Tire rotation "who's right"

[jbrostek]

Originally Posted by Twisty

You need to get out more!

average 5k miles a year with the RV, and many weekends of use at a semi seasonal site (use the RV most weekend from last weekend of march through thanksgiving.) Even my race trailer, I got 7 years out of the tires before they where done and still had lots of tread. That trailer between myself an a friend sees at least 15k miles a year.

[force]

I've been driving and towing stuff over 20 years, and have never rotated trailer tires. I have had 3 blown trailer tires in that time though.

Therefore, neglecting to rotate your trailer tires will lead to blow outs.

And if you believe that leap in logic, you should rotate your trailer tires regularly

On a (slightly) more serious note, IF I was ever going to rotate my trailer tires, it would be back axle --> front axle, keeping the tires on the same side. The reason? I only want to jack up one side at a time.

Your welcome Turbs, for my useless contribution to this thread lol

[F and E Damp]

It's my impression, from what i've heard on various forums, that radial tires should not be rotated so that they rotate the oposite way. In other words, rotate tires from left side wheels to other left side wheels and the same with the right side. Don't switch them over.

From my personal proespective, I don't rotate my tires. If I did, they'd all wear out at ther same time! My finances are fragile enough that buying two tires at a time is better!

[Dodge Guy]

Originally Posted by F and E Damp

It's my impression, from what i've heard on various forums, that radial tires should not be rotated so that they rotate the oposite way. In other words, rotate tires from left side wheels to other left side wheels and the same with the right side. Don't switch them over.

From my personal proespective, I don't rotate my tires. If I did, they'd all wear out at ther same time! My finances are fragile enough that buying two tires at a time is better!

Yes, but they would last twice as long! Or should i say that all 4 tires will last longer!

[itat]

Based on the pictures that wmtire posted for methods A and C, it seems like "they" recommend you cross the non-drive tires. So, if you're inclined to rotate your trailer's tires, I'd say you should use method B and criss-cross them all.

We only went to a double axle camper a couple years ago and I've never heard of anyone rotating trailer tires. When we had our single axle pup, we had those tires on for 7-8 years before they were replaced and they were never switched from side to side.

[funfinder5]

Originally Posted by F and E Damp

... My finances are fragile enough that buying two tires at a time is better!

Ditto ... Don't rotate any of my tires anymore on anything, period. Got tired of always having to buy 4 or 6 tires at the same time.

Had a long wheel base Dodge with the Cummins... With all the weight of that Cummins and full cock turns because of the long wheel base...you could sweep up rubber after every parking lot turn! Back tire tread would last forever...why would you want to move them to the front so they can get chewed up too?

[avolnek]

Originally Posted by funfinder5

Ditto ... Don't rotate any of my tires anymore on anything, period. Got tired of always having to buy 4 or 6 tires at the same time. Had a long wheel base Dodge with the Cummins... With all the weight of that Cummins and full cock turns because of the long wheel base...you could sweep up rubber after every parking lot turn! Back tire tread would last forever...why would you want to move them to the front so they can get chewed up too?

A guys should rotate as it keeps tires at the same tread depth and overall height. This is a major deal! If you are running tires of different sizes in all wheel driver or 4 wheel drive you are trying to drive different speeds with each axle! This causes more tire wear and much worse mechanical wear and failure... If you are towing a trailer with different sized tires you are putting more strain on one tire than the other causing possible failure...

In your scenario of not rotating as the front eats tires and so you replace the front more frequently rather than replace all for is not saving you anything other than you're only paying for two tires rather than four... You're not saving anything as the issue is going to be present whether you have new or old tires, or of they are rotated or not...

[funfinder5]

My point was more related to out-of-pocket costs at a time... I try to pay cash for everything. Tires for that Dodge were $250 each... It's a lot easier to come up with $500 than $1000 when needed.

Plus, I don't understand why given the choice why you would rotate chewed up tires from the front to the rear. I like to have my best tread out back. It's a lot easier to control a blowout on the front than the rear, especially if your towing.

Regarding the tread depth difference. We're talking 32nds of an inch here... There's way more slippage than that when you turn. 4x4 should only be used off-road so your drivetrain doesn't bind.

[sonic2]

I don't rotate my RV tires, but during the winter (storage) months, I jack up the wheels each month, spin each tire 1/4 turn. I hope to prevent cracking, flat spotting and dry rot; also the tires are not in direct the sunlight, so this helps as well. Tires cost and this only take 15-30 minutes each month; I hope it works, it can't hurt.

I don't put a lot of miles on the tires, they will dry rot and crack before the tread wears out.