Disco Tires - Do You Rotate?

S

smenzel

Guest
I have heard differing stories on tire rotation and am curious what the current thinking is for rotating tires on an all-wheel drive vehicle. My preference would be to know why you opt for one over the other. Thanks.
 
P

Porter

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
124
0
rotate them - but do them on a regular basis. If the tires aren't rotated over time each tire will have its own wear characteristic, which at that time, if you rotate them - you'll get vibrations.

If you do them on a regular basis, you'll avoid that signs of uneven wear and save some life on the tires. The front tires get expecial wear becuase of the turning for the most part. I've spent enough money on my BFG's, I'm going to try to make them last.
 
rovercanus

rovercanus

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2004
9,651
246
Same as Alan above, rotate spare in in a clockwise direction facing toward the front. I do mine every oil change just out of convenience.
 
S

smenzel

Guest
If you incorporate your spare into the rotation pattern then eventually you'll end up running your tires in both directions (sides of the vehicle), right? Is this not problematic with all-wheel drive vehicles?
 
rover4x4

rover4x4

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2004
5,231
49
41
North Carolina, Raleigh
I have done it on my D-90 but stopped since one of my tires had to be patched so its strictly a spare now, I continue rotation with the other four, BFG AT's i have had no problems.
 
cmoore207

cmoore207

Well-known member
Oct 8, 2004
1,084
0
41
Takoma Park, MD
smenzel said:
If you incorporate your spare into the rotation pattern then eventually you'll end up running your tires in both directions (sides of the vehicle), right? Is this not problematic with all-wheel drive vehicles?
Click to expand...


I was just reading the thread "Spare tire" and was reminded of this. What is the proper patern for rotation of all 5 tires? Is the direction issue a problem? :confused:
 
rovercanus

rovercanus

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2004
9,651
246
I went to the bfg web site and in thier tech section they show how to rotate tires for different types of vehicle drive lines. Sorry, I don't have the address but if you google bfg it'll come right up.
 
S

SailorMac

Active member
Aug 18, 2004
43
0
Shermer, IL
Went the Goodyear sight and found the attached:

If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, we recommend crossing both pairs of tires to their new axle positions (X-Pattern).We recommend tire rotation at least every 6,000 miles. Four-wheel drive vehicles may require rotation even sooner such as every 4,000 miles. Check your vehicle owner's manual for the manufacturer's rotation recommendations. If no rotation period is specified, tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. The first rotation is the most important. When tires are rotated, inflation pressures must be adjusted to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations. Uneven tire wear may also be due to misalignment or mechanical problems.

;)
 
D

ducati

Guest
I guess I'm in the minority. I tried rotating my BFG ATs at 5k miles and I got NASTY vibes. I had them rebalanced twice, which didn't help at all. I went back to initial positions and all was well.

I have 31k on them now and they are only worn 2/16"; and evenly all around.
 
alex

alex

Well-known member
Apr 29, 2004
2,310
0
Libertyville, IL
I used to do a five tire rotation on my 35x12.5 BFG MTs [rears to front, fronts to opposite rear, spare to right rear, the one that would go to the right rear to the spare] and it worked pretty well for the first 15K miles I have had on these tires, but with the last rotation it all went to shit. I rotated them, and the truck would no longer drive straight. Put them back the way they were, and its fine again.

The last set of BFGs I had (235/85 size) never got rotated, and I got 70K miles out of them. The stock michelins also never got rotated and got over 60K out of them. I'm done roating tires on the Disco.

Have a look at this thread for the full story.
 
craig

craig

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2004
1,747
0
Edmonds, WA
overlandnavigator.com
ducati said:
I guess I'm in the minority. I tried rotating my BFG ATs at 5k miles and I got NASTY vibes. I had them rebalanced twice, which didn't help at all. I went back to initial positions and all was well.

I have 31k on them now and they are only worn 2/16"; and evenly all around.
Click to expand...

Ah, but the vibes will eventually show up if you don't rotate them too. And then when you rotate them they will be even worse. Their is an initial vibration period after you rotate the tires (especially if they are new), but it should go away as the tires wear more evenly on the rear.

I made the mistake of missing 2 of my usual 4k rotations (we were selling/buying a house and moving 1k miles). Now my front tires are extremely cupped (on the rear now). Then again, I have M/Ts not A/Ts so my experience may be a little bit different than yours.

--Craig
 
D

ducati

Guest
How long do you leave them on to smooth out? I left them rotated for 150 miles and I just couldn't take it anymore.

Dunno, I think every Disco is a little different. I don't expect mine to start vib'ing if they haven't in 31k miles. And my wear is so even that I'm fairly shocked--I've always been a religious rotator with previous vehicles but never got wear this even on a set of tires!

If time proves me wrong, though, I'll certainly update with a post.
 
S

smenzel

Guest
Hmmm. My original Michelins (98 Disco) lasted me 65k miles and I only rotated them twice front to back on the same side (didn't touch the spare. I did change the tire pressure to the manual's recommendation (28 & 36 psi?). No post-rotation vibrations encountered.

I replaced the Michelins with Pirelli Scorpion STC's. They cost less, are slightly less aggressive and are a lot quieter. If I can get 60k miles out of them, I'll be very happy.
 
antichrist

antichrist

Well-known member
Sep 7, 2004
8,208
0
68
Atlanta, GA
Two arguments I know of.
1. Rotate so you get even tire wear.
2. Don't rotate, it masks subtle alignment problems.

Take your pick. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom