How to Rotate Car Tires With One Jack

Regularly rotating your tires is a crucial part of your vehicle maintenance. It helps prevent blowouts, maintains traction, and even improves fuel economy. Regardless of whether you’re behind the wheel of a used or new model, a tire rotation should be part of your regular maintenance. Read on to learn from the Performance Kings Honda team about tire rotation, its benefits, and how you can do it yourself with one jack. Click the button below to call our service center if you have questions about tire rotation service.

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What Does Rotating Tires Mean?

Tire rotation involves periodically changing the positions of the tires on your vehicle. To ensure the tires wear evenly, it’s important to rotate them every 5,000 miles or as recommended by the auto manufacturer. For many, that will be at the same time as changing the car’s oil.

Rotating your tires regularly also gives you a good opportunity to visually check them for damage, tread depth, and air pressure and have them rebalanced if you notice any vibration.

The Benefits of Rotating Tires Regularly

Regular tire rotation presents several benefits, including the following:

Provides a Better Ride

Rotating your tires regularly means you’ll have a smoother ride. If the tread wears down more on one tire than on the others, you may feel it when you’re driving. This results in a bumpier driving experience.

Extends Your Tires’ Life Span

Another benefit of rotating tires periodically is that you can prolong the life span of your vehicle’s tires. Switching the position of your tires regularly ensures that they wear evenly over time.

Most auto manufacturers recommend rotating your vehicle’s tires approximately every six months or 7,500 miles. This number can change depending on where, how, and what you drive. However, since not all vehicles are the same, it’s always best to refer to your owners manual. You can simplify things by making it a habit to get your tires rotated every time you take your vehicle to the service center for an oil change.

Keeps Your Vehicle Safe

Aside from keeping an emergency kit in your vehicle, another way to stay safe is by rotating your vehicle’s tires. Regular rotation keeps the tread on the tires in better condition, improving your vehicle’s traction and braking performance on the road.

If you don’t rotate regularly, your front tires can wear or lose tread faster than the rear ones. As a result, you may not be able to control your vehicle when you need to brake quickly.

Saves You Money

As mentioned above, rotating tires regularly helps to extend their life span. This means fewer tire changes during your car’s lifetime, saving you a significant amount of money.

How To Rotate Honda Tires With One Jack

Here are the steps for rotating tires using one jack:

1. Park Your Vehicle and Engage the Parking Brake

Before doing anything else, make sure that your vehicle is parked on level ground, preferably in a shielded area such as a garage. Don’t forget to apply the parking brake before you do anything to prevent the car from rolling when you raise it.

2. Loosen the Wheel Lug Studs and Nuts

Before raising your vehicle, make sure you loosen the studs and nuts. Do this while it’s still on the ground to prevent the tires from rotating. Remember that the tires may turn if not in contact with the ground. You don’t need to completely loosen them — only slightly to release the tension.

3. Raise the Vehicle

Keep in mind that not all cars are the same, so make sure you review your owners manual to determine where you should place the jack. Some vehicles have designated areas, while others can be raised from almost anywhere. If you have an electric vehicle, for example, you should be very careful since the underside of this type of car usually contains the batteries. When the jack is in place, lift the vehicle up.

4. Support the Vehicle Using the Jack Stands

Once you’ve raised the vehicle enough so that two tires are off the ground, you can place one or two jack stands close to the tires you want to rotate. Since this requires some precision, take your time and go through a few online video tutorials to determine the optimal position for the jack stand. Not all vehicles are the same, and good preparation can help prevent damage.

Once the jack stands are in place, and you’re sure they’re not going anywhere, you can lower the jack slightly to allow the vehicle to fully rest on the stands. Give your vehicle a nudge to make sure that everything stays in place. If it does, you can begin rotating the tires.

5. Take the Tires Off and Rotate Them

Now it’s time to rotate your vehicle’s tires. Make sure to follow a strict rotational pattern. This depends on the type of vehicle you own and the manufacturer’s recommendations. If you only have one jack stand, the easiest method is to lift the two tires you want to rotate, as you can simply swap the tires on each side of the car in turn. When you’re finished, double-check if everything is correct. Make sure you’ve rotated the tires in the recommended pattern before lowering the vehicle to the ground.

6. Remove the Stands and Lower the Vehicle

When you’re sure that you’ve changed the tires according to the correct rotational pattern, tighten the studs and nuts. However, don’t tighten them all the way since you can do this after you’ve lowered the vehicle to the ground. Make sure to raise your jack a bit to clear the jack stands. Do it slowly, and make sure you don’t go underneath the vehicle at any point.

Once you’ve removed the stands, you can completely lower the vehicle to the ground. Be sure to tighten the tires to the right torque level.

Get Your Tires Rotated Today at Performance Kings Honda

Rotating tires is key for getting the best performance from both your tires and your Honda. If you’re not confident doing it yourself at home, you can make an appointment for a tire rotation at Performance Kings Honda. We’ll get your tires rotated and rolling smoothly in no time. What are you waiting for? Give us a call at (513) 791-9090 or contact us online today.

Image Credits: My Honda Donut by frankieleon  is licensed with CC BY 2.0