"Funny" query related to four-tire rotation.

[monele]

Well I can't say I'm surprised, it's Firestone. My family was in the business of car repair for 25yrs and never once saw a car come from firestone that didn't need significant "restoration" afterward.

Similarly, A friend of mine went to Sear to buy tires and was told that they wouldn't install a different tire size (we did the math they were within 1% just different tread/aspect ratios) on a LR3 b/c the week before some lady in an explorer came back with a blown t-case because they had installed a different size tire. anyone think said lady had been driving in 4H and the new grippy tires were just too much?

It's the luck of the draw when it comes to chains.

 

[PV Hiker]

Early in the design of radial tires there were problems with cross rotation, but over the years with modern technology has made a better radial tire that can handle cross rotation. I think we all hold onto what we once knew was true, but don’t keep up with the current products and procedures and relay on hearsay. I know I can’t always keep up and are too surprised to be enlightened.

 

[p71]

Early in the design of radial tires there were problems with cross rotation, but over the years with modern technology has made a better radial tire that can handle cross rotation. I think we all hold onto what we once knew was true, but don’t keep up with the current products and procedures and relay on hearsay. I know I can’t always keep up and are too surprised to be enlightened.

Good point... think how many people still change oil every 90 days 3000 miles...

 

[lostdreamer]

Ok then, I will bite.

My reaction? Yeah, right. It sounds like utter codswallop that barely even qualifies for 'snake oil' rather than 'delusion' to me.

How is this tyre memory thing even possible?

I even just went outside & asked my tyres if they could remember the way to the chippy. No response.

 

[matthewp]

I even just went outside & asked my tyres if they could remember the way to the chippy. No response.

:xxrotflma

 

[Silverado]

I recently had a tire with a belt bulge after cross-rotating my Falken tires......waited 10k before the first rotation and about 5k later I had a terrible vibration at highway speeds that gradually got worse. I hadn't heard of the issue prior to talking with my nissan mechanic friend and he said it was a common thing?


Maybe It was the cheap Falken brand tires

 

[jim65wagon]

I recently had a tire with a belt bulge after cross-rotating my Falken tires......waited 10k before the first rotation and about 5k later I had a terrible vibration at highway speeds that gradually got worse. I hadn't heard of the issue prior to talking with my nissan mechanic friend and he said it was a common thing?
Maybe It was the cheap Falken brand tires

I don't know how common it really is, but with the sheer number of tires produced and sold some will be defective and I know of a few that have had broken belts. The few I've seen some were "cheap" brands and some were "quality" big name brands. Percentage wise to the number of tires sold I'm sure the number is small. I label it as poo happens, and your tire dealer should be willing to replace the defective tire. At the very least give a pro-rated discount based on mileage for a replacement.....

 

[AmericaOverland]

All I can tell you is, when you have your tires rotated, drive out to the nearest highway for a high-speed drive (watch for Smokies) and be prepared to drive back to the shop if you feel anything off.

I had that happen on a recent oil change, when I requested tire rotation while they were at it. Having learned from the last time tires were rotated by Discount Tire on the previous car (car would pull over to the right and cross three lanes in less than 100 feet, at STREET speed!), I drove out afterwards, and sure enough, it wanted to pull to the right two lanes over in 150 feet at highway speed. I went back, and it was found that the front tires needed to be swapped left-to-right, and that solved it.

You'd be surprised how many shops do not teach their people how to rotate tires properly. I'd say, what, 50%?

 

[AmericaOverland]

Good point... think how many people still change oil every 90 days 3000 miles...

Problem is, my extended warranty requires changing at 4 months/4,000 miles or they won't do warranty work.

 

[lostdreamer]

It used to be a problem with older tyres.

Yeah, I have had that happen to me.

Ok. I beleive you guys.
I just don't understand how. But then, I am not a tyre engineer. So i ask questions to try and expand my knowledge.

Tyre failure due to a puncture I can see. Old age/weather damage makes sense too. Tyre overheating when poorly inflated due to thermal transfer problems? Got it.

Some form of mutant ESP where a lump of rubber & steel remembers what direction it was turning and throws it's toys out of the pram when put on the other side of the car?... having difficulty following that one. Heck, even tyres with directional tread patterns don't explode when you fit them the wrong way.

Does it matter if a tyre has been fitted to the front of the car, & therefore exposed to sheer forces during cornering whilst unable to rotate along the axis of the car?

Does this mean I should be carrying two spares, one for each side of the car?

So yeah, err, what's the science?

 

[Terrainist]

Two spares needed, one for each side of the car.... good point. It is good to consider the messenger when being told something. A tire "rotation" (front to back is not "rotation") policy is being touted by tire chains possibly, most likely, because it saves them time/money. Some customers will cease to have their tires "rotated" at the chain after the free "rotation" is used as a selling point, saving time/money.

They do less free rotations and if they do one it is quick, front to back. No consulting with the customer, "you want what tire where?" - less time/money. Not to mention if the tires wear faster they get to sell new ones. When you have 1000 stores, policies like this can have a significant impact on the bottom line.

If it was critical that the tires always rotate the same direction that they started to rotate in, they would have bar codes or RFID chips on each tire keeping track of the rotation and location history of the tire.

Tire manufacturers would also make it very clear. It would be great to call the corporate offices for the tire manufactures in this instance. If they say the tire can go on there any which way at any point in it's history and were willing to make a statement about it regarding their product in writing -- taking said little policy memo into Mr. Tire guru and showing him might be priceless.

To me, it sounds like more hogwash spoon fed to unsuspecting customers. If you haven't noticed, they think we are idiots.

 

[oldfordguy]

another view on cross rotating

Until 2 years ago I NEVER cross rotated tires. I worked at a Ford dealership and tires were always rotated front to rear only. The only exception was if a customer insisted on cross rotation and the service managers would repeatedly warn them against it. The guy who's been doing my inspections has been sold on cross rotating the last couple of years, even on cars with directional rims which just makes a car look stupid! Picture a Lincoln Town Car with the right side rims heading opposite ways, UGH!

Anyhow, in decades of driving, I never had a tires problem; be it tread seperation, belt fatigue, or whatever and I've even used ratty old recaps back in the day. Within the last 12 months, I've lost FOUR (4) tires on 3 different vehicles to broken belts. The set on my truck (both fronts) barely had 8,000 miles on them. Coincidentally, those are the two that he crossed, he goes left rear to right front, right rear to left front and fronts straight back. It was the right front of my Lincoln and Grand Marquis that were bad as well.

Now I know all these guys are saying tire "memory" is a load of hogwash and all, and it does sound a little far-fetched for sure. They can do what they want with their tires, but I'm heading to a different inspection station next time and the next guy that tries to cross rotate my tires is going to be getting his back-side kicked.