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Toyota Prius doesn't need Tire Rotation?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Berch1943, Dec 16, 2016.

  1. Berch1943

    Berch1943 Member

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    Hello folks, so I just did my first oil change and tire rotation on my used 2007 Prius. The car itself has almost 140k miles on it. Anyway, so I asked to do a tire rotation and oil change , the oil changed went fine , but when I got home to check, it was slightly over the max mark on the dip, is that normal after driving it? Furthermore , the mechanic told me that the tire rotation on my Prius is not necessary being it a front wheel drive. He told me my tires were good and still had a lot of tread on them, plus the front and rear tires are different types. I even have proof of him saying this on dash cam. Is this true or should I be concerned?
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    no, it is not normal to be above the full mark. go back and have them drain some out, then show you the level before leaving.
    yes, tyre rotation every 5k, do you have an owners manual?

    do you know the maintenance history? was the 120k major service done?
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    At this juncture, I would just insist they rotate them next time. Yes they should be periodically rotated. Toyota suggests to keep them on the same side, a new one by me, but I've been following it. It at least tends to keep curb rash to one side, lol.

    How much is the oil overfilled? An eight inch, a half inch? If the former, or even a bit more, I would forget about it. A half inch or more, yeah, get them to drain a bit.

    I get the sense this wasn't a Toyota dealership service department?

    You can download the Owners Manual, and the Maintenance Booklet, google:

    Toyota TechInfo

    Likely first result is the correct site. Go to Manuals Tab, fill in your car's stat's, and you should get all the manuals, pdf format, which you can view and/or download.
     
  4. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Is there a Discount Tire near you? America's Tire, their sister company, will do rotations for free here. (Call to verify if I'm accurate.). It is particularly important in front wheel drive vehicles to have the tires rotated because both accelerating and decelerating are dependent on the front tires mainly, which means they wear out quickly compared to the rear.

    I would have the excess oil drained if possible, but I have noticed that sometimes my vehicles are overfilled, Toyota or non-Toyota.

    MT2L03 ?
     
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  5. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    1) Most places overfill the Prius -- most likely because it takes the quirky 3.9 quarts of oil and everyone just puts in four quarts. As Mendel says, if it is less than a quarter inch overfilled, don't worry about it.

    2) You don't NEED to rotate tires on any vehicle. If you do not rotate on the Prius, your front tires will wear out faster than the rear and you will be replacing two front tires much sooner than the tires on the rear.

    Some lazy people (me in past lives) never rotated tires and just ended up replacing in in pairs. Nothing really wrong with it if you always keep track and replace when necessary.

    From TireRack.com

    Most vehicles are equipped with the same size tire at every wheel position. Ideally all of these tires should also be of the same type and design, have the same tread depth and be inflated to the pressures specified by the vehicle placard or owner's manual. This combination best retains the handling balance engineered into the vehicle by its manufacturer.


    However due to a front-wheel drive vehicle's front tires' responsibility for transmitting acceleration, steering and most of the braking forces, it's normal for them to wear faster than rear tires. Therefore if the tires aren't rotated on a regular basis, tires will typically wear out in pairs rather than in sets. And if the tires aren't rotated at all, it's likely that the rear tires will still have about 1/2 of their original tread depth remaining when the front tires are completely worn out.


    Intuition suggests that since the front tires wore out first and because there is still about half of the tread remaining on the rear tires, the new tires should be installed on the front axle. This will provide more wet and wintry traction; and by the time the front tires have worn out for the second time, the rear tires will be worn out, too. However in this case, intuition isn't right...and following it can be downright dangerous.


    "When tires are replaced in pairs...the new tires should always be installed on the rear axle and the partially worn tires moved to the front."


    When tires are replaced in pairs in situations like these, the new tires should always be installed on the rear axle and the partially worn tires moved to the front. New tires on the rear axle help the driver more easily maintain control on wet roads since deeper treaded tires are better at resisting hydroplaning.

