el_camino

Owning my first AWD vehicle, I'm not too sure what to do about rotating my tires. There's also a lot of conflicting info out there (and some scary stories).

So, for you AWD Audi owners, what do you do? Front to back, x pattern, loop in the spare tire?

thx

nemohm

Front to back is your only option.

Other options are proven to get the tires (internally) ply separated.

wallyr25

Most tires now are unidirectional so cannot be moved from one side of the car to the other. Therefore, since the front wheels do more work than the rear ones (mostly in braking) they will wear faster than the rears. So when you switch to and from your winter tires, keeping the tires on the same side of the car, put the ones with most tread in front and you will extend your tire life.

el_camino

So that shiny, brand-new tire and rim stored in the back shouldn't be rotated in?

Seems like such a waste.

wallyr25

The problem is where do you put it? Once it is mounted on one side, it shouldn't be put on the other. So you'd end up with (say) three lefts and a two rights, if a right one blows there's no spare that can reliably be used. By keeping it virgin it can more reliably be installed on either side. That's how I see it anyhow.