Hi everyone!

Which of the following is TRUE of Tyre Rotation :

1. Swapping the front tyres (and rims) with rear tyres (and rims)
OR
2. Swapping the front tyres (w/o rims) with rear tyres (w/o rims)

I am asking because I am expecting my new set of 18X8.5J rims (all round), but because the front rim is high-disk with a shallow "lip" (shallow dish) and the rear rim is mid-disk with a deeper "lip" (deep dish), thus the rims could not be swapped in the event that I want to rotate the tyres.

During tyre rotation, does the tyre get removed? Anyone who knows anything, pls advise, cos I need to decide on my tyre sizes. If tyre rotation can be done for my case, then I will buy similar size tyres all-round. If not, then I will go for a staggered tyre setup, which is likely 225/45/18 and 255/35/18.

Thanks!

__________________
Mervyn

1979 W123 (200/M) Midnight Blue
1983 W126 (280SEL) Dupont Deep Black (Previously Pristine Silver)

Tire rotation is typically done on cars with a tire/wheel combination that is symmetrical front to rear. If your wheels are assymetrical, the expense and trouble of changing tires on wheels and rebalancing would not be cost effective.

Added to the cost, unless you have the facilities to do this yourself so that you know it's done right, would probably be very frustrating.

It is difficult enough to find a shop that will balance correctly one time, much less trying to get it done every time. There may be an exception to this rule for you if you know someone who properly balances YOUR wheels and does it right. Doing it right involves a computer balancer AND an operator who will bother to DYNAMICALLY balance your wheels. All too many shops simply set their machine for static balance and put the balance weights ONLY on the inboard rim of the wheels. If you don't want balance weights on the outside edge for aesthetic reasons, you need someone who will bother using hidden tape weights for the outboard plane.

IF you have found someone who will rebalance your wheels in this way EVERY time, and you want to put up with the expense and time to do this, then go for it.

The money spent on rotation in this manner would probably exceed the money it would take to replace the tires at an earlier time.

My $0.02,

Hi Larry, many thanks for the fast reply! I've read quite a number of your posts in regards to staggered wheels/tyres, really helpful!

I got a hunch that rotating tyres on assymetrical wheels isnt going to be the way to go, and now that you have explained why, I'll stick to your advice and dont bother with rotating the tyres. I agree with you that the expense and trouble of changing tires on wheels and rebalancing would not be cost effective.

And unfortunately, I also do not know of someone competent to balance my wheels dynamically every time I swap my rubbers.

So Larry, you're right, I'll stick to staggered tyres. Most importantly, I dont drive much, so it would be quite some time before I need to replace those tyres, and the cost really would expectedly be musch less than the $$ spent on doing rotation on assymetrical wheels.

Thanks for the help!!
Cheers.........

__________________
Mervyn

1979 W123 (200/M) Midnight Blue
1983 W126 (280SEL) Dupont Deep Black (Previously Pristine Silver)