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The scheme of replacing wheels on a car. How to correctly swap tires on car wheels

To ensure even wear tire it is recommended to perform every 5-10 thousand km of run rearrangement of wheels according to a certain scheme:

wheel arrangement scheme

For this operation, prepare a jack, a tire mounting paddle, a combination wheel wrench and special wheel stops.

Please note: when performing the operation, remember that when removing the front wheel, the stop must be installed under the opposite rear wheel; when you shoot the back - under the opposite front.

This is necessary to prevent the vehicle from moving. In addition, for greater reliability, put the vehicle on the handbrake and engage first gear before starting the operation.

After taking all the precautions listed above, you can proceed to rearrangement of wheels.

The process of performing this operation is as follows:

  • take the spare wheel out of the trunk and place it near the right rear wheel;
  • install the stop under the front left wheel;
  • remove the decorative cap with a spatula for mounting tires;
  • using a combination wrench, loosen the wheel bolts;
  • install a jack in the jack at the right rear wheel and use it to raise the car until the wheel is off the ground by 20-30 mm;
  • unscrew the four wheel bolts and put them in the cap, which will eliminate the contamination of the bolts and accidental deformation of the thread;
  • remove the right rear wheel, and replace it with a spare wheel and tighten the wheel bolts. It should be remembered that it is advisable to tighten the bolts in a certain way.
  • Hand tighten one bolt while swinging the wheel radially. Then tighten the opposite bolt in the same way, etc.
  • Tighten all the bolts in the same way with the combination wrench;
  • lower the vehicle with a jack.

The bolts can now be tightened all the way with the combination wrench.

Remember! When tightening the wheel bolts, never use leverage, leg force, or excessive hand force.

The fact is that the tightening torque of the bolts should not exceed 7 kgf m. The easiest way is to control the tightening force with a torque wrench, but if you do not have such a wrench at hand, then, while unscrewing the bolts, try to feel and remember the effort with which they were wrapped.

We must not forget that tightening the bolts with a force exceeding 7 kgf m can lead to deformation of the disc, which in turn will lead to wheel runout, and, consequently, discomfort (vibration) and intense rubber wear.

It should be recalled that the rearrangement of the wheels is relevant only for those cars that have one drive (rear, in the case of old vases).

Four-wheel drive cars, for example, almost all SUVs, do not need to rearrange the wheels, since the wear of the tread on all four wheels is almost the same (if the all-wheel drive mode is constantly on).

Which car are you the owner? - Front wheel drive, rear wheel drive or all wheel drive. Do you understand the mechanisms of a car, do you understand what justifies its power and maneuverability on the road, especially when descending and ascending? Often, the operation of cars is on a whim, only a part of the owners with their vehicle on the "you". An experienced and attentive driver clearly understands which part needs to be replaced as planned, whether the rearrangement of the wheels is relevant, which scheme is suitable for this. Not everyone, for example, can afford to allocate up to 20-30,000 rubles from the family budget for the purchase of a set of winter and summer tires twice a year. In order to save money, car owners are looking for acceptable ways out of the situation. And there may be several of them.

There may be several ways out of the situation, but let's pay attention to the simplest and most popular - the rearrangement of the wheels, the scheme of the process has never been complicated, and even more so, several variations are attributed to it. Choose practically without limits!

Service station employees recommend paying attention to the condition of the wheels, and if impressive numbers indicating the mileage already appear on the dashboard, and it is somewhere between 5000-10,000 kilometers, then the rearrangement of the wheels is shown, the scheme is selected as desired. You should be extremely careful if you bought a used car from your hands, because then the dashing craftsmen could twist the mileage indicators, hiding the true wear and tear of the mechanical "filling" of the car previously put up for sale. It is then worth being guided by the state of the tread pattern. We noticed the wear on the front or rear wheels, assessed them as a percentage and decided to undertake a rearrangement of the tires according to the scheme. The following reasons for wheel relocation are determined:

  1. Uneven tire wear.
  2. The need to strengthen a particular pair of wheels, respectively, in front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive cars.
  3. The desire to extend the life of tires, to improve their condition, changing the load level for a while.
  4. An unforeseen traffic situation, emergency repairs in the field.

What you need to swap tires

There are tools in the trunk of any car, many of which are useful for repair work. The rearrangement of the wheels on the car is conceived, the scheme, as expected, is available, then the following improvised means will be needed:


When undertaking such a painstaking procedure yourself, try to enlist the support of friends or family. Undoubtedly, you need support, help. When repairing a car, there is always something to support, give, light up, get, move, substitute, and so on. The list of actions can be endless!

Wheel swap schemes

Rearrangement of wheels is carried out, the scheme is selected in advance for this. All the positive aspects of the rotation are assessed, possible miscalculations are predicted. The main thing to consider is how to rotate in a front-line, rear-wheel-drive, all-wheel drive complexation, is it worth adding a spare wheel to the rearrangement, because it was always assigned a lower load.

Diagram for front-wheel drive cars with non-directional pattern


Scheme for rear wheel drive cars

  1. Crosswise adjustment towards the rear axle.
  1. Cross swapping, starting from the driving axle, when the left front axle changes with the rear right, and from the front axle the right - with the rear left.

Scheme for all-wheel drive cars

Rearrangement of wheels taking into account the spare wheel

If the spare wheel is introduced into rotation, then the wear threshold of the entire tire set can be increased by an average of 20%. But be careful not to use a spare tire if it is in perfect condition and four wheels are already bald. The reason - there is a difference in radii, it can provoke damage to the transmission.


Rearrangement of wheels on the car taking into account the spare

Thus, it is easy to rearrange the wheels, the main thing is to understand why it is necessary and how to perform this rotational procedure. Car enthusiasts claim that such routine actions will lead to the result - an increase in tire life.

