Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

"officially recommended" tire rotation pattern?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
L

l10l

Member
Feb 10, 2022
22
23
Scottsdale, AZ
#1
I've got a 2022 TM3 LR AWD, standard wheels that my wife has been driving, and she'd like to have the tires checked/rotated.

After checking the owners manual, etc., we couldn't find anything about the recommended pattern when rotating the tires. We're used to seeing that information documented for past cars we've owned. Does anyone know of anything official?

I've seen some mention of other advice regarding how to not damage the underside of the car or other things that are good to know the first time through. If anyone has anything on that, it would be welcome too, especially if it represents Tesla's recommendation or hard-won experience with the TM3.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
#2
l10l said:
I've got a 2022 TM3 LR AWD, standard wheels that my wife has been driving, and she'd like to have the tires checked/rotated.

After checking the owners manual, etc., we couldn't find anything about the recommended pattern when rotating the tires. We're used to seeing that information documented for past cars we've owned. Does anyone know of anything official?

I've seen some mention of other advice regarding how to not damage the underside of the car or other things that are good to know the first time through. If anyone has anything on that, it would be welcome too, especially if it represents Tesla's recommendation or hard-won experience with the TM3.
Click to expand...

For non staggered (your front and rear wheels are the exact same size) and non directional wheels/tires, I always have used the X pattern method. Especially on an AWD car.

Driver Front to Passenger Rear. & Passenger Front to Driver Rear.

Some people just rotate the rears to the fronts on the same side, which is fine. Everyone has their preference and at the end of the day, rotating tires in general is better than not rotating them all so I'm not here to suggest what is right or wrong.

The reason I use the X pattern method is because we make a lot more right turns than left, in left hand drive countries. like the US etc... Even for right hand drive countries, by doing the X pattern would yield the same benefits as you're balancing out the treadwear. The benefits are the same.

However, is the X pattern necessary? Probably not as EVs weigh a ton and on tires such as my Michelin's for example I will be lucky to get ~25K out of them so it really may not matter at all on which pattern rotation you go with.

I personally rotate my tires every 5K and ignore the recommended paper suggestions that Tesla suggests. Again, just personal preference.

As for the underside of the car are you referring to the jack points? Under Teslas there are very specific jack points with little holes where you would use what is called a puck to install on there first before putting a jack to it. The pucks are like little hockey pucks with a nub that you insert into the jacking points. This is very important and it's highly advised to get a pair of these pucks for your Tesla before jacking them up.

Most tire places will rotate your tires for free if you've bought tires from them before and have these pucks for Teslas.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
#3
  • Like
Reactions: pikeman
Upvote 0
#4
l10l said:
I've got a 2022 TM3 LR AWD, standard wheels that my wife has been driving, and she'd like to have the tires checked/rotated.

After checking the owners manual, etc., we couldn't find anything about the recommended pattern when rotating the tires. We're used to seeing that information documented for past cars we've owned. Does anyone know of anything official?

I've seen some mention of other advice regarding how to not damage the underside of the car or other things that are good to know the first time through. If anyone has anything on that, it would be welcome too, especially if it represents Tesla's recommendation or hard-won experience with the TM3.
Click to expand...
Depends on the tires, whether directional or not, not the car. No different pattern from any other rear-biased AWD or RWD car. Rearward Cross if non-directional tires, and front to rear if directional tires. The OEM 18" and 19" M3LR tires are not directional.

tiregrades.com

All Wheel Drive Tire Rotation Patterns (AWD) | TireGrades

All Wheel Drive Tire Rotation - There are two acceptable rotation patterns for all wheel drive vehicles. The rearward cross and X-pattern. The...
tiregrades.com tiregrades.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: XPsionic
Upvote 0
#5
I thought most Tesla's just swap front and back. Tire wear is going to determine if swapping sides has any benefit. Crossing would ensure each wheel is eventually in all 4 spots. But its much simpler to swap front and back on the same side - just jack car up in one spot and switch tires... done.

I always hated staggered rims because you can't rotate, had to buy tires like 2-3x as often. Going front to back gives the most benefit so I probably won't bother with a different pattern unless its an unusual case where I'm basically throwing away tons of tread. Would love to see some evidence or analysis that actually shows a big benefit to a cross or x or different pattern.
 
