Tyre rotation is one of the simplest maintenance routines one can perform for their car. It only takes up a short period of your time, and costs next to nothing to undergo. However, this simple but crucial maintenance step is often overlooked, and it can lead to uneven tyre wear over time.

Ideally, you would want to replace all four tyres at the same time. With all four tyres having even amounts of wear, it makes it easier to keep track as well.

So what does ‘tyre rotation’ mean?

The term ‘tyre rotation’ means periodically changing the position of each tyre on your vehicle. You should rotate your tyres as recommended by your vehicle manufacturer, or if that information isn’t available, a good rule of thumb would be roughly every 8,000-10,000 kilometres.

Rotating your tyres also provide good opportunities to visually inspect each wheel for damage or to check if there is sufficient air pressure. You can even have them rebalanced if you’re noticing any vibration whilst driving, or inspect their tread depth to see if you are in need of a new set.

Why is it important?

There are several reasons why tyre rotation is a simple but important affair. By routinely rotating your tyres, wear and tear are spread evenly across all four tyres, maximising your tyre set’s lifespan. Depending on the type of car you are driving, your car’s wear pattern will vary slightly.

With even tread wear across all four tyres, handling and performance characteristics are kept consistent across all four tyres, improving safety.

For those of you who drive all-wheel-drive cars (looking at you Subaru owners), evenly worn tyres can lower the stresses on the drivetrain, reducing overall wear on expensive drive components. You would rather replace some tyres than an entire driveshaft, right?

Tyre Rotation Patterns

There are several different tyre rotation patterns that exist, and each is tailored to a specific kind of car. In most applications, the standard tyre rotation pattern is front-to-rear, but here are some other patterns that could also help promote longer tyre life.

Front-to-rear

• Rear tyres swap with the front tyres, done on the same side of the vehicle
• Used in situations when wear is normal, and also when tyres have directional tread (designed to roll in one direction)

Forward cross (Front-wheel drive vehicles)

• Front tyres are swapped to the rear, done on the same side of the vehicle
• Rear tyres are crossed to opposite sides when swapped to the front
• Used in situations when rear tyres show uneven wear

X-pattern (All types of vehicles)

• Front tyres are swapped with rear tyres in a cross or X pattern (E.g. Front left tyre is swapped with the rear right tyre)
• Used in situations when there’s uneven wear

Rearward cross (All-wheel, rear-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicles)

• Rear tyres are swapped to the front, done on the same side of the vehicle
• Front tyres are crossed to opposite sides when swapped to the rear
• Used in situations when there’s uneven front tyre wear

Side-to-Side (Staggered ‘differently sized’ wheels)

• Both front and rear tyres are swapped to opposite sides of the vehicle
• Used in situations when your front and rear tyres have different tyre widths and sizes

Schedule your tyre rotation appointment with AutoApp

If you are unsure of whether or not you need to rotate your tyres, or are looking for a reputable source to help you with it, why not try AutoApp today! AutoApp is a convenient one-stop platform for car servicing, maintenance and repair.

Our roster of specialised ambassadors and workshop partners will ensure your vehicle gets the best servicing treatment around.

Download AutoApp today, available on both the App Store and Google Playstore, via this link.

Better still, Singapore will be a key part of this new development. Renowned french tyre company Michelin is testing this new prototype technology locally, in partnership with DHL Express.

One of the biggest woes of motoring in Singapore is getting an unlucky puncture due to loose or sharp objects on the road. Unnecessary punctures can even lead to scenarios such as losing control of the vehicle or having to stop by the road shoulder due to a flat tyre.

Michelin, which aims to start marketing these futuristic puncture-proof tyres in 2024, is confident that motorists who use such tyres in the near future need not worry about these potential road hazards.

A teaser image of prototype tyres was shared on Facebook, fitted to a DHL Express delivery van. From the image, we can see that the tyres are puncture-proof because they are made with a grooved structure with slits running from the centre to the outer tyre wall, and do not use air to form their general structure.

This isn’t the first time Michelin has leaked prototypes of such tyres. Back in 2019, Michelin debuted a similar prototype tyre at a trade event in Montreal, Canada. Since then, Michelin must have tested these new compounds in various real-life conditions, and in different parts of the world during its development.

