Travelingman

I'm going to ask what is probably a dumb question about tire rotation, but I've tried to research this on the internet and can't find a good answer. I took my 2011 CS into the local dealer for a 10k mile service. I asked about tire rotation, and the service manager shook his head and said it really couldn't be done. He first gave the standard explanation about all-wheel drive, but then went into more details about how the front and rear wheels have "different offsets", then he explained that the brake calipers are bigger in the front, and the only way to rotate tires would be to switch the entire front and rear axles.
So I just shrugged and let it go, but something just keeps bugging me about this. I have all-season 20 inchers.
Can some of the wise people on this forum please enlighten me?

gte

if front and back have different offsets, there is no reason you should not be able to switch at least left and right

HD2pct

Not so sure about that, really. I have a lowly 2004 so I wouldn't know. But back in 2004 we used the newfangled unidirectional tread pattern that all the kids rave about. Maybe we have gone back to the days of the old "wide oval" bias ply tires like they used in the 60s!

Van1

I'm pretty sure that the Cayenne does not have staggered wheels and that they are the same size and offset all the way around. At least this has been the case with the past Cayenne/Touareg models. Current model owners with 20's can confirm.

If this is the case there is no reason you cannot rotate tires front to rear.

C4SJOHN

Some early Cayenne turbo with 20" wheels came with 9" wide rims for both the front and back wheels. If this is what you have they can be rotated. Other turbo and turbo S, have 9" wide rims in the front and 10" wide rims on the rear. If you have 9 and 10 you will have to dismount the tires from the rims for rotation of the tires. The tire size Porsche used on all of the 20" rims was 275/40/20 extra load...

bgsntth

Sounds like your SA wants to sell you more tires, and is either ignorant or not being forthright. Either way..... I have always rotated my tires on my SUV's, including my '09 GTS, as the front outer treadblocks take a beating, as do the inside of the rears. However, if you go too long without rotating, then you might adversely affect the handling, steering, tracking, and it would probably be better to save money on rotations and put it toward buying new tires in the future.

jaholmes

They should be the same size all the way around. I just got a new set of tires so I know.

The only thing is at winter snow tires are usually directional so you have to rotate front / back. I learned the hard way swapping tires this winter.

wirunner

On the older models, the OEM 20" techno wheel doesn't lend itself to rotations given that the front and rear rims are different widths (and actual design if you look close enough). Tire sizes are the same so only way to do rotation would be to re-mount tires.

Not really worth it when tires only last 20k miles...

hahnmgh63

As mentioned just check you manual for wheel sizes and offsets. If they are the same you rotate front to rear and vice versa, rear to front. Do not rotate side to side with modern radials, always keep them on the same side.

hahnmgh63

Just perused page 309 of the 2011 Cayenne and see not different sizes or offsets between front & rear. I would just confirm the wheel front & rear are the same. If they are rotate them front to rear and vice versa. Then go to your local dealer and tell the service manager that he is an incompetent idiot.

seankrider

Hey - just for kicks - what is the short version of why uni-directionals are, uh, one direction only? My '04 CTT has 19s with DWSs that may actually last 50K, so I'm religiously rotating them every 5 -6K. But I could have sworn the three sets of P-Zeros before these crossed when rotated...

hahnmgh63

I stand partially corrected, see the info below but refer to your owners manual or the tire manufacturers recommendations as the manufacturer will have the best info on your specific tire.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=43&

Iridium

Most (OEM) Porsche wheels have the size stamped on the wheel on either side of the valve stem. It's also listed in greater detail on the rear of the wheel, but that's obviously a bit tougher to check with the wheels on the car.

The offset isn't listed on the front by the valve stems, but you can at least check to see if the sizes are the same. If they are, and if the tire sizes are the same, then you are probably good to go - but you'd want to check the offset stamped on the back. If the sizes are different, you can't move them front to rear.

I have 9x20's on my turbo, same offset all the way around.

GVA-SFO

On a CS Titanium Edition (06), I have 20 Techno's, (OEM) that are 9 in the front, and 10 in the rear.
So, no rotation possible.
I got it with Diamaris, 275 on each corners. After 20k, went to Vredestein also all 275. (This was better than the Diamaris: a lot less tracking and lot less road noise on the second half of tire life.)
Then after 40k, went 315 on rear, 275 on front, this made some good differences:
When towing, better stability, and in general, now 315 on the 10 makes the wall vertical and the rim covered/protected by the tires. On the OEM mounting, with the 275 on the 10 (rear), the wall is inclined, looks pretty odd, and the rim is very exposed to any possible curbs !
Now on 63k, (the staggered lasted 23k !) I did the same again (staggered 275 and 315 Vred's), very happy with that.

Travelingman

I really appreciate the folks that took time to reply. Based on the info I received, I contacted the dealer with a polite follow-up. The service rep put me on hold while he consulted with technicians, and then said the answer was "tricky", and they needed me to bring the vehicle in. I questioned why they couldn't look at my build sheet, I have the 20 inch Sportdesign II wheels with Goodyear all-seasons.
I sent an e-mail to the GM expressing my concern, got a reply from the service manager with attached documentation from Porsche, and turns out the answer is in fact "tricky". Apparently there were two different part numbers for my particular wheel, and one of the parts may have different offsets.
As one forum member pointed out, I should be able to figure this out by closely examining a stamping on the wheel. I'm still scratching my head over why the service writer didn't take the time to examine the wheels during my recent 10k maintenance when I asked about tire rotation, instead of just giving me a quick "it can't be done" answer.
This forum rocks, thanks for your feedback !!