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What is the proper way to rotate the base tires. It looks like my owners manuel only shows how the 17" directional tire should be rotated. ThanksEd

I haven't checked my 16s, but assuming that they are NOT unidirectional, I believe that the preferred rotation for non-AWD is:Front directly to back (i.e., front right to rear right, front left to rear left)ANDBack across to front (i.e., rear right to front left, rear left to front right). But don't quote me on that, but you can quote Goodyear:"All season tires should be rotated in a "modified X" pattern, meaning only the tires being moved to the drive axle are crossed to the opposite side of the vehicle." http://www.goodyeartires.com/faqs/Rotation.htmlAs to AWD, non-unidirectional tires, Goodyear says: "If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, we recommend crossing both pairs of tires to their new axle positions."

My owners manual (P 6-53) only shows the front/back keep them on the same side of the car rotation pattern. It seems to be saying keep the left tires on the left side of the car, and this is especially required if you have 17" directional tires. I don't, but the pattern in the manual is the same.

I believe that the manual (surprisingly) is only showing the pattern for unidirectional tires. With unidirectional tires, you just go front to back and back to front. You don't ever cross over. I don't believe the size (17) matters, but just that in the 2003 Vibe, the 17s are unidirectional.

Robert G. is correct. Non directional tires on the Vibe are rotated my moving the fronts to the rear and staying on the same side them moving the rears to the front but switching sides. Directional tires just get rotated front to rear and stay on the same side.Remember, AWD Vibes are not 4WD. They are mostly FWD until the front whees start slipping then the rear wheels kick in. This is why AWD Vibes use the FWD rotation pattern.

Nova, great job you beat me to it and you even showed diagrams...WOW! We should change your avatar to: NovaKnowledgeShadow Realm

Not to be picky (well, maybe a bit) but you've really been pushing the owners manual in a lot of threads lately. My owners manual has this picture and says right under it When rotating your tires, always use the correct tire rotation pattern hereSo, does this mean that the owner's manual is not the best source of info? Is it a reliable source of info? You've shaken my confidence in The Manual!

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quote:I haven't checked my 16s, but assuming that they are NOT unidirectional, I believe that the preferred rotation for non-AWD is:Front directly to back (i.e., front right to rear right, front left to rear left)ANDBack across to front (i.e., rear right to front left, rear left to front rightI agree with this. We have a local car expert with a radio show who uses the phrase, "Cross to the drive wheels," when explaining tire rotation for non-directional tires. This agrees with Robert's statement.

quote:Not to be picky (well, maybe a bit) but you've really been pushing the owners manual in a lot of threads lately. My owners manual has this picture ... and says right under it When rotating your tires, always use the correct tire rotation pattern here So, does this mean that the owner's manual is not the best source of info? Is it a reliable source of info? You've shaken my confidence in The Manual!The diagram in the manual is correct for directional tires and it will work for non-directional tires. Because the Vibe could come with directional or non-directional tires, I'm sure GM/Toyota only printed one diagram that would work for both so not to confuse the owner. However, the diagram I posted with the cross pattern is a better way for non-directional tires.

quote:Not to be picky (well, maybe a bit) but you've really been pushing the owners manual in a lot of threads lately. My owners manual has this picture and says right under it When rotating your tires, always use the correct tire rotation pattern hereSo, does this mean that the owner's manual is not the best source of info? Is it a reliable source of info? You've shaken my confidence in The Manual! Unless Jeff Strausser changed his mind at the Mich Meet, the no cross rotation is Pontiac's recommended rotation method.