Tyre Rotation Idea, overheard

sandeepmdas · 27th July 2005, 10:29

Overheard this idea at a local Petrol pump. The advisor was a local mechanic -who is good actually- and receiver was a dude driving a 1-week-old zen.

Ignore the Owner's manual. Do not rotate the tyres. Instead keep them on till the front wheels got somewhat bald. Then put them into the rear wheels and put the rear tyres into the front wheels. Keep the spare wheel untouched till the rear wheels reach "Tirupati tread". Then buy ONE tyre and put that tyre and the spare tyre into the front wheels. Keep one of the Tirupati treads as spare. When the rear wheels reach the same level, replace them with 2 tyres, but put them on front.

Advantage? :
"You dont have to replace all the 5 tyres together- which will cost you Rs. 9000. "

What's more, the mechanic guy (who was a gulf returnee) was also claiming that this is practised even in the gulf countries....

Friends, please advice. Mods, please merge this if such a thread already exists; didn't find one though...

sonic · 27th July 2005, 12:02

Well, this is what my dad was doing for our old M800. It worked for us...

~Sonic

ritik123 · 27th July 2005, 12:38

In a word, "dont".

If u care for ur car and ur safety dont listen to him.

However if ur sole aim is to save money .....he may be right.

adilshah · 27th July 2005, 13:02

i dont understand how u will actually save money...i mean instead of spending x+y amount of money over a period of time or spending the equivalent of x & y at one go...dont think it makes a difference. unless u wanna put the money saved into some investment and later on use it to buy the remaining 2 tyres. but then if thats the case what about inflation.
sorry for the commerce lecture!!!!!

and to top it all who would wanna drive with worn out tyres even if they are at the rear. in the end worn out tyres are worn out tyres.

Revvhead · 27th July 2005, 13:19

Well youll save the money when you do the change
and (god fobid) run the chance of spendinga hellluva lot more when your braking distance increases, you traction decreases, you have a blowout, or aquaplane & crash the car!!

So the decision is yours

I have done something similar on my fiat, changed the fronts only, but that was when i was flat broke & actually didnt have the money for 4 tyres
(also have aquaplaned on a straight road, done 3 consequtive 360deg spins before i controlled it and scared my passengers to death as a result!!, that was the worst one but used to drift everyday of the monsoon!!! stopping was a bit of a lottery as well)

if you have the cash, change all the tyres, Its not worth the risk

adilshah · 27th July 2005, 13:33

well i will say guys please keep all tires in the best condition. i have been rear ended once by a maruti 800 for no fault of mine. car in front of me had braked hard and i could stop in time behind him. but the idiot behind me hit me at over 40. all he did was put tire marks on the road. didnt seem to slow down at all. if only he had better tyres and better driving skills i would be having brand new alloys on my car

GTO · 28th July 2005, 09:53

This is typically the outcome of giving importance to an "uneducated" opinion - In our country, most mechanics from the unorganised segment seem to have an "expert" opinion on most issues.

Stick to manufacturer recommended tyre rotation schedules. Over the long run, it will lead to a better driving experience.

GTO

RJK · 28th July 2005, 12:02

I don't know how you are saving money. You are just delaying the purchase of tyres at the risk of your own safety. Anyway, I think its really stupid.

karizma_devil · 31st July 2005, 23:57

man in the quest of saving a mear 9000buks..he may end up loosing much more..should not compromise on saftey..good set of tyres is must for any veichel.
i guess that mechanic is either nuts or drunk !!

Steeroid · 1st August 2005, 00:04

My tyre rotation routine has gone for a toss. Went for a wheel balance and alignment check after my rather eventful drive to Bangalore and the shop that does the job very well normally seems to have mixed up all the tyres. Apparantly one of the tyres is 'not good' - they asked me if the tyre is more than 2 years old (which it is not) as MRF tyres tend to have 'issues' after two years. Hence they had to move the 'bad' tyre from the front to the back, after which had both back tyres turned inside out so they cant figure out which is where...

Now is it true that MRF tyres have 'issues' after two years? Shouldnt any such 'issue' be related to mileage and not time? Its another matter that my regular tyreshop is a JK Tyres franchisee. Finally, if tyres should have such 'issues' after 2 years, shouldnt it apply to all tyres? My tyres were replaced about a year and a half back.

Buffetfan · 1st August 2005, 01:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steeroid

My tyre rotation routine has gone for a toss. Went for a wheel balance and alignment check after my rather eventful drive to Bangalore and the shop that does the job very well normally seems to have mixed up all the tyres. Apparantly one of the tyres is 'not good' - they asked me if the tyre is more than 2 years old (which it is not) as MRF tyres tend to have 'issues' after two years. Hence they had to move the 'bad' tyre from the front to the back, after which had both back tyres turned inside out so they cant figure out which is where...

