Directional tire question
03-13-2010, 10:19 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
Directional tire question
Ok searched and could not find an answer.... Does a directional tire only need to run in correct direction for wet conditions? Net on dry pavement can I run it in any direction?
Running NT05 Square and want to swap side to side front to back on the track ...
Running NT05 Square and want to swap side to side front to back on the track ...
03-13-2010, 10:54 PM
#2
Race Director
I searched the internet and found the statement below, and a bunch of other similar things on many other sites:
I bold-faced what I think is the pertinent info in that statement.
If you wanted to run some tires down to nothing on the street in dry conditions and wanted to swap them to get the max wear out of them, I'd say go ahead and swap sides.
Butt.....for the track, like that bold-faced part above says, the tire will give best traction and handling if mounted to run in the direction it's designed for.
I swap my F1 Supercar tires side-to-side. The tread blocks are designed so that there is an inner/outer side of the tire, but they can rotate either direction. I also swap Hoosiers, but of course there's no tread!
For the track, I'd stick with running the NT05 in the direction it was designed for.
Hopefully somebody with experience with the NT05 can chime in.
Bob
Some all-season as well as performance tires have a "directional" tread pattern. Directional tires have a "one-way" tread pattern that are optimized for the direction the tires rotate on the car. They must therefore be mounted on either the left or right side. Little arrows or triangles on the sidewall indicate which way the tire is supposed to turn. The tread blocks and grooves are angled to optimize handling. They also do a good job of channeling water out from under the tire on wet surfaces to reduce hydroplaning and improve wet traction. Directional tires can be rotated front-to-rear but cannot be rotated side-to-side.
If you wanted to run some tires down to nothing on the street in dry conditions and wanted to swap them to get the max wear out of them, I'd say go ahead and swap sides.
Butt.....for the track, like that bold-faced part above says, the tire will give best traction and handling if mounted to run in the direction it's designed for.
I swap my F1 Supercar tires side-to-side. The tread blocks are designed so that there is an inner/outer side of the tire, but they can rotate either direction. I also swap Hoosiers, but of course there's no tread!
For the track, I'd stick with running the NT05 in the direction it was designed for.
Hopefully somebody with experience with the NT05 can chime in.
Bob
03-14-2010, 08:20 AM
#3
Burning Brakes
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Most folks will tell you they perceive no difference in dry conditions. When camber-induced wear becomes an issue on the inside, flip the tire on the rim so you can swap sides, and even out the wear (also keeps them in the proper orientation).
03-14-2010, 11:45 AM
#4
Burning Brakes
You're correct. It only matters in the wet. I do it all the time with Nitto 555RIIs to balance wear.
03-15-2010, 10:41 AM
#6
Le Mans Master
Having run summito's backwards I can vouch for the fact that directiona tires it only matters in the wet.
03-15-2010, 11:15 AM
#7
Le Mans Master
Never had a problem with running tires in or against the marked direction on the tire, dry conditions only. Frankly I doubt if it'll make a huge difference in the wet either; I've seen tires running backwards due to a mistake that the driver never noticed.Trust us, you'll be fine.
Have a good one,
Mike
03-17-2010, 10:13 AM
#9
Race Director
FWIW, I have run misdirected at the strip.........60'/tire heat was the same & I won some $$$ on a few bets
