flip tire on the rim

[skejam]

Twice yearly towing from southern BC to lower Baja peninsula (approx 10,000 km/yr.) Protected from the sun while parked. I have noticed minimal tire wear on all 4 inside treads. KOA(sp?) axles. Not enough wear to worry about. I inflate properly, and don't overload. To extend tire life, I am contemplating removing all four wheels and flipping each tire on its rim, so the inside wall is now the outside wall. The minimal wear will now be on the 'new' inside tread. Opinions?

[hiljoball]

Reversing the tire will cause it to rotate in the opposite direction - that may cause a problem as the tire has settled into current rotation direction. So if you swap the tire on the hub, also move that hub to the opposite side of the rig so the rotation is still the same as before.

John

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, hiljoball said:

So if you swap the tire on the hub, also move that hub to the opposite side of the rig so the rotation is still the same as before.

That is what I was thinking also, but I would phrase slightly differently. If you unmount the tire and reverse it on the wheel/rim, then take each one to the other side of the RV so that rotation remains in the same direction. That is especially true for belted, radial tires. 

[trailertraveler]

4 hours ago, hiljoball said:

So if you swap the tire on the hub, also move that hub to the opposite side of the rig so the rotation is still the same as before.

 

28 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

That is especially true for belted, radial tires. 

If this is such a concern, why is the standard rotation pattern for tires (including belted radial tires) an X pattern of exchanging front to opposite side rear?

[Jaydrvr]

27 minutes ago, trailertraveler said:

 

If this is such a concern, why is the standard rotation pattern for tires (including belted radial tires) an X pattern of exchanging front to opposite side rear?

Which is why it makes sense to only rotate front to rear on the same side of vehicle, if you're into rotation. I think that was the new idea when radials became popular. Jay

[mptjelgin]

I recall long, long ago when radial tires were just becoming the norm, that the standard advice was to not cross-rotate radial tires and just move them front-to-back.  Like so many other things that advice has long ago been superceded, and most authorities say that a crossing type tire rotation is the preferred pattern, except in the case of directional tires which are made to rotate in only one direction. 

 

[Lance A Lott]

If you have to pay to have this done will it be worth the extra tire life? Even at $10 per tire that's half a new tire ea h time.  My trailer tires age out long before they were out.

[RV_]

 

Proper tire rotation is important. If you notice irregular or uneven tread wear, the tires should be rotated to alleviate the problem. Remember: it is important to check your tires and wheels for signs of possible damage, and check your vehicle for any mechanical problems and correct if necessary. You should follow the rotation pattern or procedure indicated in your limited warranty and the vehicle owners' manual. We recommend you rotate tires on front wheel drive vehicles and/or all season tires on any vehicle every 5,000 to 8,000 miles to equalize the rate of wear. You should rotate your tires earlier if signs of irregular or uneven tire wear arise. Have the vehicle checked by a qualified tire service professional to determine the cause of abnormal wear conditions. The first rotation is the most important.

There are various patterns for rotating tires (see below). A common one for front-wheel drive vehicles involves moving the tires in a crisscross fashion, with the left front tire trading places with the right rear, and right front trading with the left rear. If you have a full-size spare, you can include it in your rotation pattern-but don’t do so with a small "temporary use" spare, because those are meant only for low-speed, short-distance emergency use.

Source:http://us.coopertire.com/safety/safety-tips/rotation.aspx

[Kirk W]

For trailer tires, check this out from RecStuff.com:

Quote

There are a few different ways that you can rotate your trailer tires. You can rotate your tires moving them from the front to the back, from the side to the side switching across the axle, or in an X formation making a crisscross pattern. It is mostly recommended, whether your trailer is a bi or tri axle trailer, that you rotate your tires in an X pattern. There is no right or wrong when using this crisscross pattern. It is recommended that tires that are worn irregularly or improperly be rotated to a position that they are revolving in the opposite direction of the original position. By using the X pattern, you are putting a different edge of the tire to the outside, which will help even out the wear of the tire, which will help prevent safe trailer traveling by helping avoid wobbles, vibrations, blowouts and other mechanical failures. 

