# Rotated tyres



## Pat-H (Oct 30, 2009)

Noticed that the front tyres on our Swift motorhome (ducato chassis)
where showing some wear compared to the rear tyres. (MH now on 19K miles)
Also the spare was unused like new.

So I dropped the spare from it's hanger and swapped it for the front.
I then moved the other front to the rear so I now have one front with no wear and one with slight wear. One rear with 1/3 wear and one with slight wear.
I now plan to rotate the spare and the more worn rear.
The plan is to end up with a spare that's seen some use and then change all the rest for new in a year or 2 (they will be 9 years old by then)

Also gave me a chance to check all the brake pads (like new) and suspension. (a little black enamel spray helped pretty up some of the suspension members that show surface rust.
Just got to do oil and filters and then done for another year.


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

Your front will show more wear because they are the wheels that have the drive through them.

they stopped recommending rotating tyres long ago as it doesn't make sense to pay for 5 tyres in one go when you can just replace the worn ones as and when you need to.

rotating tyres achieve nothing other than costing you.


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## BrianJP (Sep 17, 2010)

Rotating tyres is not recommended by the industry any more for well documented reasons.
At 19k I would have thought the fronts were at least 50% worn and rears maybe 25%
Best course of action is to put your unused spare on the front and buy a new tyre to run with it on the same axle.Then keep your other old front as a usable spare.
I have done this many times in cars and Motorhomes.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Have you taken in the age of the tyres into your calculations.

cabby


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

Hi,
I would do and have done exactly what you are doing.

The industry would have you put the best tyres on the back as they consider, in an emergency, that is where you need the most grip.


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

BillCreer said:


> Hi,
> I would do and have done exactly what you are doing.
> 
> The industry would have you put the best tyres on the back as they consider, in an emergency, that is where you need the most grip.


Then you would put the new tyres you just bought on the rear and move the rear ones to the front...not rotate then buy 5 new tyres...it just doesn't make any sense.

hence why no one recommends rotating tyres and haven't done for years....they even recommend NOT to do it now

_'Many tyre manufacturers agree that it is no longer good practice to rotate your tyres in order to extend their legal life. The reasons for this are;

Partly worn tyres are more likely to experience punctures - particularly in wet weather conditions.
Front tyre deflation will create an under-steer effect which is easier to control than over-steer (the effect produced by a rear tyre deflation)
In the unlikely event that a tyre deflates suddenly, then it is easier to control the vehicle if this occurs at the front of the vehicle. For improved handling and stability it is now recommended that the 'best' tyres should always be fitted at the rear of the vehicle. This is irrespective of whether the car is front or rear wheel drive.'_


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

I'll say it again.

I would and have done exactly what the OP has done.

The Industry recommend that you should do something different.

I consider that as long as the tyres are all in good condition it is a small risk that is worth taking. Your MOT Tester will not see it as a safety issue.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

We've never rotated any of our van tyres over the years, over 250k miles each, just change pairs when needed.

The Discovery wears pretty evenly having full-time four wheel drive, so we have to change them as a set.

Peter


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

BillCreer said:


> I'll say it again.
> 
> I would and have done exactly what the OP has done.
> 
> ...


Its about being a costly issue.....why would you buy 5 tyres when you can buy 2 and put them on the rear??

which is vastly cheaper and safer than running on 4 worn tyres....and another worn tyre as a spare....


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## duxdeluxe (Sep 2, 2007)

I rotate the tyres every time I go out in the van.........




......maybe I missed the point a bit! 




Local tyre fitter says exactly as above. Always best tyres on the back


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

duxdeluxe said:


> I rotate the tyres every time I go out in the van.........
> 
> ......maybe I missed the point a bit!
> 
> Local tyre fitter says exactly as above. Always best tyres on the back


I'm not denying best tyres on the back but why rotate and have 5 worn tyres when you just buy as and when you need......and put the NEW on the back

the op rotated a more worn tyre to the rear which goes against what both of you have agreed to.


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## Pat-H (Oct 30, 2009)

My tyres will reach 7 years old this year so they won't have a much longer life.
Continental support advice replacement at 10 years depending on use and condition.
We use the van every 2 weeks or so and I carefully monitor the tyre condition and pressures.

The van has ABS and at near 3.5tonne I'm less worried about lack of grip on the rear!
In fact the front tyres do far more braking than the rear as the weight comes forward so having the best grip on the front makes more sense.

If I was a cynic I'd suspect the "industry" advice on not rotating is more about selling more tyr3es than optimising the life of them....


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## goldi (Feb 4, 2009)

Evening folks,


When you use 5 tyres you get 25% more wear than if you use 4 tyres .


