Tire Rotation Patterns

Choosing the correct rotation pattern for your tires depends on several factors:

Non-Directional Tires, Same Size & Offset on Front & Rear

The Tire & Rim Association has identified three main rotation patterns that can be used for most vehicles in this scenario.

1. Forward Cross

Use this pattern if your vehicle is a FWD vehicle. Move the front tires straight back to the rear, and bring the rear tires to the opposite side of the front axle.

2. X-Pattern

If your vehicle is a FWD vehicle, you can use this as alternate pattern instead of the #1 Forward Cross. Move the front tires to the opposite rear positions and move the rear tires to the opposite front positions.

3. Rearward Cross

Use this pattern if your vehicle is a RWD or 4WD vehicle. Move the rear tires straight up to the front and move the front tires to the opposite rear positions.

Directional and/or Staggered High-Performance Tires & Wheels

In addition to the three main rotation patterns listed above, there are two additional patterns that can be used for today's high-performance tire and wheel trends.

4. Front-to-Back

Directional tires are designed and constructed so that they always rotate in the same direction due to their tread pattern. If your tires are directional, they should only be rotated from front-to-back (or vice-versa) on the same side of the vehicle. If you have the same size and offset directional tires, use Pattern #4. Move the front tires to the rear on the same side and the rear tires to the front axle on the same side of the vehicle.

5. Side-to-Side

If you have differently-sized non-directional tires on the front and rear axles, use the side-to-side Pattern #5. Move the front tires to the opposite side of the front axle and the rear tires to the opposite rear side. If you have differently-sized directional tires on the front and rear, you cannot use Pattern #5 as shown. Instead, you will need to dismount the tires from the wheels, and remount and balance the tires on the opposite wheels.

Five Tire Rotation - Full Size Spare Tire

If your vehicle is equipped with a temporary or "mini-spare" tire, it cannot be included in your tire rotation practice. However, if your vehicle is equipped with a full size, non-directional spare tire (not branded "for temporary use") and wheel the same size as your four main tires & wheels, you may want to consider the following rotation patterns to keep all five tires evenly worn. This is especially important for 4WD and AWD vehicles, because if you need to use your spare tire and it has different wear than your other three tires, it could place undue forces on the drive train of your vehicle due to the difference in tread depth.

First, check your vehicle's owner's manual to see if they have a recommended tire rotation pattern and follow those guidelines. If there is no rotation information available, consider the following patterns:

6. Forward Cross for Front-Wheel-Drive

If your vehicle is FWD and you have non-directional tires with a full-size matching spare, use Pattern #6. Move the rear tires to the opposite front positions. Move the left front tire to the left rear position. Move the spare tire to the right rear position and let the right front tire become the spare.

7. Rearward Cross for Rear-Wheel-Drive or 4-Wheel-Drive

If your vehicle is RWD or 4WD with non-directional tires and a full-size matching spare, use Pattern #7. Move the left rear tire to the left front position. Move the right rear tire to the right front position. Move the right front tire to the left rear position. Move the spare tire to the right rear position and let the left front tire become the spare.