Tire Rotation Scam

[scam_alerts]

SCAM ALERT #1301

How much money do you spend each year on Tire Rotation? Each time you pay to have your tires rotated, you're throwing money away.

The word "Rotation" means to turn. Guess what, everytime you drive your car, your tires turn, (rotate). So why are you paying some idiot to drive your car around the block to rotate your tires? Your tires are rotated when you drive to their service center, and everywhere else you drive.

Tire Rotation has got to be the biggest scam in all history. Only a complete idiot would fall for this scam, if they knew what they were getting. Unfortunately most drivers have no clue. They are told that this is needed, so they march in line to get their money stolen from their wallet.....

The next time you want to get your tires rotated, DRIVE YOUR CAR. It wont cost a cent other than the gasoline, which you need anyhow if you want to drive somewhere.

[nestork]

Here's proof it's a scam:

They don't rotate the steel shoes on horses do they?

'nuf said?

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

but they replace them more frequently than 40000 miles

[DerbyDad03]

Based on the latest advice from most car safety experts, tires should (theoretically) never be rotated.

The latest thinking is that the tires with the most tread should be on the rear of the vehicle to prevent the rear end from losing traction. If you only buy 2 tires, many tires dealers will insist that they be installed on the rear for that reason.

DAGS on 'best tires on rear'

Now, we all know that on a front wheel drive vehicle, the front tires will wear more rapidly than the rears. If you were to buy 4 new tires, the minute you drive out of the parking lot and make one turn the front tires will be worn more than the rears. This more rapid wear will continue the more you drive. If you rotate these tires to the rear, you break the "rule" of always having the best tires on the rear.

Therefore, from a safety perspective, the whole concept of rotating tires is no longer valid.

[Robert Green]

+1 Since uneven wear often indicates an alignment or other problem, I'd like to see it progress rather than hide it via tire rotation.

A few weeks ago I was watching an improperly nutted wheel on a Formula 1 race car come flying off and bust up a videographer pretty seriously. That reminded me that rotation often calls for the employment of less than fully trained workers who can really mess things up a lot more than a little uneven tire wear.

The pit crews use wrenches with built in "ready to go" signal buttons to release the car as quickly as possible. The design of the wrench was such that if it twisted in your hands from a cross-threading it slides down and the button gets pushed accidentally, the car is cleared and the tire goes into orbit.

[gonjah]

I always thought it was more about even wear, not safety, per se. Your tires should never wear to the point they are unsafe on the rear or the front. But, on the other hand, I don't drive very much.

I think I'll continue to rotate.

As a side note.

I ride a bike to work most days. I only drive my truck on days it rains or I have to go somewhere after work.

[trader4]

+1

Rotating allows them to wear evenly. And if they don't have enough tread left to be safe, then they shouldn't be on the car front or back.

When it's time to buy new tires, I and I think most people would rather buy new tires that are all the same, instead of having different tires front and back or hoping that the same tires you bought 4 yeara ago are still available, at a good price, etc.

But if you don't want to rotate, I don't see it as a big problem either. One problem with rotation is that I've seen cases where once the tires were rotated, there was some vibration. This despite the fact that the tires were all balanced. So, one argument in favor of not rotating is that if everything is working OK, why screw around?

[Dean Hoffman]

One lesson I learned is to rotate the tires on schedule or not at all. I didn't once and ended up with new tires. I have a Subie Impreza which is also AWD.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi. All my family vehicles are AWD type. Honda/Acura/Subaru. I rotate tires myself and always make sure all 4 wheels are in alignment.

[mancave]

Be sure to rotate the tires on your bike every couple months.

[WW]

SCAM ALERT #1301

How much money do you spend each year on Tire Rotation? Each time you pay to have your tires rotated, you're throwing money away.

The word "Rotation" means to turn. Guess what, everytime you drive your car, your tires turn, (rotate). So why are you paying some idiot to drive your car around the block to rotate your tires? Your tires are rotated when you drive to their service center, and everywhere else you drive.

Tire Rotation has got to be the biggest scam in all history. Only a complete idiot would fall for this scam, if they knew what they were getting. Unfortunately most drivers have no clue. They are told that this is needed, so they march in line to get their money stolen from their wallet.....

