How To Rotate Directional Tires? (Explained For Beginners)

You might always hear how important it is to rotate your directional tires, but it’s easier said than done because it’s not as simple as it may sound. Car drivers wanted to know how to rotate their directional tires. So let us talk about that. 

So how to rotate your directional tires? To rotate directional tires, you have to switch the front right tire for the back right tire, and the front left tire for the back left tire.

If you rotate your tires, there are specific tire rotation patterns that you must follow. You have to consider certain factors like if your tires are directional or non-directional or if your car is a front-wheel, rear-wheel, four-wheel, or all-wheel drive, or if you have a full-size spare tire or a mini spare, or if you have a staggered fitment tire with different sizes or offsets. A tire rotation is made routinely to reposition the tires on your vehicle in specific terms and patterns. 

This is from front to back or could be side by side, and it is an essential part of keeping your tires safe and in good condition. In addition, if you will rotate your tires, it can also be a requirement in keeping your tires covered under warranty. 

So in this article, we’ll be talking about how to do a rotation in directional tires. So let us get started.

How To Rotate Directional Tires

How To Rotate Directional Tires?

People ask how they should rotate directional tires; here is the guide. Directional tires have a one-way tread pattern, and they are used for optimization for the direction of the vehicle’s rotation. 

Therefore, they are specifically made for either the right or left sides. The grooves will be angled in optimizing the handling, and they will do a good job channeling the water from under the tire and on wet surfaces. 

1. Know The Pattern

Before you start to loosen the lug nuts, you should know what pattern you will use in rotating your tires. You must rotate your tires depending on some factors, and the biggest one will be whether your vehicle has a directional or nondirectional, and in this case, it is a directional tire. 

2. Switch The Front Right Tire

A little arrow or a triangle on the sidewall tells the direction in which way your tire must be turned. You then have to switch the front tire for the back right tire. 

3. Move The Front Left Tire

After switching the front left tire, you have to leave the front left tire for the back left tire.  

Can Directional Tires Cross Rotate?

A directional tire is made and produced to rotate in the same direction because of the tread pattern. If the tires on your vehicles are directional, they must only be rotated from front to back or vice versa on the same side of the vehicle. 

For example, if your car has the same size and offset directional tires, it can be used by the pattern of the front tires moving to the rear on the same side and the rear tires moving to the front axle on the same side of the vehicle. 

What Happens If You Put Directional Tires On The Wrong Way?

A directional tire is a tire that is designed to roll in just one direction. A directional tire is into focus in winter conditions. The directional tread is made to cut through and then evacuated in the standing road precipitation if the tire is mounted correctly. 

If it is mounted incorrectly or in the other way, the directional tire must not be expected to work properly in winter conditions. It will also wear irregularly if it is on the wrong way, making excessive road noise. 

How Often Should Directional Tires Be Rotated?

A regular rotation is essential to vehicles with a dual rear wheel. First, you must check your owner’s manual and look for the recommended rotation scheme. 

Each tire and wheel removed from your vehicle will be moved into a different position. Tires must be rotated every six months or every six thousand miles (6,000) to eight thousand miles (8,000) miles.

How Do You Rotate Directional Snow Tires?

If you want to have a good wintertime performance, they must be rotated periodically. A tire rotation will help the four of your tires to share the workload equally. In addition, the tire rotation should maintain the even spread out of the wear in all the vehicles. 

Directional snow tires or studded tires recommend that you should rotate them at the beginning of the winter season. It can also be rotated in about four thousand miles (4,000). 

How Do You Rotate Directional Tires On AWD?

The correct tire should be moved to the left rear position. The front left tire must be moved to the correct rear position and vice versa. You have to ensure that the tires have uniform tread depths, particularly an axle. 

It would help if you never mixed tire sizes. You should also not mix the types. You should also not mix radial and bias-ply tires on the same car. 

Is It Ok To Mount Directional Tires Backward?

If you have directional tires, there’ll be an arrow on the sidewall of the trees if it is correctly mounted, and the arrow will point toward the front of the vehicle. However, if the directional tires mount backward, you might not get the hydroplaning resistance and the other benefits of driving too. 

Summary

In summary, people are asking how they should rotate their directional tires. It can be tricky, and many car drivers are curious to know how to do it. 

However, the directional tires are easy to rotate. You have to know the guide in rotating it so that it can be properly done.

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Image credits – Canva

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My name is Hank, and I've been in the automotive industry for 27 years. I've been working in my own auto repair shop for the last 13 years, and now I want to help you here, on my blog. Let me know if you have any questions. Read more