Tire Rotation Guide

What is Tire Rotation?

Rotating your tires means switching the position of the tires on your vehicle. Good tires are vital to keeping you in control of your vehicle; they play a critical role in transmitting and maintaining traction, absorbing shock, and reducing wear and tear on your vehicle. Volkswagen Parts Warehouse recommends that you rotate your tires every 5,000 miles. 

Why is Tire Rotation Necessary? 

The contact patch, or area where the rubber meets the road, will wear unevenly because of individual driving habits. For example, lets say you drive a FWD vehicle. The front tires will experience disproportionate usage because the vehicle is being powered by the front two wheels, producing uneven wear and tear. Depending on your drivetrain (AWD, FWD, RWD, 4WD), different tire rotation patterns are needed. By rotating tires, you are keeping tread depth uniform and maintaining equal traction across all 4 tires.

Rotation Patterns

Use your discretion when determining how to rotate your tires. Drivetrain specific patterns can give you an idea of which rotation is right for you, be sure to consider all factors affecting wear and tear prior to rotating. 

How to Rotate Your Tires at Home

Before you're ready to start rotating, you'll need a car jack, jack stands, and a lug nut wrench. Once you're ready to go, follow these six simple steps:

1. Park your vehicle on an even surface, turn off the ignition, and engage the parking break.
2. Loosen all lug nuts on all wheels, without removing any.
3. Use car jack to lift the first wheel, place jack stand underneath, and remove tire. Repeat for all 4 tires. 
4. Once the tires are off, check air pressure, rebalance (if needed), check tread depth, or any other damage. Move to new positions.
5. Place tire back onto mount, hand tighten. 
6. Lower vehicle from car jack, tighten fully with lug nut wrench. To ensure evenness, tighten in a star pattern by moving diagonally from lug to lug. Refer to the diagram below.