Patrick Hyundai Explains: The Importance of Rotating and Balancing Your Tires

It’s important to keep in mind the life and effectiveness of your vehicle’s tires as well as keeping up with regular maintenance. Oftentimes, tire maintenance is seen as just getting new tires when the time comes. But there are services that allow you to extend the life of your current tires which can save you time and money. These methods include rotating and balancing your tires. In this blog, we at Patrick Hyundai outline what exactly goes into rotating and balancing tires and the importance of both services.

Rotating tires

Tire rotation involves moving tires from one position on your vehicle to another. This involves moving the front tires to the rear and vice versa. Tires also change sides in this scenario with the left and right rear tires changing sides when moved to the front of the vehicle. Rotating tires extends the life of your tires and increases your safety on the road.

Tire rotation is typically recommended every 5,000 to 7,500 miles but these recommendations can vary depending on the manufacturer.

Tire rotation is important as it ensures that your tires are wearing evenly, which can extend the life of the tires and save you money. Tire wear can also affect the handling of the car, failure to rotate tires on a front-wheel drive vehicle will eventually result in the front tires having less tread than the rear tires. In this case, in an emergency, this would make the vehicle much more difficult to control. Additionally, front wheel drive, rear wheel drive and all-wheel drive all have different wear patterns, so it is important to tailor your tire service needs depending on your vehicle.

Balancing tires

Tire balancing is when all four tires are tested for weight distribution. Each wheel has small weights attached to them near the edges of the wheels when they are installed. These weights are designed to distribute the weight of the tire evenly. Tire balancing is when these weights are adjusted to ensure that each tire is balanced equally.

The tires are usually placed on a tire balancing machine that spins them around at a designated speed. This machine measures and senses the weight distribution of the tire as it spins. If any abnormalities are noticed by a technician, then they add small weights to the wheel to correct the issue.

Manufacturer recommendations vary on how often you should get your tires balanced, but it’s recommended, on average, to get your tires balanced every 5,000 to 6,000 miles.

Tire balancing is important because it can give you a smoother ride. If weight on a tire is not adjusted properly you may start to notice vibrations in your vehicle. Balanced tires also get better gas mileage, protect your vehicle’s suspension, and promote a safer ride in general.

Don’t neglect your tires, bring your vehicle into Patrick Hyundai today and we can get you in for some service. Give us a call at 847-220-8221 ,or click here to schedule service. We look forward to seeing you!