The short answer is yes, you do still need to rotate your tires even though you drive an electric vehicle. Actually, it is especially important for EV drivers to regularly rotate their tires.
Tire rotations are a regular part of keeping up with your vehicle's safety and performance. Tires need to be rotated regularly so your tread lasts and wears evenly.
What is a tire rotation?
While a tire rotation seems easy enough. After all, our tires rotate everyday when we drive our vehicle, right? Unfortunately, tire rotations do not pertain to the spin of tire on their axis.
Rotating your tires includes periodically changing the position of each tire on the vehicle.
This ensures that the tires are worn evenly, maximizing the tread life of your tires. In addition to even wear, tire rotations also help to avoid important servicing and tire replacements that could be under stress with uneven wear.
Signs a tire rotation is needed
Here are a few noticeable signs that your vehicle is due for a tire rotation.
Uneven Wear Between Tires. In this case, uneven wear doesn't mean an irregular pattern throughout one tread of one tire. With this, you're looking for your front tires wearing faster than the rear ones. Take a good look at your tires, if you see this happening, they need to be rotated as soon as possible.
Vibration. At speeds of 50 KM and higher, you may feel a vibration, which may be caused by uneven wear of your tires. This isn't the only cause for vehicle vibration, nevertheless, when you notice unusual vibration, your tires need to be rotated, balanced or the wheels aligned.
Pressure Loss. If one tire loses air faster than the others, it may mean too much pressure and stress is being put onto it. It's always a good idea to go to a technician for an inspection.
Why is it so important for EVs?
Simply put, electric vehicles are heavier. On average an electric vehicle is about 10 percent heavier than their ICE counterparts. This means that there is a higher wear rate on tires.
Rotating your tires helps to distribute the wear more evenly across the whole set.
You may want to set a reminder to visually inspect your electric car's tires and check the tread depth and air pressure at regular intervals. You should also set a reminder to rotate your tires every few months. Our experts at Lacombe Quick Lane recommend getting your tires rotated every 8,000 km.
Lacombe Quick Lane is here to help you with the regular maintenance of your vehicle, whether it is an EV, Hybrid or ICE vehicle. We will keep you safe on the roads. You can also take advantage of free pick-up and delivery for your appointments or a complimentary shuttle to wherever you need, so you can make sure your to do list is done before you head out.