    BTW YMMV, but Discount/America's Tire "prefers" to do free rotations on tires that they sold you, not on tires you bought from Sears or some other vendor.
     
    #5 Stevewoods, Dec 16, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2016
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah, especially that last sentence. Nobody appreciates a freeloader.
     
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  7. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    I go there solely for all my tire purchases. The ones that come with the car new I do have rotated there. Who said not to go back when you need new tires.

    They do not complain....

    MT2L03 ?
     
  8. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Well you can't just drive home and check the oil. Like alot of cars with VVT there's alot of oil stored in the top of the engine especially in a Prius which even has its own VVT oil filter so it takes quite a while for all the oil to run back into the pan. Before you go all dog day afternoon on the guy check the oil first thing in the am before you start the car and that will reflect the true oil level. I bet it will be fine.
    The tire rotation on G2 is rather weird in that the front and rear tires seem to wear pretty evenly so a cursory glance at the tires will reveal if they need to be rotated or not. I can't remember the last time i rotated the tires and I looked at them yesterday and they looked fine.

    And a roll into a Jiffy lube or dealer oil change will require exactly 3.6 quarts of oil with a new filter. Anything more and it will be over the full line. My data comes from changing the oil on this car myself maybe 18 times. I use Jiffy or diy. If Jiffy i watch them like a hawk and bring them the oil measured exactly 3.6 in a gallon jug and a factory toyota filter. I don't buy any upsell and they don't touch anything else. I tip them and everyone's happy.
    They charge me 19.99 and it takes 10 mins.
     
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  9. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    I've always followed manufacturer's recommendation re. tyre rotation, and remember, if the tyres are "directional" w.r.t. rotation they should stay on the same side! Get a new mechanic (your current one sounds like a cretin!)
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i wonder what happen to berch?(n)
     
  11. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Probly a tombstone somewhere that says "He did not rotate his tires."
     
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  12. narf

    narf Active Member

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    Tires definitely need front to back rotation. Otherwise your front tires will wear out much faster than the rears.

    SM-N910P ?
     
    #12 narf, Mar 15, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2017
  13. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Your current mechanic has over filled your oil pan and given you horribly wrong advice on tire rotation and neglected service. It is time to find a new mechanic.
     
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  14. Berch1943

    Berch1943 Member

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    I'm still here! Been busy with life. Anyway I'm just gonna have the tires changed during my next maintenance. Which is another question I wanted to ask, how often should the tires be changed? I didn't change tires since I bought the Prius used and the dealer said they changed it already so I'll believe them. It was 136k miles when I got it, now it's getting almost 144k miles. What do you guys think , is it necessary to change?
     
  15. Kevin_Denver

    Kevin_Denver Active Member

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    Tires last ~30-70k if rotated regularly and inflated properly (depends on tread material and how aggressively they're driven on). On your tires there are little wear bars between the treads. When the tire is worn down to that bar, it needs replacement. This is generally when there is 2/32" tread remaining. Those who drive regularly in the rain will replace tires sooner, usually around 4/32", as tires will loose wet and snow traction as the tread wears off.
     
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  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Age is a factor too. After 5~6 years you want to inspect the tread more carefully, looking for cracking. 10 years is widely acknowledged as the max age, regardless of how they look. There's codes on the tire indicating the year and week they were manufactured. Google that for more info.

    Our OEM tires are a bit over 8 years old now, about 21 months older than our purchase date (car sat on dealership lot for over a year, lol). Regardless of plenty of tread remaining (we are low miles) next spring it might be replacement time. The have modest cracking now, especially in between the treads.
     
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  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    as long as you change your underwear, your tires are fine.
     
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  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Wait, what...

    Site's got the confetti in a hurricane motif again this morning, eh.
     
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  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Ah, I get it: gotta look presentable in the ambulance.
     
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  20. Kevin_Denver

    Kevin_Denver Active Member

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    There's only one thing that should be bald around here, and that's my dad...(y)