NORM


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## bigcats30 (Aug 13, 2012)

Pat-H said:


> My tyres will reach 7 years old this year so they won't have a much longer life.
> Continental support advice replacement at 10 years depending on use and condition.
> We use the van every 2 weeks or so and I carefully monitor the tyre condition and pressures.
> 
> ...


New tyres to the front or rear?
Check the handbook first as some give vehicle specific advice.

Generally it's good practice to fit the best/newest tyres on the rear - in wet conditions, this favours understeer rather than oversteer.

So if you have the front tyres renewed it's best to have the rear ones moved to the front and the new tyres fitted to the rear.

Tyres with deep tread are less likely to puncture and it's more difficult to control a car with a damaged rear tyre.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Peter

250 k miles???

Is there a misprint there ??

We will be dead before then :lol: :lol: 

So we will never need new tyres

Well that's sorted:lol: :lol: 

Aldra


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## Pat-H (Oct 30, 2009)

bigcats30 said:


> Tyres with deep tread are less likely to puncture and it's more difficult to control a car with a damaged rear tyre.


I've had blow outs on front and rear (not at the same time) in cars and a front blow out is far more worrying.

The current rears have approx. 1/3 wear on them so they aren't what I'd call worn or low.


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

aldra said:


> Peter
> 250 k miles???
> Is there a misprint there ??
> We will be dead before then :lol: :lol:
> ...


Hot damn . . You beat me to it - again :multi:


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

aldra said:


> Peter
> 
> 250 k miles???
> 
> ...


No, we cover all of the UK with our products, so Inverness, Penzance etc are all within our trips.

It does add up when you are doing 80 miles a day, every day to work and back plus the deliveries and collections.

I used to do 70k a year quite easily, don't now though!

Peter


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

I'm going to have to throw away an unworn spare in a couple of years time.(that hurts)
I also don't like the idea of driving around with unworn rear tyres and fronts down to near the legal limit.
I have also had a front blow out in my time(almost new tyre). The rim dug in and took me off the road. That would not have happened with a rear blow out.
The trade recommendations have nothing to do with blow outs but have more to do with losing control of the back end when emergency braking.

It all comes down to costs an risks. I judge the risks for rotating tyre to be acceptable. I would rather save my money to pay for a new van with ABS etc. and winter tyres as I think they really can both make a big difference to safety.


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## BrianJP (Sep 17, 2010)

BillCreer said:


> I'm going to have to throw away an unworn spare in a couple of years time.(that hurts)
> I also don't like the idea of driving around with unworn rear tyres and fronts down to near the legal limit.
> I have also had a front blow out in my time(almost new tyre). The rim dug in and took me off the road. That would not have happened with a rear blow out.
> The trade recommendations have nothing to do with blow outs but have more to do with losing control of the back end when emergency braking.
> ...


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

I agree with you Brian but tyre choices, age and wear rates dictate that I will not be able to rotate as I would wish.

I think you miss the big advantage of winter tyres in that the soft rubber and many "sipes" give them very good grip on ANY cold slippery surface.


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## bigtwin (May 24, 2008)

BrianJP said:


> ABS is a winner of course but winter tyres will only make any difference on soft ground or light snow covered surfaces .


Not so Brian.

The term 'winter tyres' is a bit of a misnomer, they should more correctly be referred to as 'cold weather tyres' as they out perform 'summer tyres' at temperatures below 7 degrees centigrade.

'Winter tyres' are much misunderstood.

Ian


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Well we need aback tyre 

Seems there is a small slit in it

So we will just replace both back tyres 

Pity we don't carry a spare

We have a wheel but not the space

That's life

Aldra


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## emmbeedee (Oct 31, 2008)

Back in Jan. 1961 I bought a new Minivan. It came on Dunlop cross-ply tyres, no radials were made in 10" size back then. The instruction book advised to rotate the tyres, including the spare, every 2,000 miles. 
Result? After 8,000 miles I had five bald tyres. And I *MEAN* bald, none of your 1.6mm tread, not an ounce of tread on any of them - still legal back then. 8O 
I bought a pair of Semperit for the front, cross-ply again, whilst I waited for the Michelin "X" radials to become available. I was chasing Michelin every week for news of the "X" & as soon as they were out I bought four of them. They were still on the van when I sold it a couple of years later.
I do agree about needing good tyres on the rear wheels though. Whilst I was running with good tyres on the front & bald on the rear I went down a left-hand bend on a muddy hill in Wales. The back end came round & I was travelling backwards. By great good fortune there happened to be an angled farm entrance & I went straight into it. It must have looked like a spectacular piece of good parking, but it wasn't.


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