How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires (and When to Replace Them)?

As a rule of thumb, rotate your tires every 5,000 to 7,500 miles — an easy habit if you do it at every oil change. Regular rotation evens out wear, extends tire life, and keeps your handling predictable, which saves you real money over the life of a set of tires.

Why rotation matters

Your front and rear tires wear at different rates — front tires especially take a beating from steering and braking. Rotating them spreads that wear evenly so all four wear out around the same time, instead of replacing the fronts twice as often.

How often is right for you?

Every 5,000-7,500 miles works for most drivers. Pairing it with your oil change is the simplest way to never forget. If you tow, haul, or rack up lots of highway miles, the shorter end of that range is safer.

How to tell when you need new tires

• The penny test: insert a penny into the tread with Lincoln’s head down. If you can see all of his head, your tread is too low.
• Wear bars showing across the tread.
• Cracking or dry rot in the sidewall — common in Texas heat.
• Age: most tires should be replaced around 6 years regardless of tread.
• Vibration or pulling that doesn’t go away.

We carry all major brands

We order all major tire brands through our national supplier network, so you get the right tire for your vehicle and budget. See our tire sales, mounting, and balancing page for details.

A quick money-saving tip

Keeping tires properly inflated and rotated is the cheapest way to extend their life and protect your gas mileage. We check both every time your car is in the shop.