How often to rotate all terrain tires

how often to rotate allterrain tires

Tires are the unsung hero of the car. They continuously spin tirelessly. Due to the hard job, they get dizzy very often. Occasionally the tires need to be rotated. All-terrain tires are renowned for providing better traction and are suitable for all types of surfaces.

With all-terrain tires, you can beat the highways as well as the snow-covered valleys or sandy beaches. In this piece, I tried to dig deep on how often to rotate all-terrain tires.

All-terrain tires lined up in a row against a dark background

What Are All-Terrain Tires, Exactly?

Before we get started, let’s define an all-terrain tire. All-terrain tires are capable of handling heavy-duty road work. To be resistant to wear and puncture, it features a thick tread, a dual robust wall construction, and is comprised of various rubber compositions. It is utilized on off-roads, bumpy roads, and snow because of its high grip on the road or any kind of road. All-terrain tires weigh more than regular tires because of their high specific strength.

An aggressive off-road capable vehicle in the mountains

What Are All Terrain Tires Good For?

  1. On icy routes, all-terrain tires are suitable. It penetrates the snow and grips onto ice because of its deeper tread. This shortens the distance required to accelerate and brake. The use of a snow chain for the tire is not necessary if the all-terrain tire has adequate grip in the snow.
  2. Tires designed for all terrain often have a softer substance and deeper, wider tread. As a result, tiny rocks and other debris can more easily exit the tread.
  3. Owing to their design and thick pattern block, all-terrain tires are particularly suited for usage on stony dirt roads, roads with potholes, or roads with poor road surfaces. In comparison to standard tires, all-terrain tires are far less likely to puncture even though it may not be cut or puncture proof.
  4. Because all terrain tires are massive and robust, they can increase the load capacity of your vehicle. In other words, it can hold the entire weight of your car.
  5. All-terrain tires are perfect for usage on steep or uphill terrains because they offer high grip on uneven ground.

What Drawbacks Do All-Terrain Tires Have?

  1. Using all-terrain tires has its drawbacks, one of which is the noise it makes on the road. It is as a result of its block tread design.
  2. All-terrain tires weigh more than regular tires since they are big and hefty, which adds to the load on your car. You move more slowly as the weight increases.
  3. Because of the physical properties of all-terrain tires and their friction on the ground, they consume a lot of gas.
  4. All-terrain tires only last 40,000 miles, compared to ordinary tires that last 3 to 6 years with typical use, depending on the size, weight, and driving habits of your vehicle. This is because all-terrain tires have softer treads.
  5. Similar to other tires, it is not permitted to mix tires, especially those with various tread patterns. The efficiency of your car will be affected, notably the breaking ability.
  6. All-terrain tires cannot be used on all automobiles because they are exclusively designed for use on light trucks, AUVs, SUVs, campers, trailers, 4WD, and other larger, heavier vehicles. With AT tires, lighter and smaller cars might not be suitable from a mechanical and technical standpoint.
  7. The difficulty of balancing the vehicle increases with wheel weight and size. Your car may get damaged if you drive on an imbalanced vehicle.

Pro tips on how often to rotate all- terrain tires

You maybe wondering ‘what’s the big deal about tire rotation?’ or ‘what does exactly tire rotation imply?’ Before jumping into the rotation schedule, allow me to give a ‘speech’ on the significance of tire rotation to remove the confused look off your gloomy face!

Remember, you can buy the exact thing you need. For example- you can get all terrain tires for 20 inch rims, but if you are not careful enough to maintain them properly, then you cannot enjoy the maximum output from the product.

Tire rotation: Why it is so important?

Rotating the tires implies repositioning them periodically. It is beneficial for many reasons. It keeps the tire in good condition by evenly distributing the wear. Rotating the tire is efficient for money-saving and increases tread life. It is also necessary for steady driving.

Let’s say you are on the road with your car on a wet road and the tires are not rotated routinely. Your car is a front-wheel drive vehicle. This may cause the front tires to possess fewer tread compared to the rear tires and can eventually make it hard to handle the vehicle.

If the vehicle has alignment trouble, does not have suspension, then routinely rotating the tires is a must to avoid abnormal tire patterns. For example, Tread cupping is a phenomenon that originates vibration and disturbing high-level noise. This can be solved by repositioning the tires periodically.

The schedule for rotating all-terrain tires

In normal circumstances, for an all-terrain tire automobile, I suggest you to rotate the tires every 5000 miles or every time the vehicle goes on servicing. The sidewall of the tire could be pretty aggressive and you want to get the maximum life out of the trade to protect the sidewall, right? Rotating the tires is the solution.

If you see excess wear, then you need to rotate them more often. Also, find out what causes the excess wear? Maybe you are under-inflation or you haven’t checked the PSI. In addition to that, please check what conditions the tires are going through. Are you off-roading most of the time? Are you hitting the dirt or rocky road too much? In these cases, tires need to be rotated more than normal circumstances.

Let me give you additional info. If the tires are fairly aggressive, for example, a huge mud tire, then you need to rotate them more often. You can rotate those every 2500 miles. The more aggressive the tire is, the more you need to rotate them.

Glimpse on the process of tire rotation

Now, how to rotate the tires is something that deserves a long discussion. To give some hints, know that the procedure depends on several things such as the type of the vehicle (front/rear/all-wheel drive), sort of tire, etc. There are several patterns for rotating the tires. Such as reward cross, forward cross, X-pattern, etc.

The course of action is not that hard. One can do it by himself. Required pieces of equipment are a hand toolbox, torque wrench, jack& jack stand, etc. You have to use your muscle power for this job. Be safe while working. Never move under the vehicle when it is standing only on the jack stand.

As a parting thought

Many of us own a car or truck but do not have sufficient knowledge of basic maintenance. In the arena of maintenance, rotating the tire is an overlooked task.You may end up spending a lot of time and money without properly rotating the tires often. Hope this article on how often to rotate allterrain tires was instrumental.