Question on 1st Tire Rotation

[Astro Jeep]

His point wasn't a cost savings, it's 20% less life between purchases and 20% less cost when buying the tires. It's a wash. You don't save anything by doing 5 tire rotations vs 4... unless you do your own rotations. The time saved could add up considering 8-10 rotations per set of tires?

You are absolutely correct. To put it more bluntly, while it is all a wash, a bill for four tires is a lot easier to swallow than a bill for five tires when swap-out time comes. Having that extra 20% in your pocket allows you to take care of other things that aren't going away. Both methods are acceptable, and there is no free lunch.

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[Terrymo]

You are absolutely correct. To put it more bluntly, while it is all a wash, a bill for four tires is a lot easier to swallow than a bill for five tires when swap-out time comes. Having that extra 20% in your pocket allows you to take care of other things that aren't going away. Both methods are acceptable, and there is no free lunch.

This thread reminds me of a high school math story problem. If Billy does a 5 tire rotation, and Biff does a 4 tire rotation….etc

 

[Astro Jeep]

rotating just 4 out of 5 means you're going to need to buy tires 20% sooner. there's no savings.

if a dealershit doesn't rotate all 5 of yours when requested, you could just take put the Spare on the ground in place of whichever is the most worn. in fact, some folks routinely put the most worn tire on the Spare, no matter what position it came from.

I never meant there was an actual savings. I meant that it left 20% of my available cash flow in my pocket at the time of purchase. There are no savings no matter which method you use, as the cost will be expended over time, but by only doing four tires, I have more money available for other things at the time of purchase.

 

[zouch]

but your next purchase will be 20% sooner,..

i’d just rather do it all less often and not have a tire in the mix on the ground that’s a year+ older than the rest.

I never meant there was an actual savings. I meant that it left 20% of my available cash flow in my pocket at the time of purchase. There are no savings no matter which method you use, as the cost will be expended over time, but by only doing four tires, I have more money available for other things at the time of purchase.

 

[Ratbert]

but your next purchase will be 20% sooner,..

Some people like to put in more work more frequently? Or pay someone to do it for them more frequently? Personally my time is more valuable than that, but to each their own I guess.

 

[Halxen]

Always rotate them the opposite direction of the Coriolis Effect depending on the hemisphere you’re in.

I rotate mine daily along the axis of the lateral axial shaft I'm probably up to the hundreds of thousands of rotations...

 

[gato]

Agree with everything but number 3. For the same reason almost every vehicle on the road comes with a donut spare these days. Even my XJ came with a donut spare. Unless you're driving with the locker engaged it is not an issue. An open diff won't heat up from different sized tire any more than it does from driving around corners. The transfer case couldn't heat up at all as there is no diff and thereby no difference in drive shaft speeds is even possible. Some AWD systems need tires to be the same size due to clutches etc that will heat up and wear, but it's not an issue in the JL period. Worst case you could get a traction control light as the computer would wonder why there's a wheel speed difference but I'm not sure you could get enough difference in size from a new tire and a bald one of the same size for even that to happen.

I'm not sure if you know this, but my JL, as well as all 392s and JLs with the XR package have an AWD mode (4HI Auto) that does indeed have diff/clutches in the transfer case. Specifically, the 392 does not even have a 2WD mode.

So #3 very much applies to the JL (at least some models).

Cheers.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I'm not sure if you know this, but my JL, as well as all 392s and JLs with the XR package have an AWD mode (4HI Auto) that does indeed have diff/clutches in the transfer case. Specifically, the 392 does not even have a 2WD mode.

So #3 very much applies to the JL (at least some models).

Cheers.

It very much does not, as the 392 still has open diffs and the clutches allow for a difference in speed (be that from cornering on dry pavement or a tire of a different size) between the front and rear driveshafts. An advanced AWD system with torque vectoring that's trying to match all tire speeds going straight and will actually slow the inside tires cornering NEEDS all the tires to be the same size. 4A is not that, not even remotely. So long as you aren't trying to drive home with the lockers on you'd be fine running an actual donut spare, and that isn't even the topic at hand. No your brand new spare that might be a 1/2" larger than your used tires because you don't do 5 tire rotations won't be an issue period. 4A isn't tied to the XR package at all (we have a 2022 with no 4A). It was an option on other models but all cane with 2wd mode so that's not even a point of discussion. The 392 is the only JL without a 2wd option.

 

[gato]

It very much does not, as the 392 still has open diffs and the clutches allow for a difference in speed (be that from cornering on dry pavement or a tire of a different size) between the front and rear driveshafts. An advanced AWD system with torque vectoring that's trying to match all tire speeds going straight and will actually slow the inside tires cornering NEEDS all the tires to be the same size. 4A is not that, not even remotely. So long as you aren't trying to drive home with the lockers on you'd be fine running an actual donut spare, and that isn't even the topic at hand. No your brand new spare that might be a 1/2" larger than your used tires because you don't do 5 tire rotations won't be an issue period. 4A isn't tied to the XR package at all (we have a 2022 with no 4A). It was an option on other models but all cane with 2wd mode so that's not even a point of discussion. The 392 is the only JL without a 2wd option.

I don't want to derail the thread, nor engage in a protracted discussion, but running tires of different diameters will affect many JL models and/or other models in certain situations. We have models such as Willis and Saharas with LSD. We have models such as 392 with no 2WD and we have several models including all export Rubicons with 4A clutch based transfer case. All of these models will at least generate extra heat and some wear with different size tires.

In ***addition*** ABS systems, stability control systems, brake force distribution systems all are negatively impacted by having a wheel with different size.

Further, if you off road or are driving in mix of snow/asphalt as most plowed roads are and put it in 4HI, 4LO and/or lock you will have even worse problems.

Net/Net it is not good to drive your vehicle with one tire of different diameter. Combined with all the other benefits of a 5-tire rotation listed above, there is simply no advantages not to do it.

Cheers.

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