Rearrangement (rotation) of wheels

Rearranging the tires is essential for long tire life and confidence in driving safely.

The reasons for uneven wear can be both imbalance of the wheels and the absence of correct toe and camber. These are factors that can be corrected by driving up to the technical center. But there are other reasons for uneven wheel wear. So, for example, when braking, abrasion occurs as on the wheels of both axles, but during acceleration, the driving axle wears out more. When controlling the steering wheel, the front axle is subject to abrasion, as well as uneven wear, such factors as the weight of the car, tire inflation, temperature and others play a role.

Each manufacturer recommends doing a rearrangement differently. Bridgestone recommends every 5000 - 8000 km, Continental after 10000 - 12000 km, Dunlop recommends changing every 6000 miles, and on 4WD cars every 4000 miles, GoodYear after 8000 - 10000 miles, Michelin strongly recommends the first change after 5000 and the second after after 50% tire wear.

We recommend that the rotation of the wheels coincide with a periodic, mandatory technical inspection, or, with the seasonal change of summer tires to winter tires and vice versa, in this case, in order not to forget the location of the removed wheels from the car, we recommend to mark each wheel with chalk.

The procedure for rearranging tires on a car can be seen in the diagrams below.


Rearrangement of 4 tires

Alternative wheel arrangement suitable for all types of vehicles (recommended for four-wheel drive)

Direct permutation
a simplified and already obsolete method of rearrangement, used at the initial stage of the development of the tire industry.

Shifting for vehicles with mixed tires on the front and rear axles

Rearrange 5 tires
If you have a fifth spare wheel of the same make and model as the other 4, then it should also be included in the rotation. The inclusion of the fifth wheel in the rearrangement process will make it possible to more evenly distribute the wear of the treads, and also in the event of a puncture of one of the wheels, the spare tire will have a more worn out, and, therefore, a more suitable tread pattern to the rest of the tires.

Best regards, store administration Shina-onLine.

When independently performing a change in the location of the wheels on the machine, it must be remembered that the scheme of their rearrangement depends on.

Why rearrange the wheels

Every car, regardless of whether it is front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, the tires of the wheels located on the drive axle wear out more intensively than on the free one.

Providing uniform wear of their protectors is possible only by periodic rotation of the car wheels.

For most cars, this procedure is recommended every 10 thousand kilometers.

Wheel rotation methods

For tires with directional tread pattern, wheel change is performed by swapping the right front wheel with the right rear wheel, and the left front wheel with the left rear wheel.

As for all other wheels, some sources describe their rotation schemes separately for front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive types of cars.

It is not clear why complicate what in fact can be done easily and simply?

Moreover, this method of rearranging the wheels is universal and does not depend on the type of machine drive.

It is performed as follows:

1. The left front wheel is installed in place of the right rear wheel;

2. The right front is installed in place of the left rear wheel;

3. The left rear wheel is installed in place of the left front one;

4. Right rear - in place of the right front wheel.

However, this is exactly the case when it is better to see once ...

Good luck to you! Not a nail, not a rod!


The cost of a set of tires for prestigious cars is quite high, so the owners of premium cars strive to extend the life of their tires. One proven way of extending tire life through even wear is to rearrange the wheels. In order to get it right, it is important to consider several important points.

Permutation time

The main reference point in carrying out various preventive operations is the car's manual. It tells you when to swap the wheels. The more often this operation is performed, the more evenly the tires wear out.

But common sense dictates that there is no point in performing such prophylaxis on a weekly basis. Most manufacturers recommend changing wheels after 10-20 thousand kilometers. The lower limit of this interval is relevant for those who constantly travel on bad roads or adhere to an aggressive, sporty driving style.

Other factors also increase wear: the condition of the suspension and steering, low tire pressure, and regular machine overload. The upper limit is acceptable for lovers of careful driving and owners of high-quality branded tires.
It resists abrasion longer and gets damaged less often, making it very convenient to reposition during seasonal tire changes. When removing a summer or winter kit, before sending it for storage, put notes by which you can determine on which axle and on which side the wheels were - PP, PL, ZP, ZL.

Do I have to swap wheels?

It may seem to some that rearranging tires is an unnecessary operation. However, experienced car service employees advise not to neglect this preventive measure, because not only the timing of tire wear depends on it, but also safety on the road.

The fact is that the tread on the rear and front wheels does not wear off equally. When cornering, braking and difficult maneuvers, the same zones are used, and as a result, the tire loses its shape. If you do not want to throw away the rubber due to the appearance of abrasions in certain areas, it is worth taking the opportunity to extend the life of the wheels.

Permutation schemes

Although manufacturers do not make separate right-hand or left-hand tires, it is important to follow certain patterns when rotating. If you decide to rearrange the tires yourself, mark them before starting work to avoid confusion.

There are several common ways to rearrange tires. The choice depends on the drive axle and the type of rubber. For front-wheel drive cars, two options are used. In the first case, the rear wheels are rearranged to the front axle (left - to the left, right - to the right), and the front - to the rear. In this case, the left and right tires are interchanged. The second scheme is a bit simpler: the left rear wheel becomes the right front wheel, the right rear wheel becomes the left front wheel, and vice versa.

So the tires are replaced diagonally. If your car has four-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, the second of the above schemes can be used. Another option is to install the front wheels without changing the side back. The right rear will become the left front, the left rear will become the right front. Rubber, which has a directional tread pattern, is changed only along the axes, without changing the side. And if you have a wide set, you can only change the side: we swap the left and right tires on each axle.

When you notice that the tires are worn out too much and rearranging the tires will not help, find a suitable replacement for them at https://megawheel.ru/. The catalog contains tires from the best European, Asian and American manufacturers, and a wide selection of standard sizes will allow you to choose a set for any car or truck.


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