You’re not sure when the tires on your Ford were last rotated, and you’ve never checked how old they are.
Rotation, tread depth, and age each run on their own schedule, so a Ford tire rotation can be on time while the tires themselves are due for replacement.
Rotate your tires at every maintenance visit, or on the schedule in your owner’s manual. Replace them when the tread is worn out or at six years, whichever comes first. A bulge, a cut, or a sudden loss of pressure means stop driving when it’s safe and call for service or roadside help.
How Often Should I Get a Ford Tire Rotation?
At every maintenance visit, or as often as your owner’s manual says. Your Ford’s maintenance schedule includes a tire rotation, a wear check, and a tread depth measurement at every oil change interval, so the rotation lines up with your oil changes. Your brakes get checked at the same interval.
Rotating moves each tire to a different spot so they wear evenly, which makes them last longer. One common pattern sends the rear tires straight to the front, then moves the front tires to the rear and swaps their sides. The right pattern for your Ford depends on the tires, the wheels, and which wheels it drives.
How Do I Check the Tread Depth on My Ford’s Tires?
Use the penny test. Push a penny into the tread upside down, Lincoln’s head first, at a few spots on each tire. If you can see all of his head, the tread is down to 2/32 inch or less, which is worn out. The wear bars in the grooves tell you the same thing: when the tread is level with them, the tire is done.
New tires usually start at 10/32 or 11/32 inch. Don’t wait until 2/32: at less than 3/32 inch, have the tires checked. Afternoon storms are common in Palm Bay and Melbourne from late May to mid-October, so if you want better grip on wet roads, ask about replacing at 4/32 inch or sooner.
How Old Are My Ford’s Tires, and When Is Ford Tire Replacement Due?
Every six years or when they wear out, whichever comes first, even if the tread still looks good. Tires age depending on the weather, how they’re stored, and how they’re used, including load, speed, and pressure. Hot climates, like Florida’s, may mean replacing tires sooner than six years, and so may frequent heavy loads, such as towing a boat to the ramps on Turkey Creek.
To find a tire’s age, look on the sidewall for the letters DOT, followed by a string of letters and numbers. The last four digits are when it was made: the first two are the week and the last two are the year, so 2319 means the 23rd week of 2019.
Should I Replace All Four Ford Tires at Once?
Replace all four when they’re worn. If you replace two, do it as a pair on the same axle and put the new tires on the rear, even if the rear tires have more wear left.
Losing grip at the rear is harder to recover from than losing it at the front, especially on wet roads, and deeper tread on the rear helps resist hydroplaning.
Can I Keep Driving on My Ford’s Tires?
Some tire problems mean schedule a visit, and some mean stop driving when it’s safe and call for help.
| What you notice | How urgent it is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Tread below 3/32 inch, or cracking in the tread grooves | Schedule an inspection soon | Have the tread measured. At 2/32 inch the wear bars sit flush and the tire is worn out. |
| Tires that are six years old or older, even with good tread | Schedule replacement | Check the date code on the sidewall, and replace the spare at the same time. |
| A bulge, blister, or bubble, a cut, puncture, or separation, or a sudden loss of pressure | Stop driving when it’s safe and call | Call service or roadside assistance. |
What Happens During a Ford Tire Rotation at Gary Yeomans Ford Palm Bay Service Center?
We rotate the tires in the pattern that suits your Ford, check them for wear, and measure the tread, the same items on your Ford’s maintenance schedule. We also look over each tire and the spare for damage and age.
If the tread is low, the tires are six years old or more, or there’s damage, we’ll tell you which one it is and what it means for replacement. From Melbourne, West Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, or Satellite Beach, you can schedule with our Palm Bay service center on Malabar Road SE.