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Tire Rotation Interval - At 5K Miles or Wait for 10K Service?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by D-Man, May 29, 2013.

  1. D-Man

    D-Man Junior Member

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    What do most people do with their cars - have tire rotations done themselves at specific intervals of their choosing (ex. 5K, 7.5K), or do they just wait for the 10K service?

    Generally I had rotated tires on my previous cars every 5K or at most 7.5K miles. But with the free maintenance for 2 years/24K miles, I was wondering if I would be OK waiting for my first 10K service at the dealer to do this.
     
  2. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    You will likely sacrifice some small amount of tire life. Probably not enough tire life to offset the time you will save by not getting them rotated every 5 miles.
     
  3. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Why would tire life be sacrificed? I know fronts wear faster than rears. If expected tire life were divisible by 20k miles, all tires will have spent equal time in front and rear using 5k or 10k miles rotations. And if you replace tires in pairs, it doesn't matter at all. Or am I missing something?
     
  4. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Tire rotation at 5K vs 10K vs 15K vs 20K vs ? Yes the front tire do wear faster, so it is better to rotate more frequently to balance the wear over time. This effects the traction and healthy lifespan of the tires. It also helps individuals become aware of changes in wear from discrepancies in alignment, inflation, FOD, ect. Let's be honest, most folks just get in and go without ever doing a good walk around on their vehicles. Rotate at 4K-5K.
     
  5. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    On my previous daily drivers (I average about 18K mi/year) I rotated the tires every 10K mi. I usually got about 60K+ mi out of the set this way- which isn't bad for a AWD Honda CR-V.

    I was planning on rotating the PIP's tires at 10K too, but since I have dedicated winter tires- they get rotated out before I hit the 10K mark anyway.
     
  6. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Ditto. I've been doing 7500 or 10000 mile rotations depending on the OCI of the car. It's convenient to do it all at once. Unless someone tells me otherwise about 5k intervals. I don't disagree that it is better but one could argue 3k is even better than that for even tire wear.

    I got 90k miles on a set of tires back when I used to be a courier driving 300 miles a day. I rotated every 7500 miles with the oil change.
     
  7. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    I have always tried to rotate my tires as close to 5k as I can for the reason that frodoz737 gives, to keep the tire wear balanced on all four tires. This will normally keep the tread depth within 1/32" between front and rear.

    I also prefer to buy 4 tires at a time and not just 2.

    I agree that if you like to buy 2 tires at a time then the 10k or longer will probably be fine as long as you do not see any unusual wear patterns.
     
  8. Sfcyclist

    Sfcyclist Senior Member

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    that will wear down your lug nuts.. ;) Dont' see the harm...
     
  9. cnevitt

    cnevitt Junior Member

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    I average about 7,000 to 8,000 miles a month in my 2011 Prius II, and replaced the original tires with some Michelin Defenders at around 40k. I rotate them every oil change (synthetic at 5k intervals). A couple of weeks ago hit 100,000 and my service advisor told me that these tires were wearing better than almost any he has seen used on a Prius--he mentioned that with 60k on them the treads are still at 7/32. I asked is that good. He said, "Very!" One other thing, I bought these Defenders during one of Toyota's Buy 3 Get 1 Free deals, and that includes free tire rotation, free road hazard, free balancing, free nitrogen...the way I have it figured, with what I am saving on tire rotations with the sort of milage I rack up, the set of Michelins are almost going to be Free too!

     
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  10. D-Man

    D-Man Junior Member

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    I admit that for some reason I was thinking there wasn't a 5k service so that's why I posted my question. But after checking the manual (duh!), I saw the 5k service which includes a tire rotation, and had that done free at the dealership.
     
  11. eliteconcept

    eliteconcept 700 mile club, top tank mpg 69.5

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    I do 5k rotations so far. Figured it wasnt bad to do while going in for regular maintaince at the dealer
     
  12. retired4999

    retired4999 Prius driver since 2005

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    If your tires are a little out of alignment or balance is off a little you might not notice at 5,000 miles but by 10,000 miles they may have started to cup and started to hop a little bit, by then you may have to replace you tires. Rotating once this happens may not help. Best to rotate at 5,000 - no more than 7,500. Thats just me! :)
     
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  13. MPGnutcase

    MPGnutcase Active Member

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    Tires 5k and oil at 10k Synthetic all my dealer does a $99 special when you buy a new Toyota includes oil changes for the life of the car.............. Crazy huh?