Is it too late? As long as the tires aren't bald or showing chords, it's never too late to start rotating your tires. You might not get as much life out of them as you would by rotating them from the beginning, but it will still extend tire life.
Ultimately, the average length of time that a tire rotation will take is around an hour and it's recommended every six months or 6,000 to 8,000 miles.
Most vehicle manufacturers recommend that you get your tires rotated approximately every 7,500 miles or six months. However, some vehicles are exceptions and it's always best to refer to your owner's manual. This number can change depending on how, where, and what you drive.
Tires are designed to withstand heat via the space among treads as that allows for cool airflow. However, when you don't rotate your tires, some treads won't have that space, resulting in too much heat and essentially tire failures, such as blowouts and tread separation.
Since directional tires are manufactured to be facing one direction only, they can't be rotated like symmetrical or asymmetrical tires.
Even Treadwear and Tire Life
Even if your car is properly aligned, tires still need to be rotated for optimal wear performance and maintenance. Rotation counteracts the uneven wear characteristics of each wheel position on the vehicle.
For example, certain tires have a directional tread, meaning you can only mount the tread in one direction, so you can't swap tires from left to right. You would only rotate these tires from front to back. Some performance cars have different-sized tires on the front and rear axles along the same lines.
He recommends having your tires rotated about every 3000 to 5000 miles, or at least every time you go in for an oil change. If your owner's manual states that your car doesn't need new oil that frequently, then plan on a tire rotation at least once every six months.
It's not completely necessary to balance tires when rotating, but it is a good idea to do so. When performed by a shop, the balancing procedure is inexpensive, so its usually paired with the rotation. If you're doing a rotation job yourself, it's up to you whether you want to also balance.
A poor alignment or unbalanced tires can also cause uneven wear. Rotating tires keeps them from wearing unevenly. That will make your ride smoother and handling safer. And it extends the life of your tires, saving you time and money in the long run.
When you include all five tires in your rotation, the use (and therefore the wear) will be evenly distributed, so all five tires should maintain equivalent tread depths. This helps "extend" the life of all five tires, plus it wears out the spare tire before it "ages out," ensuring it is safe for use when needed.
Imbalanced tires can wobble or hop up and down, causing vibration. If a front tire isn't properly balanced, you'll likely feel vibration in the steering wheel. If the problem is in the rear, you'll feel shaking in the seat or floor.
Over time, these tiny shifts in weight add up to a meaningful imbalance. Even a quarter of an ounce of imbalance can put uneven pressure on the treads, causing uneven tread wear and excess heat that shorten the life of the tire. Tire imbalance can also strain the wheel bearings and suspension system.
“When two new tires have been installed on the rear axle, the recommended rotation pattern requires keeping the tires on the same axle, but rotating them from side-to-side,” he said.
Namely, it's a best practice to rotate tires every 5,000 to 7,500 miles or so. This is a rule of thumb, however, and you'll want to double-check with your vehicle's owner's manual for more specific information.
When your tires are rotated, the wheels are removed and replaced from front to back, right to left. When they are balanced, a mechanic uses a special machine to check to see if the weight of the tire and wheel is balanced.
So, can tire rotations cause alignment issues? No, tire rotations do not affect your wheel alignment negatively. In fact, getting a tire rotation is a great way to ensure your treads wear down evenly.
Generally speaking, you'll want to get your vehicle's wheels at least checked for proper alignment once a year or every other oil change. If you're looking for a numerical value, most tire professionals will cite the 6,000-mile figure as a rule of thumb.
Rotating your tires is generally done to improve tire life. On the BMWs the camber in the rear is set up so that the inside edge wears much faster than the outside edge. If you're running a square set-up (like you are) then it can't hurt. If your running staggered set-up then you don't rotate.
A vehicle generally vibrates from an unbalanced tire at speeds greater than 45 mph.
Wheel balancing is one of the best solutions for vehicle vibrations, but imbalances aren't the sole cause for a shaky ride. For example, if you still feel tire vibrations after a wheel balancing service, you may be dealing with tire runout.