Tire Rotation? Swap same size? or what?

jacobzcool1 · 08-11-2008, 12:30 PM

Since you can't rotate the tires...do you just swap the 2 front and 2 rear tires, or just buy new tires after? how long do they last? and cost?

what is the difference of the types? the front are narrower than the back?

sorry bout the questions! thanks!

bumblebee · 08-11-2008, 12:55 PM

you don't rotate them. Unless you buy 2 front the same size as the back.

jediknight36 · 08-11-2008, 12:55 PM

Ill let smart think that one over.

Westfield 11 · 08-11-2008, 01:24 PM

It is possible to remove the tires from the rims and move them from left to right while still keeping the same direction of rotation. You cannot reverse the rotation once the tire has been broken-in without causing problems. Only back in the days of bias-ply tires was it possible cross the tires when rotating. Now with radials you just move them from front to rear and never change sides.

**Dunerunner** · 08-11-2008, 02:21 PM

This one has been beaten to death here a month or so ago. Tires Conti's that are OEM on the smart can be rotated side to side. They are non-directional and there is no problem with belt bias set. The best option is to buy two more rear wheels and outfit the car with the same size tire all around, or buy four new wheels and tires.

Here: Tire rotation

blackbeagle · 08-11-2008, 03:09 PM

These tires have a treadwear of 400, which is pretty high for stock tires. Given proper care, they should provide 50K mileage. Also being that it's a rwd car, there's not as much stress on the front tires.

Like Obama says...."Just keep em inflated to the proper air pressure" and we won't need to go to war with another country for oil.

jacobzcool1 · 08-12-2008, 12:10 PM

so...i looked at that link and i'm still a tad confused...so it's not ok to switch just the fronts and the backs? and it's impossible to switch them like normal?

so when they wear down the original time you have to buy new ones instead of rotating? How much do they cost? can you get these tires at a normal place, or do you have to get the new tires at a smart dealership?

**SmartCard** · 08-12-2008, 12:58 PM

The bottomline was that the oem size tires could be swapped side to side, but not front to back as "normal". So you could try rotating them side to side, or not. The front and rears will most likely wear at different rate, so at the very least, you'd be replacing a pair at a time ($61 front/ $82 rear - tirerack prices)

crashdiva919 · 08-12-2008, 01:03 PM

is that pricing universal for all smart centers? can the tire be bought at town fair tire as long as the knowledge that the back wheels are wider than the front is considered?

blackbeagle · 08-12-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacobzcool1

so...i looked at that link and i'm still a tad confused...so it's not ok to switch just the fronts and the backs? and it's impossible to switch them like normal?

so when they wear down the original time you have to buy new ones instead of rotating? How much do they cost? can you get these tires at a normal place, or do you have to get the new tires at a smart dealership?

Don't rotate like normal (front to back). You have wider tires in back than you do in front. I would probably skip rotating side to side as well. Why? Unless you have an alignment problem where your tires are worn unevenly on one side, they can be left alone. No need for any rotation until all FOUR tires are the same size.

Just run them as is, make sure you check your air level and get the most out of them, then replace them.