What Is The Average Tire Rotation Cost?

Rotating the tires on your car is one of the most essential aspects of regular maintenance and helps a lot with minimizing accident risk, as it allows you to turn corners and apply the brakes more efficiently. Tire rotation is a pretty simple and straightforward task, and performing it will save you money and ensure that your tires last much longer while performing better. Here you can learn about benefits and tire rotation cost.

How Much Is A Tire Rotation?

The average tire rotation cost is $35 for all four tires. It differs from one service provider to the other, but generally, it’s a pretty affordable procedure. In fact, you might even get the service for FREE if you buy new tires from the right service provider, otherwise, you should expect to pay anything from $20 to $50. Sometimes you can find a coupon which affords you 4-tire rotation and some other vehicle inspection checks for only $9.99

Tire Rotation Cost Comparison

Here are some examples of tire rotation price rates based on the amounts charged by nationally recognized and leading automotive repair shops. Keep in mind that prices may differ slightly from those published here due to random special offers and sales.

What is Tire Rotation?

So, what does tire rotation mean?

Well, it actually refers to the act of moving your car’s tires to different positions so that they all wear out evenly. The problem is that leaving your tires in the same position that they were when you first bought the car will most likely lead to them wearing out at different rates.

Also, after some time, the weight of your vehicle will become imbalanced and concentrated on one side of the vehicle, eventually causing the front wheels to wear out first since most of the vehicle’s weight sits at the front due to the engine being in that area. Plus, every time you apply the brakes, your car will automatically move forward due to the extra pressure being felt by the front wheels.

Worn out suspension parts can also play a role in uneven wheel alignment and cause the tire to wear out and drag unevenly. Overinflated tires are also prone to becoming unevenly worn over time, causing improper weight distribution.

To help prevent imbalanced weight distribution and tire wear, rotate the position of your tires on a regular basis so that each tire experiences different patterns while you drive.

How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires

It’s hard to say how often you should rotate your vehicle’s tires because each car is very different in terms of weight distribution and the braking system that it uses. However, your owner’s manual should be helpful in providing you with an estimate of how many miles you should wait between each tire rotation, with the average being 3,000 to 7,000 miles.

For those that fall within the country’s regular mileage range, it would be advisable to get your tires rotated every time you take your car in for an oil change. Also, if you’re having your tires balanced or you’re purchasing new tires, then you might as well have them rotated as most garages offer this service for free if you’re already purchasing new tires. We’d also recommend that you look out for providers that offer a lifetime of complimentary rotations for purchasing a full set of tires, as there are quite a few that offer that option. To find such providers, simply type “tire rotation near me” on an online search engine and you’ll soon find plenty of providers to choose from.
Another question that car owners usually ask about tire rotation is where each tire should go during the process. You’ll most likely find the answer to this question from the owner’s manual of your car, which should provide recommendations on the matter, as certain types of cars require that you rotate the tires in a particular order because they have different sized wheels or unidirectional tires. But the general rule of thumb is that the front tires should go to the opposite side at the back, i.e. front-left would switch to the back-right. That said, you shouldn’t get too caught up in the exact order, as the most important thing is how often you rotate tires and balance them.

Also, keep in mind that tire rotation is quite different from tire balancing, even though you can perform both of them at the same time.

Whatever you do, don’t underestimate the value of rotating your tires on a regular basis as doing so will improve your car’s performance while saving you money in the process. Plus, if you knew how much is tire rotation compared to replacing your tires, you’d definitely want to rotate them more often.

Why Do Tires Need To Be Rotated?

Rotating your car’s tires on a regular basis comes with numerous benefits, from extending tread life to amplifying gas mileage and even improved vehicle handling. The best part is that regular tire rotation will help you save plenty of money in the long run.

• Extended Tire Tread Life

Vehicle tires tend to wear out at different rates due to various factors such as your driving style, the terrain you regularly drive on, as well as road temperature. It’s important to rotate your tires on a regular basis in order to even out the wear and avoid common problems associated with uneven weight distribution.

Pattern wear is a big problem for most drivers and develops as a result of driving in the same direction for long periods of time. Rotating the tire will help you prevent pattern forming thus avoiding uneven wear.

• Increased Vehicle Performance

Waiting too long to rotate your tires can seriously compromise your vehicle’s stability, its overall performance and riding comfort. As a rule, the tires which handle the most pressure should get changed so that your car can have a better grip during weather conditions like snow and rain.  Unevenly worn tires can also cause road friction, which then leads to front-end misalignment and loss of balance, both of which will cost more to fix than rotating your tires regularly.

• Increased Gas Mileage

Being consistent with tire rotation will also make for a smoother drive because it promotes increased vehicle stability, better traction, and less road friction. That means your engine will be able to run more efficiently and your car will glide as smooth as butter while reducing the amount of gas needed to move the car forward. In the long run, this will improve your car’s gas mileage and overall value.

• Save Money

The above-mentioned points alone contribute a great deal to saving you money, but regular tire rotation will also reduce the need for pricey mechanical repairs, it reduces the amount of money you have to spend on gas and by extending your tires’ shelf life, you’ll be saving money that would have gone to buy new tires.

When Should You Do Tire Rotation?

The answer to this question depends on your particular car model and the recommendation provided by the owner’s manual of your car, but generally, you should rotate your tires every 3,000 to 7,000 miles.

That said, it’s also a good idea to rotate your tires the moment you notice an imbalance in wear on any of them, which you can identify by measuring tread depth on both the front and back tires. If the differences in depth are noticeable, then it’s time to rotate your tires.

When you measure your tires’ tread depth, make sure that you measure both the interior and the exterior of the tires. If the wear is more evident on the inside of the tire than on the outside and vice versa, then you should have the tire checked out for possible suspension problems.

Also, are your tires making funny noises when you drive?

This could be a sign of imbalanced weight distribution and uneven wear, and it’s usually felt as a vibration on the steering wheel.

What’s Done During Tire Rotation?

• First, the parking brake is switched on to keep the car in place
• The lug nuts of all four wheels are loosened while the car is on the ground so that it’s easier to remove them later.
• Using two jacks, elevate the car so that you can access two wheels at the same time.
• Decide on how you’ll be swopping the tires around and then move them
• Once you’ve swapped the wheels, don’t tighten the lug nuts just yet.
• Bring the car down and tighten the lug nuts in a diagonal rotation so that they don’t end up warping the brake motor.

How to Save Money on Tire Rotation

Tire rotation is a pretty simple and straightforward task that practically anyone can do. So, if you want to save money on it, then we’d definitely recommend doing it yourself.

That said, if you notice that the tires have additional issues like misalignment, then you should definitely have them checked by a mechanic. Otherwise, if the mechanic doesn’t find anything wrong with the car, then they should just perform the rotation for you at a reasonable price. If you’re wondering how long does it take to rotate tires, then you’ll be glad to know that it’s literally just a matter of minutes.

Another great way to save money on tire rotation is to get them rotated when you’re about to purchase new ones or you’re changing one of the tires on your car.