Do you really need tire rotation?

[matt4EV]

I owned ICE cars for more than 15 years and have never rotated any tires. I drive about 12K mile per year. I had to replace tires on my VW Tiguan after 5 years / 60K because the tire is leaking but the MIDAS people could not find any nails. Not sure if this is related to my not rotating the tires.

Now I got model 3 with Michelin tires. Should I follow the recommended tire rotation every 6K miles?

How often do you rotate your tires?

 

[rhaekar]

You'll get the most mileage if you rotate your tires. I did mine at 10k but should have done it earlier. Discount Tire will rotate for free so why not do it?

 

[SammichLover]

How often do you rotate your tires?

Every couple of weekends, when I swap out and back for track tires.

If you have a RWD Model 3 you definitely should rotate. On the RWD the rear wheels do all the push and most of the braking. This is very different from your Tiguan. For most people the rears wear much faster. Every 6K-8K seems like a good number, that'd be twice a year for you.

For AWD it isn't as critical, and will depend a lot more on how you drive, but I do it anyway for myself because as mentioned why not.

 

[OCR1]

You'll get the most mileage if you rotate your tires. I did mine at 10k but should have done it earlier. Discount Tire will rotate for free so why not do it?

Will they really swap your OEM tires for free or is it only if you bought from them?

 

[Joshan]

yes

 

[PoitNarf]

My RWD Model 3 will chew through the back tires much quicker than the fronts, so that's why I rotate them. I'm past due for another rotation and will probably get to that this weekend. It safer to have more evenly worn tires too, especially with a RWD car.

 

[matt4EV]

No discount tires nearby. I called my local MIDAS. They charge $19.99 for tire rotations, which is a reasonable price.

 

[TesSpartan]

I've heard horror stories about the car lift damaging the battery pack at tire stores. What do you tell them?

 

[quikshifter]

discount tire does it for free even for OEM non purchased from them tires?

 

[rdeca]

Will they really swap your OEM tires for free or is it only if you bought from them?

Discount Tire/America's Tire will rotate your tires for free even if you didn't buy your tires there but if you want to balance your tires there is a charge.

 

[jdcollins5]

Some Mobile Techs are recommending not to rotate AWD tires if they are wearing evenly. As stated above the RWD will lose more tread in the rear than the fronts. I rotated mine at 5k, with fronts still at 8/32” and rears at 7/32”, and now 10k miles. After two rotations all four of mine are now 6/32”.

 

[SammichLover]

discount tire does it for free even for OEM non purchased from them tires?

They are individually owned franchises I believe, so it depends on the local shop.

 

[Joshan]

$19 at Costco and includes balancing. They pay a much better living wage than discount tire which usually = better quality employees.

 

[mswlogo]

You'll get the most mileage if you rotate your tires. I did mine at 10k but should have done it earlier. Discount Tire will rotate for free so why not do it?

You’ll also get better performance out of the tires by rotating and keeping them as evenly worn as possible even if you can get away without it.

Also RWD definitely needs it. And even AWD is rear biased. I rotate when I switch seasons so it adds nothing other than labeling.

 

[SammichLover]

Some Mobile Techs are recommending not to rotate AWD tires if they are wearing evenly.

That's not a bad advice, at all. The tricky part is you really have to get in their to make sure there isn't uneven wear going on.

 

[OCR1]

$19 at Costco and includes balancing. They pay a much better living wage than discount tire which usually = better quality employees.

Good to know. Are there any issues with either Discount Tire Center or Costco having the proper equipment and experience to work on Teslas?

 

[Joshan]

Costco has the Tesla adapters. Cannot speak for DT.

 

[SammichLover]

Costco is on a per location basis if they'll even touch the car. If they will then the manager feels the crew is trained and is confident they can do it correctly, however that is and whatever gear they have.

In the past when I've gotten my tires changed (at neither of these two chains) I've had them use a floor jack for a single corner at a time. I still use my Murphy's Law pad a lot of the time, in some ways it is a little more handy with it relying on the magnet rather than rubber o-ring to grip. However I bought a full set of these for $30, to have in case someone really wants to put it on a lift.

Billet Aluminum Tesla Model S Jack Point / Pad Adapter Tool (BLACK) Qty 4 | eBay

Shops that are doing it might have this themselves. In any case make sure to point out the jackpoints. Firmly, but preferably without coming off like a jerk.

 

[matt4EV]

Costco is on a per location basis if they'll even touch the car. If they will then the manager feels the crew is trained and is confident they can do it correctly, however that is and whatever gear they have.

In the past when I've gotten my tires changed (at neither of these two chains) I've had them use a floor jack for a single corner at a time. I still use my Murphy's Law pad a lot of the time, in some ways it is a little more handy with it relying on the magnet rather than rubber o-ring to grip. However I bought a full set of these for $30, to have in case someone really wants to put it on a lift.

Billet Aluminum Tesla Model S Jack Point / Pad Adapter Tool (BLACK) Qty 4 | eBay

Shops that are doing it might have this themselves. In any case make sure to point out the jackpoints. Firmly, but preferably without coming off like a jerk.

Do you do tire balancing at the same time? I called local BJ's tire center. They charge $8 for rotation and $32 for rotation and balancing.

 

[follow.johnny]

My RWD Model 3 will chew through the back tires much quicker than the fronts, so that's why I rotate them. I'm past due for another rotation and will probably get to that this weekend. It safer to have more evenly worn tires too, especially with a RWD car.

+1 on this. RWD model 3 will have uneven tire wear compared to the front tires which is essential to rotate them. I already rotated mine at 6,250 based on Teslas recommended rotation. They've have since updated the rotation cycle to every 8-10k miles depending on your driving habits.

I'm coming up on 15,000 miles and will have my local discount tire review my tread and rotate accordingly.