The next time you want to get your tires rotated, DRIVE YOUR CAR. It wont cost a cent other than the gasoline, which you need anyhow if you want to drive somewhere.

I spend nothing. Where I buy tires they are rotated every 5K miles. NOT X rotated but front to rear on same side. Tires are checked for balance also. No charge for life of tires. Never rotated them on my Harleys even tho they were same size and tread. Motorcycle tires don't last as long as car tires. On my trail bikes front and rear are different sizes. I have read all the previous threads on this. WW

[Robert Green]

I've run into that attitude. I am not sure why youngsters feel that way but it's clear they do, especially in areas like DC where there's fairly reliable public transportation and the highways are jammed beyond capacity.

[Robert Green]

< So, one argument in favor of not rotating is that

I agree. It's a classic example of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Of course, I drive so little that dry rot is my enemy and rotating isn't going to help that. It probably doesn't help that I remember seeing van just like mine that had partly fallen off the lift at the place where I buy gas.

I would hate to have that happen during a rotation or have the idiot mechanic have her wrench on tighten and then come to me to say all my (red hot!) lug bolts were stripped. (Sears, back when I was a punk kid and didn't know any better not to go there.)

If I noticed uneven wear on a tire I wouldn't rotate it (like they do with pedophile priests) I would have the car inspected and aligned.

[Dean Hoffman]

Some cut here and there from RG and others.

I wonder how much difference the internet has made. One can download movies and music. Shopping is better in some ways online than in a real store. The kids I see are too busy texting to talk to someone standing nearby. Even so, not driving in my area is a big inconvenience. It's a rural area though.

[Wes Groleau]

On 08-15-2013 18:55, Robert Green quoted:

This sixty-year-old got rid of the car 37 months ago. Pedal-power only. Train if in a hurry, plane if in a big hurry. But I kept the license, just in case.

[Wes Groleau]

Obviously not ONLY, but for anything under fifty miles and a good percentage of the more than fifty.

[The Daring Dufas]

Darn, I wish I could ride a bike again. When I worked out in The Marshall Islands, a bike was how most folks got around. I loved it, it kept me in the best shape I had ever been in. I would try a stationary bike and I actually had one at one time but I'd need a seat I could sit on without it hurting me. I'm betting it would help my legs and knees even though I need two new ones. After getting my heart zapped back into the proper rhythm, I can walk across a mall without running out of steam or dropping dead again. My legs hurt like hell but I get stronger every time, I bet a stationary bike would help. Wes, when you started riding your bike, what kind of shape were you in and how long did it take you to get into the good shape you're in now? ^_^

TDD

[Wes Groleau]

I started riding while in the Navy but on shore duty (electronics instructor) when I knocked a hole in my oil pan at a dip in the road.

I was so skinny at the time that I GAINED ten pounds in two weeks. When I finally fixed the thing, I kept on riding. When I realized I hadn't driven it at all for six months, I sold it.

But after I got out, I moved to Syracuse, NY, where both the weather and the attitudes of motorists led me to use buses instead. Then marriage and children led me to get a car. And the dietary aspects of eating at home with a family while having a sedentary job made me fat and unhealthy. Result of that is diabetes which motivated me to improve my diet. After my wife died and my children were grown, I sold the house and the car and moved three blocks from work. Stayed mostly within two miles until I thought I was in good enough shape to go further.

I've been making longer and longer "unnecessary" trips because of an irrational obsession with disproving people's opinions on what is impossible.

Plus I would like to be able to do Route 66 before my knees become the ones claiming "Impossible"

But enough about me....

[The Daring Dufas]

That is so cool, I hope you can keep it up for a long time. All that exercise keeps your brain sharp too. I had a high blood sugar problem at one time and I cured it by eschewing sugared soft drinks and of course living in The South sugar sweetened ice tea. I lost a 100 lbs when I stopped drinking sugar and I was already active doing things like climbing ladders and crawling around under things. A hundred pound weight loss made it a lot easier to crawl under houses and in attics. Keep on biking Wes, live long and prosper. ^_^

TDD

[Bob]

replying to scam_alerts, Bob wrote: Ha, this is a joke right? There's no way anyone could be so stupid to actually think that "*tire rotation*" means to turn the wheels around, as in "driving the car".