QuestionI have a subaru forester all wheel drive vehicle.
Subaru recommend rotation every 6000 miles, my tire store recommends every 7500.
Which is it?
AnswerLawrence,
It is difficult for the folks at the store level to know every vehicle manufacturer's rotation recommendation. So they usually pick a common number, and 7500 is a common figure.
But go with what Subaru recommends.
BTW, you are the one who decides what the actual interval will be, so here's some words of wisdom on the subject:
A) More often is better than not enough.
The purpose of rotation is to even out the rate of wear, front to rear, and to prevent the appearance of irregular wear. FWD cars wear the front tires out about 2 1/2 times faster than the rears and this can cause some unusual handling characteristics in emergency maneuvers. Plus each wheel position has a characteristic wear pattern the may develop into a problem if left too long in that position. For example, rear tires on a FWD tend to wear a diagonal wear pattern.
B) You should pay attention to the wear pattern.
It is a good indicator of how the alignment is. IMHO, vehicle alignment tolerances are way too wide, so folks are constantly fooled into thinking things are OK, when they aren't. For example, modern radial tires don't like the toe in to be more than 1 /32" off the nominal value PER SIDE. Most alignment charts show tolerances of 2 to 3/32nds.
C) Inflation pressure play a major role in how quickly tires wear.
Every vehicle sold in the US has a placard. The placard, among many things, tells the original tire size and the proper inflation pressure for that size. The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box.
I like to use 3 to 5 psi above the placard. I get better fuel economy, better tire wear, better wet traction, better snow traction, better steering response, better tire durability, and only give up a bit of ride harshness.
Hope this helps.
