So you’ve got two jack stands and want to rotate your car tires to extend their lifespan. If that’s what you’re looking for then you’ve landed at the right place. This article will walk you through the method of tire rotation with two jack stands.
You should follow a specific pattern while rotating your car tires. Different vehicles have different tire rotation patterns. You can check your car owner’s manual for that, and this guide will also give you a hand.
After reading this article, you will be able to rotate your car tires with two jack stands by following your car-specific pattern.
So, let’s rotate your car tires.
How to Rotate Front and Rear Axle Tires with Two Jack stands?
You can rotate front axle tires with each other if your car has non-directional tires. The rotation method is the same for the front and rear axles with two jack stands. Follow the steps below for the front tire rotation.
Things You Need to Rotate the Tires
- Floor Jack
- Jack Stands
- Chocks or Tire Wedges
- Gloves
- Wrench for Lug nuts
Loosen the lug nuts of the front tires:
Before raising your car, free the lug nuts of the front tires so that you can easily remove the tires while the vehicle is in the air.
Jack the front wheels of your car:
Jack the right front wheel of your car and place a jack stand underneath the corner. Then raise your car’s left front wheel and place another jack stand under the jack point near the wheel. Jack points are just behind the tires in the case of front wheels.
Rotate the front tires:
- Once you’ve lifted your car, remove the lug nuts and then the tire from your car’s right front end.
- Roll the tire to the left front end of your vehicle and place it there.
- Remove the left front tire and roll it to the right front wheel.
Tighten the Lug Nuts:
Now the tires are in their new positions. Place the tires on their studs in their respective locations. Tighten the lug nuts of each tire with your hand.
Lower the car:
Lift the right front wheel of the car again to remove the jack stand. Once you’ve displaced the jack stands, then lower the jack.
Remove the jack stand that you’ve placed under the left front end. Then tighten the lug nuts of your car’s front tires using a star pattern.
Now you’ve rotated the front axle tires of your car. Follow the same procedure for turning the rear axle tires of your vehicle. The only difference in rotating the rear axle tires is to lift your car’s rear axle and rotate the rear axle tires with each other in this case. And place the jack stand in front of the back right and left wheels once you’ve lifted each end.
How to Rotate Side Tires with Two Jack Stands?
You can rotate your vehicle’s tires by the side rotation pattern if the tires are of the same size and are directional. In other words, you can change your passenger-side tires with each other (the left front side tire with the left rear tire and vice versa).
With this pattern, you can also change your driver-side tires with each other (right front tire with right rear tire and vice versa).
Since you got the pattern, let’s rotate your car’s driver-side tires with two jack stands. Follow the below method for right-side tire rotation, and raise your vehicle’s right side for that reason.
Untie the lug nuts before jacking the car up. By doing so, removing the tires will be easier for you then. Consult your owner’s manual for the jack points. In this case, one jack point is just behind the front wheel and another point is ahead of the rear wheel.
Jack the front driver wheel and place one jack stand underneath. Then raise the rear wheel and place the second jack stand under the jack point.
Now is the rotation time. Displace the front tire and roll it toward the rear wheel. Next, remove the rear wheel and move it towards the front wheel. Place the tires in their new positions, tighten the lug nuts, remove the jack stand, and lower your car.
How to Rotate Diagonal Tires with Two Jack Stands?
If your car is front-wheel drive, you can rotate the diagonal tires by following the X-pattern or Forward cross pattern. In the case of a diagonal tire rotation, using two jack stands could be dangerous.
You should have at least three jack stands, if not four, because you’ll need to raise the three corners of your car for x-pattern rotation. The best and most secure way is to lift the whole vehicle with four jack stands.
Related: How To Put A Car On 4 Jack Stands [Beginner’s Guide]
You can rotate the diagonal tires with two jack stands and one jack, but this could cause injury because jacks are for lifting purposes, not for holding. You have to do this task carefully.
With that, let’s rotate your vehicle tires by an x-pattern.
- Slightly loosen the lug nuts of the four tires before lifting the car so you can easily remove them and then the tire.
- Lift the rear side of your car and place the two jack stands near under the right rear and left rear wheel.
- Raise the front right corner of your car and keep the jack in a lifted position.
- Remove the front right tire and roll it towards the left rear wheel.
- Displace the left rear tire and take it to the front right wheel.
- Install both wheels in their new studs and tighten the lug nuts.
- Lower the front right corner of your car.
- Raise the left front wheel of your car. Remove the tire and roll it to the right rear wheel.
- Remove the right rear tire and roll it to the left front wheel.
- Place both tires in their new positions and hand-tighten the lug nuts.
- Now lower your car’s four wheels down step by step and tighten the lug nuts with a wrench.
Final Words:
You’ve read how to rotate tires with two jack stands in this article. Using two jack stands for rotating tires could be dangerous, especially in the case of x-pattern rotation. It’s recommended to use at least three jack stands for the process.
Rotate your car tires with care and use the pattern which is recommended by your owner’s manual. You should not rotate tires randomly.
This article has covered three specific patterns for tire rotation. If any of the above rotation patterns are specific to your vehicle, follow the method discussed above.