How to Do a Tire Rotation Yourself

One thing is certain: whether you decide to rotate your tires yourself or you take your vehicle to a qualified service center, regular tire rotations can extend the useful life of your tires, not to mention enhance traction and optimize fuel efficiency. That’s why we recommend rotating your tires according to your owner’s manual, or roughly every 5,000-7,000 miles. If that sounds like a lot and you’d like to learn how to do a tire rotation yourself, Pacific BMW near Los Angeles is here to help! Learn how to rotate your tires at home below and contact us with questions.

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Why is Tire Rotation Important for Your BMW?

Not all tires wear evenly. Road conditions in Hollywood and driving style on Burbank roads can affect how fast each tire wears. Whether you drive a BMW 3 Series sedan with FWD or a BMW X3 with xDrive AWD can also affect tire wear. In other words, there are a majority of factors that affect BMW tire wear.

When your tires wear down at different rates, that can lead to poor traction, performance, and fuel economy. It can also lead to you needing to replace them sooner. But luckily, you can avoid many of these maladies with regular tire rotation.

How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?

We’ve indicated above that many BMW models will require tire rotations every 5,000-7,500 miles. But that’s more for front-wheel-drive models. If your BMW has xDrive all-wheel drive, you’ll probably want to do tire rotations every 3,000-5,000 miles. Have additional questions? Contact our expert BMW service technicians.

How to Rotate Your Tires at Home

The first thing to know about how to rotate your tires at home is what you’ll need to get the job done. You’ll want to have a jack, lug nut wrench, and a set of 4 jack stands to prop your vehicle on once you get it up with the jack. Once you have what you need, follow these six easy steps:

1. Set your parking brake as a safety precaution so your car doesn’t slide around before, during, or after lifting.
2. Loosen the lug nuts on all four wheels so they’re still fairly secure but not too tight. Don’t take them all the way off. Why perform this step? It makes it easier to remove them when the vehicle is lifted in the air.
3. Lift up one wheel with a car jack. When lifted properly, place the jack stand underneath it. Repeat this step with all four wheels so your vehicle is fully lifted.
4. Remove the tires one by one, and make sure you remember which tire went where (sometimes, using chalk on the tire can be helpful as a reminder).
5. Take this time to fill your tires to the optimal tire pressure. Then, rotate them according to the appropriate pattern for your type of tires and your drivetrain (see below section on tire positioning for further information). Mount the tires again, and screw on the lug nuts most of the way.
6. Lower the car from the jack stands, then finish tightening the lug nuts. When doing this, it’s best to tighten nuts that are diagonal from each other, and never tighten one fully beefore moving onto the next one. In other words, tighten one partially, then another diagonally from it partially. Move onto the third and do the same, then the one diagonal from that next. Then repeat as many times as needed til they’re tight. If the lug nuts aren’t tightened evenly you can cause your brake rotors to warp.

Learn More About the Importance of Tire Positioning

When rotating your tires yourself at home, there are a couple things you should know, especially as they pertain to rotating tires in FWD vs. RWD vehicles:

• Rotating FWD Tires: When rotating FWD tires, you can move the front tires straight back to the corresponding rear wheel on teh same side. But when you move the rear tires to the front, criss-cross them.

• Rotating RWD Tires: The opposite of the above-mentioned is true for rotating RWD tires. In this case, you can move the rear tires to the front in the same corresponding positions but criss-cross the rear tires to the opposite sides.

Get Your Tires Rotated at Pacific BMW

If rotating your tires yourself at home seems like too much work, or you’re worried you might not be able to lift your car properly or tighten your lug nuts fully, not to worry. The Pacific BMW service center is here to help! Schedule your next tire-rotation service today, and we’ll be glad to take care of your tire rotation needs. While you’re at it, check out our money-saving service specials.