Now is it true that MRF tyres have 'issues' after two years? Shouldnt any such 'issue' be related to mileage and not time? Its another matter that my regular tyreshop is a JK Tyres franchisee. Finally, if tyres should have such 'issues' after 2 years, shouldnt it apply to all tyres? My tyres were replaced about a year and a half back.

dont know about MRF...but this sounds odd....they always top the Cust satisfaction ratings or are near top...so I guess your dealer is giving you some baloney here...
I had bridgestones that lasted 3.5 years and 47k...were good for another 12 k or so..but I was bored and threw them away for a new set of Michelins on my uno...

sridhar24 · 1st August 2005, 10:57

The mechanic's idea is not that bad for who don't want to spend full money at a time, but anyday its better to stick to the manufacturer recomended rotation of tyres for safety.

Technocrat · 1st August 2005, 12:20

Guys this reminds me that once my friend had said that the tyre should not only be changed when they get bald but also if the compund gets hard, this was particularly for the michelin's M45 tubeless bike tires which are very soft compound & that over a period of time & mileage they become harder & hence like any other normal tyre.

Any more info on this ??

ST7677 · 24th July 2009, 15:09

Reviving this topic again, as I was given the same advise by a Bridgestone shop yesterday.

His logic was that if the tyre has 50k km life, I should put 2 new tyres every 25k km in front and move the 25k km old tyres to rear. The advantage is not money saved, but that I will always have <25k km tyres in front, giving better cornering and braking control.

In general opinion, it's the front tyres which are given lot of importance ever more so with new breed of front wheel driven cars, is this correct? If not why so?

Safety is top priority for me as I do drive high speeds at time, but obviously I can;t change all four tyres at their half life. So his idea did sound good to me, what say???

(BTW, I have no intention of running <1.6mm tyre tread, in either front or rear.)
I just want opinion on putting new fronts every time and moving front tyres at half life to rear, vs waiting for all 4 to wear out and then replace them all together.

sukiwa · 24th July 2009, 17:57

@ ST7677:

all four/five tyres should be rotated & running tyres should have even wear on tread.

About mounting new tyres: Always mount new tyres on rear axle irrespective of whether it's front wheel or rear wheel drive. Check this thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...irs-tyres.html

27th July 2005, 10:29	#1
sandeepmdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Varkala Posts: 1,538 Thanked: 2,491 Times	Tyre Rotation Idea, overheard Overheard this idea at a local Petrol pump. The advisor was a local mechanic -who is good actually- and receiver was a dude driving a 1-week-old zen. Ignore the Owner's manual. Do not rotate the tyres. Instead keep them on till the front wheels got somewhat bald. Then put them into the rear wheels and put the rear tyres into the front wheels. Keep the spare wheel untouched till the rear wheels reach "Tirupati tread". Then buy ONE tyre and put that tyre and the spare tyre into the front wheels. Keep one of the Tirupati treads as spare. When the rear wheels reach the same level, replace them with 2 tyres, but put them on front. Advantage? : "You dont have to replace all the 5 tyres together- which will cost you Rs. 9000. " What's more, the mechanic guy (who was a gulf returnee) was also claiming that this is practised even in the gulf countries.... Friends, please advice. Mods, please merge this if such a thread already exists; didn't find one though...
	() Thanks

27th July 2005, 12:02	#2
sonic BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 97 Thanked: Once	Well, this is what my dad was doing for our old M800. It worked for us... ~Sonic
	() Thanks

27th July 2005, 12:38	#3
ritik123 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: United States Posts: 123 Thanked: 4 Times	In a word, "dont". If u care for ur car and ur safety dont listen to him. However if ur sole aim is to save money .....he may be right.
	() Thanks

27th July 2005, 13:02	#4
adilshah BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 88 Thanked: Once	i dont understand how u will actually save money...i mean instead of spending x+y amount of money over a period of time or spending the equivalent of x & y at one go...dont think it makes a difference. unless u wanna put the money saved into some investment and later on use it to buy the remaining 2 tyres. but then if thats the case what about inflation. sorry for the commerce lecture!!!!! and to top it all who would wanna drive with worn out tyres even if they are at the rear. in the end worn out tyres are worn out tyres.
	() Thanks

