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Austin Tire Services- Rotating Your Tires Is Essential

One of the most integral parts of maintaining a car is caring for its tires. This should be done at least every six months.

Austin Price Check! On average, tire rotation can cost anywhere from $12 to $20.

Neglecting to rotate your tires will cause uneven tread thickness which leads to uneven braking and poor overall handling of the vehicle. Most often we experience this in adverse weather conditions, such as a heavy rain storm. If you avoid rotating your tires, you will always have to replace two at a time, in which the two old tires will have different tread than the two new tires, again, causing unbalanced tread overall. Therefore, it is best to either rotate on a regular basis or replace all four tires at one time.

Did you know? At national tire chains, such as Goodyear and Firestone, you pay $20 for tire rotation. However, if you buy their brand of tire, rotation is free.

Note that it is particularly important to rotate the tires on a front wheel drive car more often because the front tires wear faster than the rear tires. On some models you may be able to notice a humming noise. In this case, check the rear tires. They will both have a “saw tooth” wear pattern on the inside and outside shoulder of the tire. Run your hand back and forth along the tire making sure you don’t hurt yourself if debris or metal is protruding. When the tread feels smooth in one direction but not the other direction, the tire creates a humming noise in motion. This condition can be fixed by rotating the tire to the opposite side of the vehicle.

When rotating the tires it is most common to use a specific method, outlined in your vehicle’s user manual. However in a front wheel drive car usually the back left tire will replace the front right tire. Conversely, the back right tire will replace the left front tire.

Austin Money Savers Tip There are a few places in Austin where you can get your tires rotated for free, regardless of the kind of tire. Some will throw it in for free if you buy other services or products, and others will offer it complementary even without buying anything else!

Keep in mind, there are some newer directional tires that absolutely never can be crossed to the other side of the car. Check the sidewall for rotating instructions.

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