Front Wheel Drive Tire Rotation – [How & When To Rotate?]
Regular tire rotation of a front-wheel drive (FWD) is the key to maintaining uniform treads, desired traction, and enhanced fuel averages on the road.
Skipping the tire rotation will not only ruin your expensive tires but also compromise the overall handling and safety of the vehicle on the road.
After extensive research, we have compiled various compatible FWD tire rotation patterns along with easy steps to do the process without hiring a mechanic.
How to Rotate Tires of Front Wheel Drive (FWD) Vehicles?
REQUIRED TOOLS
- Car Jack
- Jack stands (At least Two)
- Safety gloves
- Lug or impact wrench
- Torque wrench
- Tire Wedges/wheel Chocks
STEP BY STEP PROCESS:
STEP NO 1: Park the vehicle on a less crowded flat surface and engage it with the parking or hand brake to ensure the vehicle will not go anywhere during the work.
STEP NO 2: Wear safety gloves to shield against dirt and sharp objects. Place Tire Wedges/Wheel Chocks to ensure the vehicle remains stationary.
STEP NO 3: Take the lug or torque wrench and slightly loosen the lug nuts, don’t remove the tires now. Once the vehicle is off the ground, removing the tires will be pretty easy.
STEP NO 4: Use a heavy-duty car jack to lift the side or any corner of the vehicle off the ground.
STEP NO 5: Once the vehicle is raised, put the jack stands underneath, we recommend supporting the vehicle with at least two jack stands.
STEP NO 6: Carefully Remove the tires.
STEP NO 7: Refer to the user’s manual for the recommended tire rotation pattern as per the design, model, and purpose of the vehicle you own. Here are some of the commonly used tire rotation patterns for FWD.
STEP NO 8: Rotate the tires and place the lug nuts back (crisscross or star is the recommended pattern for tightening the lug nuts).
STEP NO 9: Raise the vehicle off the jack stands to remove them safely, now lower the vehicle, and remove the jack.
Apply torque on the lug nuts to ensure they will not go anywhere during the drive.
STEP NO 10: Monitor the tire pressure and adjust it as per the manufacturer’s recommendation.
Recommended Guide: How to Rotate the Tires of an RWD?
Front Wheel Drive Tire Rotation Pattern
Multiple tire rotation patterns are available for FWD as per the purpose, model, and type of the vehicle.
We recommend going through the owner’s manual to select a compatible manufacturer’s recommended tire rotation pattern as per the type and anatomy of your vehicle.
Tire Rotation Patterns for FWD with Non-Directional Tires?
Rearward cross and X–Pattern are recognized as the simplest yet effective tire rotation patterns for a front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicle with a set of non-directional tires.
Forward Cross Pattern:
- Move both Front tires to the rear axle (the front right goes to the rear right and the front left goes to the rear left).
- Move the rear tires to the front in a cross or X-pattern (Rear right goes to the front left and Rear left goes to the front right).
X-Pattern:
In X-Pattern we simply rotate the tires in crosses (i.e. the front right goes to the rear left and the front left goes to the rear right. Also rear left and rear right go to the front right and left respectively).
Tire Rotation Patterns for FWD with Directional Tires?
Front-to-rear is the only recommended tire rotation method for an FWD with a set of directional tires.
Front to Rear:
- The Front tires exactly go to the rear axle and the rear tires go to the front axle (i.e. the front right and left replace the rear right and left and vice versa. )
Front Wheel Drive (FWD) Tire Rotation Pattern With Spare Tire?
If you have an FWD with a full-sized spare tire, make sure to take advantage of the moment and include it in the tire rotation to ensure it will not go to waste.
Forward Cross 5-Tire Rotation Pattern:
- Replace the spare tire with the rear right and keep the front right in the spare.
- Now mount the rear tires to the front axle in a cross or X-pattern (i.e. the rear left and right go to the front right and left respectively.
- Finally, replace the front left with the rear left.
Tire Rotation Patterns for FWD with Staggered Tires?
Since the staggered vehicles have different-sized tires, we only have the option to swap them from side to side.
Side to Side:
- Swap the rear left with the rear right and the front right with the front left.
Recommended Guide: How to Rotate the Tires of a 4×4 Truck?
Which Tire Rotation Pattern Is Best for Front-Wheel Drive (FWD)?
It depends on the type and purpose of the vehicle. Forward cross is the most preferred tire rotation pattern for modern FWD vehicles with a set of non-directional tires.
Whereas front-to-rear is considered the simplest yet effective tire rotation pattern for FWD with directional tires.
The bottom line is, that you have to select a compatible tire rotation pattern as per the manufacturers’ recommendation.
How Often Should I Rotate the Tires of Front-Wheel Drive (FWD)?
Like other vehicles, the tires of FWDs should be rotated right after 5,000 – 7,500 miles or at least once in 6 months depending on the usage, driving conditions, driving style, etc.
For exact intervals and compatible tire rotation patterns, we highly recommend consulting with the user’s manual.
Do Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) Vehicles Need Tire Rotation?
Like AWD (All-Wheel Drive), and RWD (Rear-Wheel Drive), regular tire rotation of an FWD (Front-Wheel Drive) will not only prolong the life of the newly purchased tires but also ensure desired traction, top-notch safety, and fuel average on the road.
Additionally, a set of evenly worn tires could drag costly repairs and accidents down the road (you can read this guide from NHTSA about tire-related crashes and what things should be done to maintain the tires).
Can I Rotate Front Wheel Drive (FWD) Myself?
Tire rotation is a completely safe and DIY-friendly process; however, you just have to check out the following things before doing the task.
- Your vehicle shouldn’t be too heavy to handle.
- Your vehicle should have working parking breaks; also park it in a non-crowded area.
- You should have safety gloves, equipment like a jack, and at least 2 jack stands.
Recommended Guide: How to rotate the tires with a single jack.
Benefits of Rotating Tires on FWD (Front Wheel Drive)
Which Tires Wear Out Faster on a Front-wheel Drive?
Front tires generally wear down faster on FWD as compared to the rear ones because there is the one that handles the acceleration, steering, and breaking.
Verdict
Before selecting any tire rotation pattern for your FWD (front wheel drive), make sure to skim the user’s manual.
Remember a wrong tire rotation pattern will not only ruin your expensive tires within no time but also compromise the overall handling and road safety of the vehicle.