27th July 2005, 13:19	#5
Revvhead BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 450 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Well youll save the money when you do the change and (god fobid) run the chance of spendinga hellluva lot more when your braking distance increases, you traction decreases, you have a blowout, or aquaplane & crash the car!! So the decision is yours I have done something similar on my fiat, changed the fronts only, but that was when i was flat broke & actually didnt have the money for 4 tyres (also have aquaplaned on a straight road, done 3 consequtive 360deg spins before i controlled it and scared my passengers to death as a result!!, that was the worst one but used to drift everyday of the monsoon!!! stopping was a bit of a lottery as well) if you have the cash, change all the tyres, Its not worth the risk
	() Thanks

27th July 2005, 13:33	#6
adilshah BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 88 Thanked: Once	well i will say guys please keep all tires in the best condition. i have been rear ended once by a maruti 800 for no fault of mine. car in front of me had braked hard and i could stop in time behind him. but the idiot behind me hit me at over 40. all he did was put tire marks on the road. didnt seem to slow down at all. if only he had better tyres and better driving skills i would be having brand new alloys on my car
	() Thanks

28th July 2005, 09:53	#7
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,534 Thanked: 300,738 Times View My Garage	This is typically the outcome of giving importance to an "uneducated" opinion - In our country, most mechanics from the unorganised segment seem to have an "expert" opinion on most issues. Stick to manufacturer recommended tyre rotation schedules. Over the long run, it will lead to a better driving experience. GTO
	() Thanks

28th July 2005, 12:02	#8
RJK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,140 Thanked: 701 Times	I don't know how you are saving money. You are just delaying the purchase of tyres at the risk of your own safety. Anyway, I think its really stupid.
	() Thanks

31st July 2005, 23:57	#9
karizma_devil BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 421 Thanked: 21 Times View My Garage	man in the quest of saving a mear 9000buks..he may end up loosing much more..should not compromise on saftey..good set of tyres is must for any veichel. i guess that mechanic is either nuts or drunk !!
	() Thanks

1st August 2005, 00:04	#10
Steeroid Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A Posts: 7,046 Thanked: 2,751 Times	My tyre rotation routine has gone for a toss. Went for a wheel balance and alignment check after my rather eventful drive to Bangalore and the shop that does the job very well normally seems to have mixed up all the tyres. Apparantly one of the tyres is 'not good' - they asked me if the tyre is more than 2 years old (which it is not) as MRF tyres tend to have 'issues' after two years. Hence they had to move the 'bad' tyre from the front to the back, after which had both back tyres turned inside out so they cant figure out which is where... Now is it true that MRF tyres have 'issues' after two years? Shouldnt any such 'issue' be related to mileage and not time? Its another matter that my regular tyreshop is a JK Tyres franchisee. Finally, if tyres should have such 'issues' after 2 years, shouldnt it apply to all tyres? My tyres were replaced about a year and a half back.
	() Thanks

1st August 2005, 10:57	#12
sridhar24 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,046 Thanked: 88 Times	The mechanic's idea is not that bad for who don't want to spend full money at a time, but anyday its better to stick to the manufacturer recomended rotation of tyres for safety.
	() Thanks

1st August 2005, 12:20	#13
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,813 Thanked: 2,700 Times	Guys this reminds me that once my friend had said that the tyre should not only be changed when they get bald but also if the compund gets hard, this was particularly for the michelin's M45 tubeless bike tires which are very soft compound & that over a period of time & mileage they become harder & hence like any other normal tyre. Any more info on this ??
	() Thanks

24th July 2009, 15:09	#14
ST7677 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,054 Thanked: 73 Times	Reviving this topic again, as I was given the same advise by a Bridgestone shop yesterday. His logic was that if the tyre has 50k km life, I should put 2 new tyres every 25k km in front and move the 25k km old tyres to rear. The advantage is not money saved, but that I will always have <25k km tyres in front, giving better cornering and braking control. In general opinion, it's the front tyres which are given lot of importance ever more so with new breed of front wheel driven cars, is this correct? If not why so? Safety is top priority for me as I do drive high speeds at time, but obviously I can;t change all four tyres at their half life. So his idea did sound good to me, what say??? (BTW, I have no intention of running <1.6mm tyre tread, in either front or rear.) I just want opinion on putting new fronts every time and moving front tyres at half life to rear, vs waiting for all 4 to wear out and then replace them all together. Last edited by ST7677 : 24th July 2009 at 15:12.
	() Thanks

24th July 2009, 17:57	#15
sukiwa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: pune Posts: 2,378 Thanked: 2,562 Times	@ ST7677: all four/five tyres should be rotated & running tyres should have even wear on tread. About mounting new tyres: Always mount new tyres on rear axle irrespective of whether it's front wheel or rear wheel drive. Check this thread. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...irs-tyres.html
	() Thanks