New (to me) tool for rotating tires

wifehatescar · 11-24-03, 01:03

http://www.tptools.com/product.asp?b...C4H2EQWH4W8T73

What does everyone think of this *for rotating tires only*? It looks super helpful to me. You could even put a jack stand under each "pad" if you are paranoid....

BradE · 11-24-03, 01:08

I can't stress this enough, whenever your car is lifted by some type of jack, ALWAYS use a jackstand(s). It's not being paranoid, it's being smart.

As for the tool itself, depending on the car you might have a difficult time trying to find a place of contact. Also, if you don't have much ground clearance, you might have trouble fitting that under it without jacking first.

rjstaaf · 11-24-03, 01:09

There are other companies that make similar devices.

They don't appear to mention a weight limit. That would be one thing that would concern me. The beam does add a bit of height so it might be a little difficult to get under most cars. I thought of getting something similar but, I have enough trouble just getting a standard floor jack under my car that something like this is just more trouble than it is worth. My Mustang is not lowered either.

prowler · 11-24-03, 02:38

It seems the only way this will work is to switch tires side to side. A conventional rotation pattern (such as rears to front, cross the fronts to the rear) would not be possible. What am I missing?

BradE · 11-24-03, 02:47

Quote:

Originally posted by prowler
It seems the only way this will work is to switch tires side to side. A conventional rotation pattern (such as rears to front, cross the fronts to the rear) would not be possible. What am I missing?

I was thinking the same thing. The front, rear, left or right side would still need another jack and stands to get the other 2 tires off the ground.

wifehatescar · 11-24-03, 06:09

I rotate the left side (swap front and rear) and then the right side (swap front and rear).
Maybe that is not optimal?

prowler · 11-24-03, 08:14

Quote:

Originally posted by wifehatescar
I rotate the left side (swap front and rear) and then the right side (swap front and rear).
Maybe that is not optimal?

Unless the tires are unidirectional (unlikely), most recommended roation patterns cross one pair (cross rears to front, or cross fronts to rear) - check your owner's manual.

rjstaaf · 11-24-03, 08:58

Uni-directional tires are far more common than you might think.

4DSC · 11-24-03, 11:23

There are a few ways you could rotate tires, especially for FWD cars. I usually just end up rotating them front to back, which would work for unidirectional tires as well. (And yes, unidirectional tires are fairly common these days.)

wifehatescar · 11-25-03, 05:21

I do the same as 4DSC, all my cars are FWD, some have directional tires, some do not. I wouldn't think NOT crossing a pair would matter too much, I assume most of the benefit comes from the switch front-rear

TINTORO · 11-25-03, 11:33

Having been a tire tech in the past I may be able to bring some light on rotating tires. Directional tires must be rotated front to rear unless dismounted and remounted on opposite rims, no crossing.

Non directional tires may be cross rotated to help with certain types of wear patterns, cross front tires to rear rotating rear tires forward. By rotating in this manner you may be able to even out high and low spots on the crown of the tires. Balancing should be done at least once a year to alleviate some tire wear problems. All Vehicles due have a point of lifting either frame rails or sub frames. If you have A question as to where to lift a vehicle leave me a note with the type of vehicle and I will be glad to help out.

Some vehicles you cannot rotate tires except side to side such as some Trans Am's, Camaro's, Acura NSX and the like. Wheel sizes and or offsets can also prevent rotation.

Some tires can cause a radial pull to one side or another and should be rotated to alleviate the problem if vehicle still pulls to either side have alignment checked.

TINTORO · 11-25-03, 11:50

If you have the room in your garage you could get a speed lift hydraulic rack. they are around 1500 to 2000 to start, can lift cars 3 ft off the ground. Usually the width of a car and able to lift 4000 lbs no problem. Kind of expensive unless renting it to friends to recoupe your money.