Swapping wheels over

[Three Leons]

I need to swap my front wheels to the rear and vice versa as the front tyres are wearing faster than the rears.

Question is, what is the best way to do this without a trolley jack? Can I do it with two standard jacks and if so do I have to use the standard jacking points as by all accounts it's a nightmare to get them back on.

Have tried searching but have only come up with stuff about using trolley jacks.

I'm hoping this isn't a daft question but have my flame-proof jacket on ready just in case...

Cheers

 

[caveo]

Nip to halfords and pick up a pair of axel stands , olny 15 quid and are very useful for changine oil etc.

 

[benjiwales]

my trolley jack only cost me a tenner as some cheapo store......don't be tight PAS

Yes you have to use the standard jacking points if you want the jack to stay put and your car to stay in the air

 

[Willie]

Not a good idea to do this.

Get the flame proof jacket on!!!!!

You want your best treaded tyres on the rear, in simple terms its easier to control the car if the front end breaks out rather than the rear end.

Don't be a grip, get new tyres

 

[Three Leons]

Thanks for the replies people.

You want your best treaded tyres on the rear, in simple terms its easier to control the car if the front end breaks out rather than the rear end.

Don't be a grip, get new tyres

They're not that bad, fronts and rears still have plenty of tread (only done 6k), I just want them to wear evenly - rotating tyres is fairly common practice isn't it?

Benjiwales, so where do you place your trolley jack?

 

[Jonnyp]

use the spare wheel, take one of the fronts off, put the spare on, put the car down, jack up the back, put the front tyre on the back, put the car down then jack up the front again and put the back one on. Long winded, but cheap way.

Jon

 

[LEE69]

Pop to a tyre place and slip then £5 for doing it.

 

[si-mate]

I'd go to screwfix or machine mart and buy a trolley jack and axle stands. I think it was around £35 for both and I've used them more than I thought I would have done.

 

[benjiwales]

Where do I place the jack?

on something that looks solid, lol Not sure of the actual point but when you have a look it's fairly obvious, quite far in

 

[Willie]

There are two beam like things running front behind the engine bay toward the rear of the car, which ever side your working on prop it up on the one closest to you.

Why do you want to rotate your tyres?

With them only lasting 15,000 miles you'll change them every year and half so not like there going to perish?

 

[LEE69]

The fronts will wear faster than the rears so by swapping the front to the rear you will (roughly) have to replace all four at once

 

[Willie]

But in the mean time you will have less tread on the rear than the front which is not a good situation to be in. You have to be a very good driver to be able to catch a FWD car that looses the back end big time. This is not good if you have a wife or girlfriend who drives your car who might not be so clued up on the handling of the car.

Honestly boys how much money do you think this will save you?
Is it worth risking lives for?
You decide.

 

[LEE69]

Yeah true, best to run the fronts down then move the rears to the front then new rears.

 

[caveo]

TBH i swop mine over and have not had a problem with the back end stepping out and im as daft as a brush behind the wheel.

 

[Phillc]

If you swap, when the fronts need changing again more than likely you will be changing the rears as well, that's four new tyres, buy two new ones put them on the rear, old rears on the front, i find its alot easier to budget for two tyres at a time than four.

 

[Three Leons]

but....

if you do the whole 'change 2 at a time' thing your 'new' fronts are already part worn and will need replacing themselves pretty soon anyway. At least by regularly rotating you keep the wear fairly even from brand new to replacement time. Isn't this safer than having completely different tread levels on the front and back?

Perhaps a simpler way of asking this is: is it better (safer?) to not rotate and end up with, say 3mm tread at the front and 6mm at the back, or rotate and then have 5mm at the front and 4mm at the back for a couple of months before they even out (theoretical measurements obviously).

Seems I've sparked almost as much debate as my 'to swap to diesel or not' thread

 

[DOLBY]

had the same problem, i live on a hill AND have no axel stands.....goodyears on front..falkens on back...spare is pirelli...so in order to keep the same tyres at each axle, i would of had to take the rear one off, put pirelli on..jack other side...blah blah...too much like hard work!!...paid a local tyre place £10 to swap em..job done..

 

[Willie]

but....

if you do the whole 'change 2 at a time' thing your 'new' fronts are already part worn and will need replacing themselves pretty soon anyway. At least by regularly rotating you keep the wear fairly even from brand new to replacement time. Isn't this safer than having completely different tread levels on the front and back?

Perhaps a simpler way of asking this is: is it better (safer?) to not rotate and end up with, say 3mm tread at the front and 6mm at the back, or rotate and then have 5mm at the front and 4mm at the back for a couple of months before they even out (theoretical measurements obviously).

Seems I've sparked almost as much debate as my 'to swap to diesel or not' thread

Its best to have the new tyres at the back with the part worn at the front.
anything else is a safety compromise