Please note that you should check the pattern that your tire wears out frequently and when you notice a recognized pattern, rotating your tires is beneficial to stop the problem of uneven wear and future problems. Rotating your tires can be easily done, with very few tools needed. To rotate your tires on your trailer, first use jack stands that just like trailers have a load rating, are adequately rated to hold the weight of your trailer. Prop up your trailer up each axle making sure the stands are square. It is suggested or both mounting and un-mounting that you use a torque wrench for the lug nuts or lug bolts. Once you have the tire and wheel assemblies un-mounted from the trailer, you can rotate them accordingly. When mounting your tires and wheels back onto your trailer, make sure that the jack stands again are on level ground, and while using a torque wrench, torque your lug nuts or lug bolts to the proper torque specifications. 

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[Ray,IN]

I'll not have tires rotated again. Took my pickup to the dealer, told them to rotate tires, did't bother to ask price as last time it was $35. This time it was $85 😵, when I questioned the cost the service writer told me it was due to the TP sensors's inside the tires. Guess I shouldn't complain, between new and rotation, mileage was 48M, if I get another 48M out of them I'll be happy as a puppy with a  new bone.

[jerryneal]

18 hours ago, RV_ said:

 

Proper tire rotation is important. If you notice irregular or uneven tread wear, the tires should be rotated to alleviate the problem. Remember: it is important to check your tires and wheels for signs of possible damage, and check your vehicle for any mechanical problems and correct if necessary. You should follow the rotation pattern or procedure indicated in your limited warranty and the vehicle owners' manual. We recommend you rotate tires on front wheel drive vehicles and/or all season tires on any vehicle every 5,000 to 8,000 miles to equalize the rate of wear. You should rotate your tires earlier if signs of irregular or uneven tire wear arise. Have the vehicle checked by a qualified tire service professional to determine the cause of abnormal wear conditions. The first rotation is the most important.

There are various patterns for rotating tires (see below). A common one for front-wheel drive vehicles involves moving the tires in a crisscross fashion, with the left front tire trading places with the right rear, and right front trading with the left rear. If you have a full-size spare, you can include it in your rotation pattern-but don’t do so with a small "temporary use" spare, because those are meant only for low-speed, short-distance emergency use.

Source:http://us.coopertire.com/safety/safety-tips/rotation.aspx

 

[jerryneal]

Thanks Derek.  Looks like swapping inside to out is recommended.  We’ll give it a shot.

[RV_]

No prob Jerry!

[Kirk W]

On 1/3/2019 at 12:34 PM, skejam said:

To extend tire life, I am contemplating removing all four wheels and flipping each tire on its rim, so the inside wall is now the outside wall. The minimal wear will now be on the 'new' inside tread. Opinions?

 

On 1/3/2019 at 4:55 PM, Kirk W said:

That is what I was thinking also, but I would phrase slightly differently. If you unmount the tire and reverse it on the wheel/rim, then take each one to the other side of the RV so that rotation remains in the same direction. That is especially true for belted, radial tires. 

Like many people, I remember being told that radial tires should always rotate the same direction, but that seems to have been believed back when they were introduced but not today. After quite a bit of research and speaking with 2 different tire experts, it seems that was an early concern that is no longer supported. The consensus of opinions that I found today is that most tires can be rotated in the standard pattern and rotation direction does not matter, except in rare cases where tread patterns are intended to rotate in a specific direction. 

[RV_]

As was said in the Cooper Tire diagrams above.

[jblo]

The diagrams on the duallys does not take into account not all wheels (if polished alloys) can be used in all positions. Most duallys have a plain steel wheel on inside rears; the one polished side wheels have to stay in place/side x side to keep polished side outward. This complicates dually rotation if doing front to rear...not quite an answer to the question, but something to consider.