First visit to my dealer today- bizzare experience
08-07-2017, 08:52 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
First visit to my dealer today- bizzare experience
7500 mi required maintenance check and tire rotation was the reason for the visit. I was told the maintence check wasn't necessary and that they don't rotate directional tires. When I asked why the owners manual specifically states that the tires should be switched side to side they said it was wrong. I felt like Alice in Wonderland. Guess I will do it myself.
08-07-2017, 09:11 PM
#2
Drifting
Member Since: Jul 2016
Location: Virginia Beach Virginia
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When I took my previous car, Lexus, in for first oil change at 7500 miles, not only did they not change the oil, they also told me they rotated the tires. I said you did? Staggered and directional tires and you rotated them? They saw my car for the last time. Not riding with Charlie anymore.
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woodsguy (08-07-2017)
08-07-2017, 09:38 PM
#5
The stock tires on my daily driver (2014 ATS RWD with staggered summer performance tires) can't be rotated front to back either but I do rotate them side to side because it helps keep these Bridgestone tires a little quieter. The tread blocks tend to feather from leading to trailing edge which makes them noisy and side to side rotation helps.
But I really don't care for the Bridgestone summer performance tires and the ATS will get Michelin summer tires, I have very happy with the Michelin PSS on my Z06.
But I really don't care for the Bridgestone summer performance tires and the ATS will get Michelin summer tires, I have very happy with the Michelin PSS on my Z06.
08-07-2017, 10:14 PM
#6
When I took my previous car, Lexus, in for first oil change at 7500 miles, not only did they not change the oil, they also told me they rotated the tires. I said you did? Staggered and directional tires and you rotated them? They saw my car for the last time. Not riding with Charlie anymore.
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sunsalem (08-08-2017)
08-07-2017, 11:47 PM
#7
Le Mans Master
7500 mi required maintenance check and tire rotation was the reason for the visit. I was told the maintence check wasn't necessary and that they don't rotate directional tires. When I asked why the owners manual specifically states that the tires should be switched side to side they said it was wrong. I felt like Alice in Wonderland. Guess I will do it myself.
08-07-2017, 11:50 PM
#8
Le Mans Master
My dealer who is the largest in the Northwest told me the same thing, no need to rotate them.
08-08-2017, 12:01 AM
#9
Last edited by owc6; 08-08-2017 at 11:40 AM.
08-08-2017, 01:06 AM
#10
^^^ That's been the standard rotation regimen for radials for decades.
Any dealer who says otherwise....
Any dealer who says otherwise....
08-08-2017, 08:55 AM
#11
Instructor
Whether or not tires can be rotated comes down to whether or not the particular tires mounted on your car have a direction tread pattern. If the tires have directional tread patterns, they cannot be switched side to side unless they are unmounted and remounted in the process. Simply switching wheels will have the tires rolling in the wrong direction. Front to back rotation can only occur when the front and rear tires are the same size and all C7s come with different sized fronts and rears.
So, to the OP, what types of tires do you have on your car? Do they have a directional tread pattern? If so, then the dealer's comments about rotating the tires are correct, they should not be rotated or only moved side to side if they are unmounted and remounted to keep the tire rolling in the correct direction (a PITA that most people don't go with).
On the other comments about recommended service being unnecessary, then, I'm with you on that one. They should perform the recommended service at the recommended interval.
So, to the OP, what types of tires do you have on your car? Do they have a directional tread pattern? If so, then the dealer's comments about rotating the tires are correct, they should not be rotated or only moved side to side if they are unmounted and remounted to keep the tire rolling in the correct direction (a PITA that most people don't go with).
On the other comments about recommended service being unnecessary, then, I'm with you on that one. They should perform the recommended service at the recommended interval.
08-08-2017, 09:02 AM
#12
Race Director
I don't rotate tires on the Corvette. Nothing really to be gained. Early radial tires were not to be rotated side to side, reason the reinforcement belts would take a set durring operation and switching rotation would have a harmful effect as the belts would reset. That makes sense even with today's tires.
08-08-2017, 11:51 AM
#13
Moderator
Michelin says to rotate them:
TIRE ROTATION
To obtain maximum tread life, you must rotate your tires. You should
rotate your tires every 6,000 to 8,000 miles (10,000 to 12,000 km) or as
specified by your vehicle manufacturer, whichever occurs more frequently.
