DIY Tire Rotation Ideas

[robchan]

Hey everyone, new here. Wanted to ask this question to get the thoughts of the community. So I’ve been interested in doing my own tire rotations for my MS, and I’m pretty handy so I know the process. I’d also like to do the recommended rotation pattern for AWD where back tires go to the front and the front cross to the back in an X.

What I’m debating is how to get the car up on all 4 safely in order to do this and also with budget in mind. Here’s 4 approaches I have noticed and the cost as of right now for the parts in 2023

Note: I’m not going to include the cost of tools which are shared across all rotations such as breaker bar, torque wrench etc

QuickJack Approach:
- 5000TL quick jack: 1699
- Tesla jack pads: 25
= Total: 1724

Rennstand Approach:
- one 3 ton jack: 160
- 4x Rennstand, this assumes getting it at Teslarati with a 10% sale: 792
- wheel chock: 20
= 972

Jack with Safety bar:
- 2x Powerbuilt Xtra Low Profile Floor Vehicle Jack with Safety Bar (2 ton): 560
- 2x Esco Flat top jack stand: 120
- Tesla jack pads: 25
- wheel chock: 20
= 725

Spare Tire Approach:
- one 3 ton jack: 160
- Tesla jack pads: 25
- One Esco Flat top jack stand: 60
- wheel chock: 20
- Spare Tire: 300
= 565

The QuickJack and Rennstand have been discussed in detail and are the safest IMO but also most costly.

I looked into using the Powerbuilt Xtra Low Profile Floor Vehicle Jack with Safety Bar which acts as a stand with the safety bar to lock it in place but note that this floor jack is rated at 2 tons and the MS is over that capacity so I’m worried that over time this would cause the floor jack to fail since for a short amount of time this floor jack would bear all the weight before I can get the Jack stand underneath it.

There’s also another approach with the Powerbuilt U-jack but again this is a 2 ton jack so similar worries here.

The last approach with a spare tire I haven’t really seen any posts about this and I was curious if this is a potential solution. So the idea would be to buy a spare tire or hec it can even be a used and worn tire so long as it can be filled with air. I just need the wheel to match the hub and bore pattern. Im estimating this would be $300 or so. So what I would do is:
- Place wheel chock on side that is not being lifted
- Lift one side of the MS and place jack stand
- Remove both tires and move back to the front. Put in spare tire in the back, hand tight the lug nuts
- Lower car, move wheel chocks, and then raise other side
- Move back wheel to front, and put in wheel from diagonal side at the rear
- Lower car, move wheel chocks, and then raise first side again
- Remove spare tire and install remaining regular tire

This approach does not raise all 4 wheels and I think it feels fairly safe even without a safety bar floor jack given 2 wheels are on the ground with wheel chocks. But I also never did this before so please let me know if this is good/bad idea. Clearly this would involve a little more time due to the back and forth but the cost of this is substantially less than the other options

 

[TheWhiteEGG]

Depending on the year of your car, newer model S are staggered meaning you cant rotate them. Read the tire size to gauge if you can.
Best approach imho is..
(x2)3 ton jack stands $79 from harbor frieght
(x1) Low profile jack pump $149 from harbor frieght
(x4) hockey pucks from walmart
If your tires are the same size, rotation can be back to front then next rotation criss cross the tires.

Make sure on level ground.
Loosen nuts.
Jack from one end all the way up.
Place 1 jack on elevated side.
Lower to jack stand.
*Safety measure, you can place spare tire underneath vehicle.
Rotate front to back.
Repeat on other side.

 

[Doanster1]

Just do two at a time. Use Jack stands as a safety measure. You’re not leaving the car on the jacks for hours nor are you working underneath the car. Also, two ton floor jacks are more than adequate. It’s the load rating per corner. You’re not lifting the entire weight of the car with one jack.
If cost isn’t an issue, Quick Jacks would be the safest and most convenient.

 

[ngng]

Just do two at a time. Use Jack stands as a safety measure. You’re not leaving the car on the jacks for hours nor are you working underneath the car. Also, two ton floor jacks are more than adequate. It’s the load rating per corner. You’re not lifting the entire weight of the car with one jack.
If cost isn’t an issue, Quick Jacks would be the safest and most convenient.

Quick Jacks are great if the budget allows. On the other end of the budget spectrum I would not hesitate to use a 2 ton jack with a jackstand either. I would definitely not buy a spare just to rotate the wheels.

 

[robchan]

The issue with doing 2 wheels at a time is that I wouldn’t be able to rotate the front wheels to the back diagonally as per the spec.

Mine is a 2018 Model S for those who were asking

 

[TheWhiteEGG]

Then you dont need a wheel chock or a spare tire.
Use a brick or two if you think your car is really going to roll.
Pick up another set of jack stands. Jack one side. Then jack the other.

 

[robchan]

I guess my question is wether there is any way to do an X pattern rotation (rear wheels go to the front, and front wheel cross diagonally to the back) without jacking all 4 sides?

And what is the general rule when doing rotation and using the floor Jack as one of the supports? Is it a big no no or is it typically fine as long as the other end is supported by a jack stand? I think Tesla does the mobile rotations with just the floor jack.

 

[TheWhiteEGG]

quick answer = No.
If these are new tires and its your first rotation, Front to back then 2nd rotation cross.
Floor jacks should never be used as a support. Not worth the time savings over your life.
Use floor jack to raise the car. Slide in jack stands. Slow release the pressure on the floor jack.

 

[ngng]

The issue with doing 2 wheels at a time is that I wouldn’t be able to rotate the front wheels to the back diagonally as per the spec.

