Have you rotated your tires lately? If not, maybe you should.

“Rotating your tires will extend the life of the tires while ensuring safer driving,” said Denny Norton, owner of Ringwood based Performance Unlimited.  “Tires wear differently on the front of the car than they do on the rear. By rotating the tires you make sure that they wear a more evenly.”

Uneven wear between tires will have one pair of tires worn to the point of needing replacement before the others. At that time, car owners have to decide whether to purchase two tires or a full set of four. Even wear on the tires also offers the optimal traction for steering and braking.

Some car manufacturers recommend rotating the tires every 5,000 or 10,000 miles. However, checking the owner’s manual is a good way to make sure you’re doing it according to the recommended schedule.

Rotating the tires is a procedure car owners can do themselves. However, it’s important that they know which way to rotate the tires – front to back/back to front or in a criss-cross pattern. Additionally, rotating the tires means removing at least two tires at a time. It’s essential that the car is properly and safely jacked up for such an operation.

“You can do this yourself,” Norton said. “But, it’s not that expensive to have your mechanic do it. Besides, while rotating the tires, your mechanic can also check the wear for other potential problems.”

Tire wear offers clues on a variety of other factors. For instance, irregular bare spots on a tire can indicate that the tires need balancing. Other types of wear can indicate the need for an alignment or the replacement of front suspension and/or steering parts.

If someone is rotating their own tires, it’s important that they tighten the lug nuts in a crossing pattern. Additionally, Norton said that cars with aluminum wheels need to be retorked after the first 100 miles to ensure that they don’t come loose.

To schedule a tire rotation or other repairs at Performance Unlimited for your vehicle, call 815-728-0343 or visit http://www.4performanceunlimited.com.