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Hello,

I just bought a 2000 Civic LX with 127000 mi. I have no idea how old the tires are, or if they have ever been rotated. I know that it is a good idea to rotate my tires every 5-10k mi, but I am wondering about the adverse effects of starting to rotate if the previous owner didn't. If the tires are already too worn, it will lead to vibration and noise, correct?

I suppose I could just rotate them and see if there is much noise/vibration, then if so just put them back? Is it possible that while I'm driving to see how much noise/vibration there is I wear the tires so that after putting them back I still have noise/vibration?

I guess what I am worrying about is the tires work fine now, and although it is good to rotate them I am afraid of fixing something that isn't broken, and breaking it. Because if I had a nickle for every time I've done that...

 
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Went ahead and rotated the tires, and it seems to be fine; no vibrations.

 
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well i wasa gonna say, do you even know how old the tires are? try the penny test upsidedown in the tread and see if you can spot the top of lincolns head. if you can, tires are bad. if not, measure all the tires and see which ones are worn more. put those in the rear. the tires with more tread should go in the front cause they will wear out faster. then after another 5-10k, switch em again.

 
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haha I never knew about that trick nice

 
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My two cents...

If you are questioning the condition of the treads the best tool to use is a tread gauge which you should be able to find at a local auto parts store. If the tires fail the gauge I would replace them rather than shift them around to the back because the back end can let go on you depending on how badly they're worn.