Check your vehicle owner’s manual for any recommendations by your
vehicle manufacturer. Monthly inspection for tire wear is recommended.
Your tires should be rotated at the first sign of irregular wear, even if it
occurs before 6,000 miles (10,000 km). This is true for all vehicles. When
rotating tires with a directional tread pattern, observe the arrows molded
on the sidewall that show the direction in which the tire should rotate.
Care must be taken to maintain the proper rotation direction. Some Tire
Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) may not recognize that a tire has been
moved to a different position on your vehicle. Make certain that your TPMS
system is reset, if necessary, so as to correctly identify the location of each
tire on your vehicle. Refer to your vehicle owner’s manual or your vehicle
dealer for this information. Determine whether rotated tires require tire
inflation adjustment, because front and rear position tire pressure may
vary according to the vehicle manufacturer’s specification due to the actual
load on that wheel position. Some vehicles may have tires of different
size mounted on the front versus the rear axles, and these different tires
have rotation restrictions. Always check the vehicle owner’s manual for the
proper rotation recommendations.
To obtain maximum tread life, you must rotate your tires. You should
rotate your tires every 6,000 to 8,000 miles (10,000 to 12,000 km) or as
specified by your vehicle manufacturer, whichever occurs more frequently.
Check your vehicle owner’s manual for any recommendations by your
vehicle manufacturer. Monthly inspection for tire wear is recommended.
Your tires should be rotated at the first sign of irregular wear, even if it
occurs before 6,000 miles (10,000 km). This is true for all vehicles. When
rotating tires with a directional tread pattern, observe the arrows molded
on the sidewall that show the direction in which the tire should rotate.
Care must be taken to maintain the proper rotation direction. Some Tire
Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) may not recognize that a tire has been
moved to a different position on your vehicle. Make certain that your TPMS
system is reset, if necessary, so as to correctly identify the location of each
tire on your vehicle. Refer to your vehicle owner’s manual or your vehicle
dealer for this information. Determine whether rotated tires require tire
inflation adjustment, because front and rear position tire pressure may
vary according to the vehicle manufacturer’s specification due to the actual
load on that wheel position. Some vehicles may have tires of different
size mounted on the front versus the rear axles, and these different tires
have rotation restrictions. Always check the vehicle owner’s manual for the
proper rotation recommendations.
08-08-2017, 02:25 PM
#14
Burning Brakes
If the car is properly aligned and not terribly abused, the tires are going to wear pretty evenly side-to-side. The slight gain in tread life that you may get is (IMHO) negated by the decrease in handling ability.
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jimmie jam (08-08-2017)
08-08-2017, 02:52 PM
#16
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sunsalem (08-08-2017)
08-08-2017, 02:55 PM
#17
Le Mans Master
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I ask the Tech I trust about rotating the tire on my C7. He said he would, but didn't recommend it for the same reason you stated Lisa. So, I passed.
08-08-2017, 04:29 PM
#18
Drifting
I rotated mine at 7,500. TPMS adjusted immediately. No handling or any other issues.
08-09-2017, 02:40 PM
#19
It's pretty sad that the dealer doesn't know the C7 tires aren't directional.
08-09-2017, 03:47 PM
#20
Le Mans Master
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Location: Lake Havasu City Arizona
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If you want even wear from side to side it is best to rotate for tire length of life and even tread wear. I don' do it because even though my tire dealer has a touchless tire removal and install system the workers sometimes accidentally beat the **** out of my rims. I'm a detail nut and don't want to take the chance of having them deface the rims. The manager of Discount Tires indicated to me that technically he can turn down the warranty on the tires if the recommended tire rotation isn't performed on them, but exercises his authority and own judgment and overlooks that. If he sees unusual wear on the tire due to alignment issues he notes that to the customer and explains that their tire life will be shortened and could be a warranty issue. He advises them to get an alignment, but in practice doesn't enforce the policy for proration of new tires. He says they are not really a tire company, but a transportation company where customer service and satisfaction is the utmost. BTW I just bought a set of Michelin ZP A/S 3+ tires from him.
Last edited by joemessman; 08-09-2017 at 03:52 PM.