Upvote 0
#7
MacO512 said:
I thought most Tesla's just swap front and back. Tire wear is going to determine if swapping sides has any benefit. Crossing would ensure each wheel is eventually in all 4 spots. But its much simpler to swap front and back on the same side - just jack car up in one spot and switch tires... done.
Click to expand...
Back when cars had matching full size spare tires, a cross pattern with the spare inserted some place would have each tire go through all 5 (including the spare) spots. That way, you could get 5/4 the mileage out of a set of tires (but have to replace 5 instead of 4 tires when they wear out). It also means that you won't eventually have a spare with unused new tread but so old that you do not trust it due to possible age-related deterioration.

Now, with only 4 tires, swapping front and rear is easier to do. A cross pattern would only be indicated if there is a significant difference in left versus right side wear.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MacO512
Upvote 0
#8
3sr+buyer said:
Back when cars had matching full size spare tires, a cross pattern with the spare inserted some place would have each tire go through all 5 (including the spare) spots. That way, you could get 5/4 the mileage out of a set of tires (but have to replace 5 instead of 4 tires when they wear out). It also means that you won't eventually have a spare with unused new tread but so old that you do not trust it due to possible age-related deterioration.

Now, with only 4 tires, swapping front and rear is easier to do. A cross pattern would only be indicated if there is a significant difference in left versus right side wear.
Click to expand...
I have heard of that but it never made sense to me.

I can't imagine it's worth it to do that extra swap every rotation plus pay for an extra tire at every tire purchase. I'd just keep an eye on my spare annually and on every third tire purchase or so move the best of my old 4 tires to the spare.

The only situation I can think of it would make sense is if you were doing extreme off roading many miles from a road and want to ensure your spare is 100% the quality of the other 4 wheels. But just for a spare that's only going to be driven on roads for a couple days max? Complete waste of time IMO.
 
Upvote 0
#10
MacO512 said:
I have heard of that but it never made sense to me.

I can't imagine it's worth it to do that extra swap every rotation plus pay for an extra tire at every tire purchase.
Click to expand...
The long term cost theoretically ends up the same, since you pay 5/4 as much for tire replacements after 5/4 the mileage on your tires. But you keep your spare closely matched to the rest of the tires in brand, model, age, and wear.

Of course, that is no longer applicable in the absence of matched full size spare tires, and road hazard damage requiring replacement of one tire can disrupt tire planning whether or not the spare tire can be included in the rotation pattern.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Skavatar and MacO512
Upvote 0
#13
flai54 said:
Does Discount Tire offer free tire rotations if you have not bought tires from them before? My Tesla is still new and its on its stock tires.
Click to expand...

Almost all of them do, they want to earn your business when it is time to replace tires. If this is your first rotation it is also a good idea to get the tires balanced. They will charge you for that, but then future balancing is free!

BTW, please don’t post the same question in multiple forums.
 
Upvote 0
#14
MacO512 said:
I'd just keep an eye on my spare annually and on every third tire purchase or so move the best of my old 4 tires to the spare.
Click to expand...
The spares in our two Teslas have never touched the road. One hasn't been taken out of the covering it came in. Do you still replace it if it hasn't been used (or only used for a few miles)? Is it an issue of aging rubber?
 
Upvote 0
#15
Upvote 0
#16
ATPMSD said:
looks like 6-years is the suggested lifespan.
Click to expand...
I've also heard 10 years. At that point I'll have my aircar, which doesn't need a spare.

www.consumerreports.org

Does a Spare Tire Expire? - Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports' auto experts weigh in on whether spare tires expire, noting that you should get a new spare tire at 10 years to ensure it is safe to use.
www.consumerreports.org www.consumerreports.org
 
  • Funny
Reactions: ATPMSD
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Tire Rotration Pattern.
Replies
0
Views
315
Service / Maintenance
gt40mkii
G
J
Why does Tesla service carry no 18 inch all-season tires?
Replies
0
Views
139
Service / Maintenance
JTrail
J
J
Tesla S Rear suspension problems. Major tire wear.
Replies
2
Views
2K
Model S
Doanster1
Doanster1
MdlSP100D'16
  • Question
Advice/Recommendations First Time Owner Used Model S P100D 2016
Replies
10
Views
2K
Model S
PCMc
P
R
DIY Tire Rotation Ideas
Replies
64
Views
11K
Model S
Kairide
K
Top
Back
Blog
New
Forum list
Marketplace
Menu