To make these tyres more environmentally friendly too, Michelin also said it will begin using recycled plastic materials in its new tyres starting in 2024. The biggest advantage these tyres have is that without the worry of punctures, these tyres can be used to their maximum lifespan, increasing overall longevity.

Michelin even conducted research between 2012 and 2015 and found that 20 per cent of all tyres scrapped annually were those that unfortunately fell ill to punctures or had uneven wear due to incorrect air pressure figures. 

So, would you make the switch to these new tyres? 

Catch up on the latest news right here on AutoApp!

(Photo Credits: The Straits Times)

Everyone knows that cars need regular maintenance, as parts wear out and degrade over time. But whereas forgetting something like your usual 10,000km oil change probably wouldn’t cause any major safety issues (although it absolutely shouldn’t be neglected), failing to change your tyres in a timely manner could lead to an accident, or worse. 

But how would you know when’s the right time to swap for a new set of rubber? After all, modern tyres are very durable, and you wouldn’t want to waste money throwing them out when they still have life in them. Well, most general advice tends to agree with 40-50,000km or 5-6 years as the rough guideline, but depending on your driving patterns, those figures could change drastically. Here’s AutoApp’s guide to spotting the signs that your car needs new shoes:

Tread depth

From a safety perspective, the most crucial aspect of a tyre is its tread depth. The tyre’s tread (or grooves) is what allows it to disperse water underfoot, thus keeping you on the road in wet weather. As your tyres wear out, the height of the tread blocks decreases, which means they can’t evacuate as much water, which means aquaplaning – and therefore a loss of control – occurs more easily.

The Land Transport Authority’s legal limit for tread depth is 1.6mm, which you can very easily check if you know how. Helpfully, most tyres sold these days have wear indicator bars – little ridges in the bottom of the tyre tread – which are exactly 1.6mm tall. When they become flush with the surface of the tyre, as seen above, that’s when they absolutely need to be changed.

If your tyres don’t have these wear indicators, an alternative method is to stick a coin in the groove and see how deep it goes. If the tread doesn’t cover up the “Singapore” on the back of a $1 coin when viewed from the side, or doesn’t meet the inner circle on the front of a 20c coin, then it’s time for a trip to the tyre shop.

Age

Even if you cover only low mileage annually, and thus don’t use up much of your tyre’s tread, tyres can’t last forever. As they age, the rubber compound hardens, which means they grip the road less effectively, increasing your chances of losing control if you have to make an emergency maneuver. And this applies both in the wet and dry.

Most experts agree that 10 years is the absolute limit for a tyre’s shelf life, although after 5 years, it’s a good idea to start doing regular visual checks for defects, which we’ll get to next. You can determine your tyre age by looking for the four digit date code on the tyre’s sidewall – check out our sister site Asia’s Ultimate Tyre Awards’ handy guide on how to decode tyre markings.

Visible defects

Just because your tyres are still young and haven’t covered much distance doesn’t mean they can’t go wrong. Poor alignment, aggressive driving and debris such as screws and nails – all of these are factors that can lead to premature wear on your tyres.

Some of the signs to look out for and their causes include:

• Uneven wear across the tyre’s width – indicating bad alignment (see how the outer edge of the tyre above is a lot smoother than the inner edge)
• Small cracks on the tyre shoulder or sidewall – indicating they’ve become too old and brittle
• Bulging sidewall – indicating internal damage to the tyre’s structure, usually as a result of hitting a pothole or kerb too hard
• Tears or missing chunks in the tread – indicating overly aggressive driving and steering inputs
• A tik-tik-tik-tik-tik-tik sound while driving, especially audible at low speeds – indicating a foreign object might have embedded itself in the tyre. If you’re lucky, the object might be plugging the hole and holding off the tyre going flat, but it’s still best to visit a tyre shop to have it removed and the hole patched before it gets worse

Driving feel 

Lastly, just as how doctors tell you to listen to your own body to know if you’re falling sick, so too should you pay attention to feedback from the car to know if anything’s amiss. More tyre squeal when cornering in the dry; a more nervous, unstable feeling when driving in the rain; more road tyre roar when cruising down the highway – all of these are sensory cues that your tyre’s performance is starting to deteriorate, and should warrant at least a precautionary check to determine if you actually need to change your tyres.