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Tire Rotation Help

18K views 20 replies 6 participants last post by  jzchen 
Sorry for the threadsurrection!

The front and center jack point is very far behind the front end of the Clarity, so far that on YouTube one guy shows how he lifts a front (right or left) corner, then slides his jack to the front center jack point, to eventually lift the entire car up. I tried this once and it took a really long time.

I now lift at the rear and center jacking point. I use wheel chocks on one front corner (both front and back of the tire), then lift the opposite front corner using one of these (if the forum allows Amazon links). If not it is a round jack pad with a deep center groove that just fits around the side jacking points:


I move the tires where I want them to go, lower the front corner, move the wheel chocks to the opposite (front) side, then lift the other front corner. (Don't forget to loosen the lug nuts prior to lifting the wheel).

All in all it probably saves me some time from driving to the tire store, waiting for them to rotate, driving home, then getting up early the next morning to adjust the tire pressures just the way I want them. It also saves me the hassle of them asking me to buy replacement tires.....
 
Yes my apologies for being unclear. I use one jack to lift the rear center point which raises the two rear wheels off the ground. I chock one front corner (say front left). I take a 2nd jack and now lift the front right corner. (Three wheels are now off the ground.) I then cross rotate as I please. Last tire rotation was an X, so I swapped front right with rear left. I pulled the rear right tire and moved it to the front left (waiting for me to lift the front left corner). With the front right complete (and rear left complete) I lower the front right corner. Swap the chocks to the opposite side (front right) and lift the front left. I proceed to swap front left to rear right and put the rear right tire on the front left. Then I can lower both jacks.

It takes a total of three lifts, (you need 2 jacks), but not too bad.

Rear center
Front right then lower
Front left
Lower vehicle
 
America's Tire does rear cross to front. So that would be:

Lift rear center point. Pull off rear wheels and cross them to the opposite side in front.

RR --> FL (front wheels still on the ground)
RL --> FR (front wheels still on the ground)
Chock front left wheel, lift front right corner.
Remove FR wheel move it to the back Right Rear position and install.
Install the old (RL) onto Front Right position.
Lower front right corner, move chocks to that side, jack up front left.
Remove FL tire and move it back to Rear Left position.
There is only one tire left to put back on the Front Left.
Lower vehicle.
 
No fatal flaws. Questions/Concerns:

Do you have a low profile long reach jack that reaches the front center jacking point? (I honestly don't. It is far in. Try reaching it first. If you have the back end up the front will be even lower and it will be even harder to reach).

Did you find a refurbisher that doesn't permanently remove the noise cancelling inserts to repair the wheels? The wheels have black noise cancelling inserts on the barrel. I haven't found a refurbisher yet that will directly tell me they won't take them off. Nor have I found a way to replace the black inserts.
 
You can probably get to the front center point (using two jacks) one lift a front corner and then slide the other to the center and lift the front center point. Then remove the side one and put jack stands front left and right. I did that once.

If you're concerned about safety. You could lift one side as you mention by lifting one corner high enough that the two wheels lift off the ground. Rotate front <--> back. Do the other side. Then lift the rear center and swap left <--> right to cross the front to the back.
It's more work as you mount the rear wheels twice, but it's no different than what you're doing lifting one whole side with one jack.

For whatever reason the front right tire wears quickest on ours, at least last tire rotation. The opposite rear left tire gets the least wear. Front left is second worse and rear right is 3rd. So X was my pattern.
 
Sorry for the repeat but does your wheel repair person not damage/remove the noise cancelling insert? If so please share...

One thing is the car drives nice and some serious engineering went into those Honda wheels, made by Enkei for Honda:

 
Please try to verify they can remove and replace them without destroying them. This is the first I heard one that gave a direct answer that they can be saved. (I tried the local Wheels America and Wheel Collision Center in PA. The two big ones I would see in the car magazines. They both said removed and not replaced). I asked on Yelp and several local companies just answered with send a picture of the wheels. No response about the inserts.
 
@2002 Regarding the one wheel pirouette these are the wheel chocks I used, one front and one back. I notice Harbor Freight sells an even bigger size one but not sure it will fit..


Even with our sloped driveway the car shifted a little when lifted on one of the sides but I felt comfortable as I was not getting underneath.....
 
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