Mine is a 2018 Model S for those who were asking

I don't know anything the S. Are they staggered or square?

 

[E90alex]

Are you planning to do any other maintenance or services on your car or other cars you own?

If not, that’s a lot of investment just for tire rotations. Most tire chains will do free rotations if you bought your tires through them. Some might even do them for free even without tire purchase.

Quickjacks would be the easiest (but most expensive option.

Tesla themselves only do a front to rear rotation, so trying to get all 4 wheels off the ground to do a cross pattern is not really necessary.

You can also just use two floor jacks. Jack up one side, swap front to back, repeat for other side, then use two jacks to lift the front and swap side to side. As long as the car isn’t in the air for a long time and you’re not getting under it, a floor jack will hold it fine. Yes jack stands are always recommended for safety, but the car will be lifted with a wheel off for like 5 minutes. It would take more time to put the car on 4 jack stands than to do the actual tire rotation part. This is only for people who know what they’re doing. If you’re a novice and first time doing work on your car then of course better to err on the side of caution and safety.

Another option is to see if there are any self service garages near you. These shops let you rent time on a lift for you to do work on your own car and usually have 30 min specials for quick things like oil changes and tire rotations.

 

[robchan]

Thanks for the info

Also how do you guys normally do your tire balancing at home?

 

[E90alex]

Thanks for the info

Also how do you guys normally do your tire balancing at home?

You can’t without special equipment.

 

[Rocket_man]

I guess my question is wether there is any way to do an X pattern rotation (rear wheels go to the front, and front wheel cross diagonally to the back) without jacking all 4 sides?

And what is the general rule when doing rotation and using the floor Jack as one of the supports? Is it a big no no or is it typically fine as long as the other end is supported by a jack stand? I think Tesla does the mobile rotations with just the floor jack.

Yes but it takes extra steps. If you have two jacks it helps. You are not going under the car. You can use jack stands if it makes you feel better. You can jack one whole side of the car with a single jack, or use two jacks on each side. Tesla mobile service does it with just one jack and no stand. They are insured by Tesla. For me if I'm not getting under the car I'm okay with two jacks or one jack and a stand for a quick tire rotation. I would not get under the car with just jacks. I don't know of any reason why a Tesla owner needs to get under the car. Either way here is what you can do if you want to do the front-cross rotations...

1 2

3 4

1st and 2nd steps..... jack each side and move the wheels back to front...

3 4

1 2

3rd and 4th steps... jack the front and swap side to side, repeat on the rear.

4 3

2 1

 

[Gadget-X]

Good info. Where did you guys find that Tesla recommends the X pattern rotation. All I could find on my 2020 Model S Performance was to rotate front to back on non-staggered tires. Link Please?

M

 

[krsgio]

I don't think tesla specifically recommends it but it's common practice for vehicles that can rotate tires to do the x pattern. Also depends on type of tires if they are directional or not.

some info Tire Rotation: How and Why to Rotate Your Tires

 

[Gadget-X]

I would hesitant to change to X rotate if Manufacture did not recommend it. Of course I have Murphy on my back and a dark cloud above. Car is heavy and changing tire direction of rotation could impact an already delicate tire situation. IMHO

M

 

[Doanster1]

Y’all making this way more difficult than it is/needs to be. OP, staggered means diff sizes front and rear. No rotation possible then. If you have a square setup (same sizes) then just stick with front-to-rear rotation via floor jacks and call it a day.

 

[cmarshack]

You guys all missed the point of this thread. The OP is looking for our help in justifying buying a set of Quickjacks! I say go for it, but you cannot lift the Model S with the 5000 TL. The spread between lift points is too far apart. You need the 6000ELX which is designed for cars with a very large spread between jack points.

 

[robchan]

Yes but it takes extra steps. If you have two jacks it helps. You are not going under the car. You can use jack stands if it makes you feel better. You can jack one whole side of the car with a single jack, or use two jacks on each side. Tesla mobile service does it with just one jack and no stand. They are insured by Tesla. For me if I'm not getting under the car I'm okay with two jacks or one jack and a stand for a quick tire rotation. I would not get under the car with just jacks. I don't know of any reason why a Tesla owner needs to get under the car. Either way here is what you can do if you want to do the front-cross rotations...

1 2

3 4

1st and 2nd steps..... jack each side and move the wheels back to front...

3 4

1 2

3rd and 4th steps... jack the front and swap side to side, repeat on the rear.

4 3

2 1

Cool thanks for the info.

So this is sort of similar to my spare tire approach but w/o the 5th. Essentially just use the existing tires as a place holder.

Question and I'm trying to imagine the physics behind it. When shacking the entire front or rear sides, If this is where I'm at

3 4

1 2

And I jack near point 1, then 1 is obviously up and because of the battery 3 goes up too. I then place another jack at 2, then 2 goes up and 1 is up as well, does the car come crashing down at 3 and 4 though? This is where I get a little worried.

Or would it be more like place the jacks at the points near 1 and 2. Jack up 1 slightly, then do 2, and go back and forth such that the wheels 3 & 4 maintain contact with the ground, and just bricks or wheel chocks whatever necessary to keep the car from potentially moving?

 

[robchan]

You guys all missed the point of this thread. The OP is looking for our help in justifying buying a set of Quickjacks! I say go for it, but you cannot lift the Model S with the 5000 TL. The spread between lift points is too far apart. You need the 6000ELX which is designed for cars with a very large spread between jack points.

Thanks for the info. Costco sells 5000TL and 7000TL I think. So if I were to buy from Costco does 7000TL work?

Also not really part of the OP but my wife is getting a Model Y so I'd be rotating those tires too. Question is whether 7000TL would work for both vehicles?