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

[Bill S]

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?

That may be true to some extent, depending on how much of a difference there is between the wear on the front tires vs the rear. This is from a Michelin website:


Tires should be serviced periodically following the rotation patterns provided in the vehicle's owner's manual.
You should rotate your tires approximately every 6,000 to 8,000 miles (about 9,600 to 13,000 km). For some of you, this is the same time as your car's service. The right time may also be when changing from winter to summer tires. Or simply when you buy new tires.
When replacing just two tires, Michelin recommends that the new or least worn tires are fitted to the rear axle to improve vehicle control and safety.
This advice applies to front and rear wheel drive vehicles fitted with the same tire sizes front and rear.

Tire-inflation pressures must be readjusted according to the vehicle manufacturer’s or tire manufacturer’s recommendations.

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[The Real Maverick]

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.

And most people, like 99.9% will consider 2 mm small.

 

[HeyBales]

That may be true to some extent, depending on how much of a difference there is between the wear on the front tires vs the rear. This is from a Michelin website:


Tires should be serviced periodically following the rotation patterns provided in the vehicle's owner's manual.
You should rotate your tires approximately every 6,000 to 8,000 miles (about 9,600 to 13,000 km). For some of you, this is the same time as your car's service. The right time may also be when changing from winter to summer tires. Or simply when you buy new tires.
When replacing just two tires, Michelin recommends that the new or least worn tires are fitted to the rear axle to improve vehicle control and safety.
This advice applies to front and rear wheel drive vehicles fitted with the same tire sizes front and rear.

Tire-inflation pressures must be readjusted according to the vehicle manufacturer’s or tire manufacturer’s recommendations.

That's the catch right there that makes that the good way to phrase it.

When replacing 2 tires with new. (which isn't happening on a rotate)

Still do rotations, almost always the front will show more wear, hence the reason to rotate.

If some of the former advice was followed that the best tread always goes on the back - there'd never be a rotation to even it out.

If someone was super concerned about following the advice with best on rear for purpose of safety and control - then rotate before your driest spell of the year with best tread on front to allow even wear, maybe it'll be equal by the time the rains come around.

 

[scotty]

BS. Go to Discount Tire; unless tires are below 4/32, they'll rotate for free.

Are you saying Discount Tire will rotate tires for free at all locations, even if you don't buy the tires at Discount Tires?

 

[AVC]

Yep. They rotated the Continentals on my '23 a few weeks ago.

 

[ehauser]

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.

Very little snow in Nashville. Most years we get a few inches and some years we may get 4-6 inches that lasts a week at most.

 

[Grand Nat.]

Unless you are driving into a sharp turn doing 65 MPH your traction control and stability control should correct any oversteer at a lower speed. A millimeter or two of tread won't make a difference. He pulled a fast one on you.

 

[dochawk]

I think tire rotation is only for very old vehicles with worn out suspensions. I

My '02 E150 had ford's oh-so-clever self alignment system.

And it ate tires.

Eventually a tech explained to us that it was just plain brutal on the RF tire, which was the one that kept wearing.

For not much, they disabled it, and the occasional alignment cost us far less than the tires it used to eat.

Are you saying Discount Tire will rotate tires for free at all locations, even if you don't buy the tires at Discount Tires?

But do send a few bucks back for the guys doing it!

in other matters . . .

a lot of the conventional wisdom comes from RWD vehicles, in which front/rear is consistent with steer/drive.

Some of the things on wear have to do with steering/following, while others have to do with drive/non-drive (with AWD yet another issue).

and, yes, hinted at love, the point of rotation is to even out wear, not deal with existing wear.

 

[Ron Neal]

If there isn't a back story here I am impressed that the tech measured each tire tread before performing the rotation. Even though I may not agree with the service managers response I can't argue his reasoning.
I probably would get my tires rotated elsewhere and move on, the fact its Maverick is irrelevant.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

If there isn't a back story here I am impressed that the tech measured each tire tread before performing the rotation. Even though I may not agree with the service managers response I can't argue his reasoning.
I probably would get my tires rotated elsewhere and move on, the fact its Maverick is irrelevant.

Exactly. Dealership policy may come into play.

 

[ehauser]

Al,
Can you find anything regarding New or Used tires. Verifiable source.
That contradicts putting the tires with the most tread on the rear?
https://www.souzastireservice.com/Tires-101/Front-or-Rear#:~:text=Then, since the front tires,(economy), or safety.

Let's not forget tire rotation is to be done every 5,000 to 8,000 miles. For some of us, that could be one year's worth of driving. For others that could be every couple months.
If you've gone 9,000 to 11,000 miles depending upon your driving conditions. You now have more pronounced imbalance in tread depth.

Ford maintenance says rotate every 10,000 miles. Same as oil change on hybrid. They rotated at 10 and 20k miles so should have been an issue then as well right?

 

[ehauser]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I have decided leave as is per dealer decision and see what happens at 40k miles. That way if I do have an accident I can have the dealer recommendation as proof. Also at 40k miles they will only be 5000 miles from tread warranty so I will just get four new tires elsewhere with lifetime rotate and balance. I won’t be going back to ford for service.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I have decided leave as is per dealer decision and see what happens at 40k miles. That way if I do have an accident I can have the dealer recommendation as proof. Also at 40k miles they will only be 5000 miles from tread warranty so I will just get four new tires elsewhere with lifetime rotate and balance. I won’t be going back to ford for service.

Hmm....okay.

With the new tires.
I would make sure to get the tread wear rotation policy in writing.

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