In short, tire rotation involves removing all four wheels and repositioning them to another wheel so the tires wear evenly throughout their life.

The rotation pattern depends on your tire type and drivetrain, for example:

• Asymmetrical or unidirectional tires usually need to stay on the same side of your vehicle, so we'll swap them front to back

• Front-wheel drive: Forward cross, meaning the front tires go to the same side on the rear, but the rear tires move to opposite front wheels.

• All-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive: Swap tires in an X pattern, meaning left front goes to right rear, vice versa.

If you have a spare tire that's the same as your four tires (i.e., not a donut), we will perform a five-tire rotation.

After completing a tire rotation, we'll reset the tire pressure sensors.

The best way to rotate tires is dependent on the type of vehicle. To find out the best way, you can reference your owner’s manual or check with Mavis, Tire Kingdom or NTB. In most cases, tires will be moved from front-to-rear and possibly side to side in a cross pattern.

If you don’t rotate your tires, you will likely have tires that are wearing down at a higher rate than others. This will decrease the tread life of some tires more than others. While it may not seem like a big deal, this will cause you to replace tires prematurely.

Yes, it is a good idea to have your tires rotated when you get a tire replacement or a flat tire repaired to help balance out the wear on the remaining three tires. Depending on the wear of the other tires, you may be encouraged to purchase all new tires when you need a replacement. This is to help your vehicle operate at its optimal level of performance.

No, a tire rotation is different from an alignment on your vehicle. A tire rotation moves the vehicle’s tires around to minimize unnecessary wear and help increase tread life. While an alignment looks at your vehicle's tires and their positioning to make sure they are aligned with the axis and pointing straight. You may need an alignment if your car veers one way or the other without your control.