Directional And Side Specific Tyres

[stolen-gtr]

hi all

i did a search before but forgive me if this has already been asked.

i currently have sumitomo HTR ZII all round on my car

they are forward directional, but also inside/outside specific

dont want to get into a tyre debate here lol

i have a bit of inside camber wear going on...so what i need to know is

can the tyres be flipped from side to side, putting the *outside* on the inside...to even up the camber wear?

obviously the tyre has been designed that way for a reason but i was just wondering how much difference it actually makes.

thanks

[mark660]

got the same tyre on my car.

i flipped the rears didnt notice any diffrence but in the wet they might not be as good?

Edited May 29, 2010 by mark660

[stolen-gtr]

got the same tyre on my car.

i flipped the rears didnt notice any diffrence but in the wet they might not be as good?

cheers mark

i might just give it a go, its either that or get new ones so might as well.

[Duncan]

I run tyres backwards on the rim often in the race car, in the dry, there is no noticeable loss of performance

However I think you are mad to do the same on a street tyre. There are 2 key things that are different - as Mark said the wet performance suffers because the tyre is not designed to pump water in the direction you are running it. Also it is possible the internal construction may have a problem running backwards eg steel belts loosening.

If it was safe to run these tyres backwards the manufacturer would say so - they only use assymetric or directional design when they have to to meet a certain performance goal.

On a related topic....what is your wheel alignment (camber and toe, front and rear)? If it is out you are better to address the problem than throw new tyres at it.

[blind_elk]

Why not swap the tyres onto the opposite rim, so that the tyre at least continues to rotate in the same direction - ie, take the tyre off the LH rim, and mount it on the RH rim, with the "outside" now "inside". Only the inside / outside property would be compromised.

[Curmi]

you can swap the tires but it is not recommended and safe,

and if police pull you over they will see the camber wear straight away and bam defect

[mark660]

woops i got sumitomo HTR ZIII.

but with the sumi tyres there is no direction, its just inside or outside so basiclly in the wet the water is get directed underneath the car rather than outside.

[mark660]

2nd tyre down he aint going to have any problem swaping left to right. http://www.sumitomotyres.com/index.php?opt...1&Itemid=11

[stolen-gtr]

mark maybe the zIII are different because mine are definitely direction as well...

im aware its not an ideal but just trying to get a bit more life out of the tyres before i have to replace them

also am aware i should really address the cause of the camber wear, im assuming adjustable camber arms will enable this to be resolved?

thanks