the alternative X pattern (Figure B)"

According to TireRack, the Toyota method is for "vehicles equipped with the same size directional wheels and/or directional tires."

 

I just talked to a Michelin rep who also states as you say - cross the front and move the back to the same side front. I will do this from now on.
Thanks!(I do my own maintenance and want it right. )These Goodyear Infinity tires are being replaced sooner than any of a good many years.

 

I think the manual says to just rotate tires from front to back. If this is what Toyota recommends for the Prius, that is what I'm doing. If there are any uneven wear on the tires, there must be something that needs to be fixed in the suspension components.

 

A couple of thoughts:
1. Rotate the tires according to the tire manufacturer's directions. If no response from the tire manufacturer, then default to what Toyota recommends.

2. Uneven wear on one side is usually a problem with the suspension.

 

There is no need to rotate tires according to a schedule. It is safer to rotate them only as needed to keep the two least-worn tires at the rear, as explained here:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=52

 

Putting the best tyres on the rear and not rotating the tyres front to rear to even out wear will mean the rear tyres will remain on the rear until the front tyres are worn to a point that they need to be replaced, at this time you would move the rear tyres to the front and put the new tyres on the rear where they would stay while the front tyres again wear more quickly because they have to handle all acceleration and turning forces and most of braking forces. Front tyres naturally wear more on the edges than rear tyres due to greater mass and cornering forces. By rotating tyres front to rear at regular intervals will make your tyres last longer and you will be replacing them as a set rather than 2 at a time therefore maintaining the balance of the car. If you ignore this important part of tyre maintenance it is important not to put tyres that are worn significantly more on the rear although with shallow tread on the front tyres you risk aquaplaning on very wet roads and loss of traction when trying to accelerate on ice, mud or snow. It is therefore advisable to replace the not rotated front tyres much sooner to maintain usable tread depth for winter driving. All in all the no rotation method is a win win for the tyres sellers and makers.

Tyres are one of the hardest parts of a car to recycle.

Now read this from the above posted link and you will see that the article isn't saying don't rotate your tyres, it is saying don't put new tyres on the back while the rear tyres are half worn or worse. Rotate your tyres and avoid this issue.

 

When the tread is the same all around it increases the chances that the rear will hydroplane before the front, or that front and rear will hydroplane together. If any of the tires are going to hydroplane it is far better to have the front pair hydroplane first; this is nature's way of telling you to slow down. Let the front tires wear down, purchase tires in pairs and always put the new ones on the rear. This maximizes the chances that the front pair will hydroplane first in wet conditions.

 

Exactly. This way one gets all usable life out of every tire, instead of throwing some of it away, and the best tires are always at the rear where they should be for greatest safety.

 

What are you guys smoking? My tires rotate every time I drive. `-)