What Does a Toyota Tire Rotation Cost?
In 2021, Toyota managed to sell more than 2.3 million cars across the US which makes up around 10.5% of the entire US new car market. Even though Ford makes the best-selling car in the US, Toyota takes second and third place. Therefore, quite a few Toyotas are driving around the US and all of them need proper maintenance and servicing.
A Toyota tire rotation cost is similar to every other traditional automaker. In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about maintaining both your Toyota and your tires which includes tire rotations, oil changes, air filter replacements, tire balancing, transmission fluid changes, and many other services.
Toyota Tire Rotation Cost
As mentioned in the intro, rotating tires on a Toyota is no different than rotating tires on any other mainstream passenger car. Usually, a Toyota tire rotation costs about $20 to $45 depending on where you do it and how you do it.
You can find coupons online through Toyota facilities and third-party tire centers which can lower that price down by up to 50%. However, if you buy your tires through certain third-party tire centers, you can even have your tires rotated completely free of charge.
What Is Tire Rotation And Why Should I Do It?
If you want to maintain your car as best as you can, and if you want to do so for as long as you can, you need to include tire rotation schedules in your car maintenance schedules. The purpose of performing a tire rotation is to even out tire wear across all four of your tires which promotes tire longevity, safety, cost-effectiveness, comfort, and handling.
As such, you are essentially making sure that both your car and your tires perform as best as they can. While driving, your tires are not always withstanding equal levels of stress which is why some tires wear out faster than others. Besides just the positioning of the tire, a tire can greatly be impacted by how the car’s suspension has been set up which includes the alignment, camber, toe, and caster.
All of these intricacies combined can play a massive difference in how long your tires can last. Experts say that timely tire rotations done on a well-maintained car can extend the lifespan of a tire by up to 10,000 miles often meaning one extra year of use. Indeed, you are already spending money on rotating your tires, but those costs can easily be recuperated by the extra tire life you get.
However, no one says that you need to take your car to a dealership/service shop/tire center to even perform a tire rotation as you can do it yourself.
How To Rotate Tires?
Now we are going to teach you how you can spend some quality time with your car and save money in the process by performing tire rotations yourself. Before we dwell deeper into how you can actually do it, we first need to inform you about the different tire rotation patterns and which one you should go for.
What Are The Different Types Of Tire Rotations?
- Rearward cross tire rotation – RWD or 4WD cars (with or without the spare tire)
- X-pattern tire rotation – FWD, RWD, 4WD cars
- Forward cross tire rotation – FWD (with or without the spare tire)
- Front-to-rear tire rotation – Cars with same sized directional tires
- Side-to-side tire rotations – Cars with different sized non-directional tires
DIY Tire Rotation – Detailed Guide
After you’ve successfully identified your rotation pattern, now it’s time to rotate. The best course of action would be to either borrow or buy an additional jack as that is going to save you from the trouble of risking rotating your tires with a single jack. However, if you are confident in your skills, you can find a comprehensive guide on how to perform a tire rotation with one jack here.
- The first thing you need to do is loosen the lug nuts while the car is still on the ground. Be sure not to raise the car before you do this and don’t take off the lugs completely, just slightly loosen them so you can continue removing them once the car is up. Also don’t forget to engage your parking brake, even if the ground is completely leveled.
- After you’ve successfully loosened your lugs, now it’s time to jack the car up. Raise the car enough for the tires to leave the ground, but do not go too high as there is no need to get underneath the car. Be sure to check if the car is not moving anywhere and support the car’s weight with an additional jack.
- Now it’s time to remove the tires and rotate them according to the pattern that is recommended for your car and your tire type. It’s always a good idea to check if the car is propped up sturdy and try not the reach underneath the car because you don’t have to.
- Now it’s time to check if you’ve done the correct pattern and to tighten the lugs by hand as much as you can. Make sure to tighten all of the lugs and go around each of your tires once more to be 100% sure that everything is in the correct order.
- Raise the car up a little bit more to remove the first jack and then slowly lower the car down to the ground. Be sure to now tighten the lug nuts completely in a diagonal pattern which ensures even tightening. It’s also a good idea to tighten your lugs with an impact wrench set on the correct torque needed for your car and your tires.
How Much Does It Cost To Service And Maintain A Toyota?
Service Maintenance | Toyota Dealer | Firestone | Goodyear | Tire Kingdom | Tire Plus |
Oil Change Synthetic | $64.95 | $81.46 | $80.00 | $89.99 | $92.99 |
Tire Rotation | $21.00 | $21.00 | Free | $19.99 | $23.50 |
Tire Rotation & Balance | $49.95 | $40.00 | $51.80 | $40.00 | $56.00 |
Tire Patch | $19.95 | $21.00 | $24.99 | $27.98 | $19.99 |
Engine Air Filter | $35.50 | $33.09 | $25.00 | $27.99 | $33.99 |
Cabin Air Filter | $44.95 | $49.96 | $30.00 | $45.98 | $46.98 |
Coolant Drain and Fill | $99.95 | $152.96 | $160.00 | $79.99 | $129.99 |
Transmission Service Drain & Fill | $175.61 | Not Available | $200.00 | $109.95 | $209.99 |
Wiper Refills | $25.95 | $35.00 | $25.00 | $19.99 | $19.48 |
Where Should I Buy Tires For A Toyota?
You can buy your tires directly at a Toyota Tire Center and benefit by buying the tires that Toyota specifically recommends for your car. Toyota is keen to offer the best prices for the tires you need, but they rarely come with anything besides just a standard road hazard coverage which has now become somewhat of a standard package across most tire centers.
You can also buy your tires through Costco and the reason why you should do that is that there are many Costco tire facilities around the country and they are all led by experiencing and trained professionals. If you pay the installation fee of $18.99 per tire, you also get free lifetime tire rotations, balancing, tire flat repair, free nitrogen air fill-ups, and pressure checks whenever necessary.
If Costco does not interest you, you can also buy your tires through Tire Rack because they offer the widest selection of tires at all price points. There are more than 9000 Tire Rack locations around the country and the support staff is extremely helpful and knowledgeable about cars and tires.
Other places like Sam’s Club and Discount Tire are also some of the most popular and best places to buy tires these days. Sam’s Club is a place known for great deals and the ability to get a discount on your insurance deductibles while Discount Tire offers lots of options, free rotations and balancing on new tires, and the entire purchasing process is as smooth as they come.
How Often Should You Rotate Tires On A Toyota?
The best and easiest way to know when to rotate your tires is to look into the owner’s manual. Toyota says that you should rotate your tires every 5,000-7,500 miles, but that depends on how you drive the car, where you drive it, and which Toyota you drive.
All-wheel-drive cars need tire rotations sooner than front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive cars because all four tires are translating power to the ground and thus exhibit more stress. All in all, if you can’t find the information you are looking for in your owner’s manual, you can always give your trusty Toyota dealer a call, and they will happily assist you.
Conclusion
A Toyota tire rotation cost is usually between $20 and $45, but these prices vary a lot depending on where you do it, how you do it, and if you do it yourself. There are many places where one can perform a tire rotation such as service centers, tire centers, or even your own garage.
No matter where you decide to rotate your tires, be sure to do so according to the owner’s manual because consistent tire rotations promote tire longevity, comfort, better handling, and safety while also keeping your money where it belongs – in your wallet.
