Dealer wouldn't do Tire Rotation because 2-3mm difference Front to Back. 30k mile service.

[The Real Maverick]

A lot of shadetree mechanics here.

If you were in a NASCAR race you might notice a difference in curves at 200 MPH with slight tread imbalance front to rear.

For the rest if us, the rest of us WILL NEVER EVER NOTICE.

I agree the whole reason to rotate is being disregarded by the dealership in the OP.

Below 4mm most will not rotate.
That much is true, and I can understand that.

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[Shelbyv8]

Does the little pimply face wimp understand, that is the reason for tire rotation so the tires can wear equal .

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I have always been told that the "better" tires belong on the front, particularly in a FWD vehicle because that is where the steering, traction and majority of braking pressure occurs.

The purpose of rotating is so a set of 4 tires wears more evenly due to the above. If the OP's wear is that uneven, perhaps the dealer failed to rotate at previous service intervals???

The REAR tires need to handle more water than the front as well as grip better in the rear on dry surface TO KEEP THE REAR WHEELS HOLDING THE ROAD BETTER TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM SPINNING. In front wheel drive the extra weight will keep tires in contact whereas the better grip in the front will increase the chances the rear will become airborne. Yes we all grew up thinking the fronts needed more tread but statistics have given lawyers proof they need to win. Might think of upping your liability on insurance to over $1 million in case you lose in court so you might not have to make up as much in settlement.

 

[CurtisB]

This thread is tightening up our sphincters...........................

 

[Carlitos_92]

I have always been told that the "better" tires belong on the front, particularly in a FWD vehicle because that is where the steering, traction and majority of braking pressure occurs.

The majority of propulsion/control being at the front in FWD cars is of course true, but the better tires belong on the REAR (under most circumstances) because oversteer is more dangerous and harder to control for most untrained drivers. As several have said already, many tire shops will always put new tires on the back, regardless of what axle you’re buying for, and regardless of what wheels are powered. Costco here won’t even sell less than two tires at a time, even if 3 out of the 4 existing tires are fine.

In any case, to beat a dead horse, none of this should apply to OP. The dealer had zero reason to not rotate the tires in that condition.

 

[Oscarcat]

The REAR tires need to handle more water than the front as well as grip better in the rear on dry surface TO KEEP THE REAR WHEELS HOLDING THE ROAD BETTER TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM SPINNING. In front wheel drive the extra weight will keep tires in contact whereas the better grip in the front will increase the chances the rear will become airborne. Yes we all grew up thinking the fronts needed more tread but statistics have given lawyers proof they need to win. Might think of upping your liability on insurance to over $1 million in case you lose in court so you might not have to make up as much in settlement.

RE: better tires on rear = After I wrote and posted I realized I misspoke.

And yes, I do carry a $3m umbrella liability policy here in CA for excess liablity over the max limit offered on my auto policy which is only $250k.

 

[Toy Truck]

I was surprised to see mm for your measurement .

 

[Johnny maverick]

I think the stealerships go to a class to learn about how to find ways to deny warranty work and free maintenance. You already paid. Now they don't want to do the work. If you were paying cash for the job you know dam well they would have done it.

 

[Master Blaster]

I would ask what a rotation costs and then ask them to refund you this amount since you already paid for it.

(IN THE RAIN ONLY) If there was a huge difference in thread depth, with one set at end-of-life, then they are correct, but this is not the case here - one pair are in great shape and the other pair are still in good shape. Rotation is completely acceptable and safe in this instance. I don't believe that Nashville gets much snow but I could be wrong.

The rear tires at highway speeds (IN THE RAIN) do not need to evacuate anywhere near the same amount of water that the fronts do, in fact the better tires should be on the front, IF the rear tires are still in good shape. (In the SNOW this is the opposite). The better tires should ALWAYS ALWAYS be on the rear, regardless of front wheel, rear wheel or AWD.

This is coming from a driver with 40 years of experience driving in Canada who has learnt all these lessons the hard way, and have been very lucky in doing so.

Ok, As a fellow Canadian with even more real road experience, I'll call B.S. on this statement. I don't care if your vehicle is FWD, RWD, AWD or 4WD, the best tires should ALWAYS be of the steering wheels, not the followers. Especially in snow. Maybe in your particular area you value traction on the rear wheels over being able to steer, but that's just weird, even on a RWD vehicle. If you need to worry about hydroplaning on either front or rear, you're either driving waay too fast for the road conditions, or you have tires that are not suitable in the first place. Even if your hydroplaning, you want the steering wheels to have the better grip for pretty obvious reasons.

 

[MetalsGeek]

I think the oversteer argument applies mainly to RWD vehicles. IMHO, the main issue with large tread depth differences is side-to-side because (1) it increases wear in the differential and (2) makes braking in rain more likely to create a spin. The manual specifies an X-pattern so you want to rotate often enough to keep tread depth differences small, like at every oil change if possible.

 

[Carlitos_92]

I think the oversteer argument applies to RWD vehicles.

Not saying I agree with how the argument is being applied by tire shops and dealers, but it's all vehicles. It's more of a concern in RWD (especially if you have a vehicle that can light the tires up) but rotation is rotation, and there are more ways to break the rear end free than just power-slides.

Real-world case: I can and do slide the back end of my wife's Honda Fit (117hp FWD econobox) around on dry pavement when she's not looking.

 

[Tim d]

So I paid for the ExtraCare when I purchased my 22 Maverick Hybrid which covered the first 3 oil changes and tire rotations along with scheduled maintenance inspections.

I used the dealer valet service which will pickup your vehicle and return it after service is complete. When I got the invoice I noticed they hadn't done the tire rotation. Their explanation was that the front measured 6-7mm and the back measured 8-9mm and that a rotation was not needed. Isn't that why you rotate so that the wear is even? Obviously, the fronts wear faster but if you switch them, by the next rotation the wear should have evened out and then I could see not needing a rotation.

I talked to the service manager and he then explained the reason they didn't do the rotation is because higher tread on the front would cause oversteer in wet conditions. This is the first I have heard this and I guess it makes some sense, but seems that would be worse if the tires were at 3-4mm toward the end of their life, not when there is still good tread.

Does anyone have thoughts on this? Should I get them rotated or just wait until the front wear even more and then replace all 4?

I would side with the dealer on this one. I think tire rotation is only for very old vehicles with worn out suspensions. I have been driving almost 50 years and only rotated tires once and that was recently.besides our maverick i have a 15 year old ram with 41,000 miles on it.the factory tires have never been rotated and all look the same.i also have a 15 year old caravan with a worn out suspension at 170,000 miles. I noticed some uneven wear on one of the tires recently and rotated them side to side by myself. Do what makes you comfortable.

 

[ryde4ever]

Total BS. You rotate to keep tire wear even. A few mm is not going to make much difference in oversteer. If you live in a snowy/wet environment, you should have the best tread on the drive wheels.

 

[Meeka]

Does the little pimply face wimp understand, that is the reason for tire rotation so the tires can wear equal .

Ouch, you said what I was thinking but only out loud, thanks!

 

[commadorebob]

I asked my dealer to rotate and balance my tires on the Explorer after I replaced one due to a nail in the sidewall.

They told me it wasn't necessary.

I asked them to do it anyway.

They took my money and rotated my tires.

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