Directional tire installed on rim backwards

[wrcsixeight]

I remember reading that back in the day radial tires should not have their direction of travel reversed. I was wondering if newer directional radials get messed up in a similar fashion.

This is on a c-5 corvette rear tire with continental contitrac dws, installed within the last 3 months, and was just noticed it was installed backward. Not sure of mileage on tire.

This is on parents vehicle, 2500+ miles from me.

So just have tire installer right the wrong by reversing it, or demand new tire?

 

[Falken]

I'd politely ask for a new tire citing safety issues, if they refuse ask for it to be reversed and call it a day.

A mildly driven high performance tire probably didn't see any ill effects.

 

[Quattro Pete]

DWS is not directional, but it is asymmetric. Probably the main thing that would be affected when running it installed incorrectly would be poor winter traction.

Is the tire worn evenly? If so, I'd try to reinstall it correctly and see what happens. If after the reinstall it starts being noisy, I'd ask for a new tire since it was the shop's fault.

 

[wrcsixeight]

The car is lightly driven, by my 72 year old mother, in Florida. It at least is a manual transmission, and she does drive it well, but with a little too much love of the decel in gear burble of the Borla and headers. She keeps it immaculate.

I've scared myself silly in it and almost refuse to drive it as I will wind up in Jail, and one time I almost spun out into a curb in the rain.

I have not seen the tire, just got the report from my father who noticed it was on the rim backwards today. He said he was going to send her down to the installer to have it reversed, and I wanted to get some more info from the knowledge base here.

I'd rather he go down and take care of it with his scary Viking eyebrows. I'd feel better if I knew the tire were completely safe. I doubt the Rear tire could be heard over the aftermarket exhaust if it were worn funny and reversed on the rim

She is not tire spinner, I doubt she ever pushes the throttle more than half way, as she freaks out when I drive it and she is the passenger, and do the Italian tune up light to light, or leaving the toll booth. It will chirp third.

 

[JHZR2]

Given the use profile, the UV and heat issues with FL, etc., Id get it swapped and call it a day. Having a mismatched new tire is as much a concern to me as having a reversed one.

Just get it on straight, and when 6 years come to pass, then swap the tires for new.

 

[ProfPS]

Don't have the tires turned around on the rims, just switch the wheels/tires with the ones on the other side of the car. This will turn the tire rotation direction.

 

[yonyon]

Originally Posted By: ProfPS
Don't have the tires turned around on the rims, just switch the wheels/tires with the ones on the other side of the car. This will turn the tire rotation direction.


That won't work. As Quattro Pete stated, DWS doesn't have a directional tread pattern; the direction of rotation doesn't matter. It has asymmetric tread so there's an inside and an outside. It must come off the rim and be flipped over, then rebalanced. If it isn't excessively worn it'll be fine.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight
The car is lightly driven, by my 72 year old mother, in Florida. It at least is a manual transmission, and she does drive it well, but with a little too much love of the decel in gear burble of the Borla and headers. She keeps it immaculate.




Go Mom!

 

[JethroBodine]

Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight

So just have tire installer right the wrong by reversing it, or demand new tire?


I would have them measure the tread depth of both sides of the car and if the tires are more than 1/32 different ask for a new tire. Otherwise just switch it the correct direction. If she is a slow driver she will wear it back into shape.

 

[UNC017]

I've been told by the tire store (responsible for the warranty should anything go wrong...) that newer radials don't develop any sort of rotational "set" and can be reversed. In fact they recommended left-right rotation on my SRT, since it has staggered tires and normal fore-aft rotation is impossible.

They are also recommending the old pre-radial criss-cross rotation for vehicles with the same size on all corners.

YMMV, I never could figure how a tire could develop a "set" anyway, but everyone seemed to believe it.

 

[Dave Hess]

Have the tire shop remount the tire.

 

[NMBurb02]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight
The car is lightly driven, by my 72 year old mother, in Florida. It at least is a manual transmission, and she does drive it well, but with a little too much love of the decel in gear burble of the Borla and headers. She keeps it immaculate.




Go Mom!

"The Little Old Lady from Pasadena"?

 

[wrcsixeight]

Originally Posted By: NMBurb02
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight
The car is lightly driven, by my 72 year old mother, in Florida. It at least is a manual transmission, and she does drive it well, but with a little too much love of the decel in gear burble of the Borla and headers. She keeps it immaculate.




Go Mom!

"The Little Old Lady from Pasadena"?


Yep. Can hear her coming or going from 1/4 mile away. That manual transmission is always in gear, except at a stop light, less the throwout bearing wear prematurely. Over 100k miles on original clutch, and I know I've abuse it when I drive it.

One time I checked the oil, found it low, and added nearly a quart for her, and informed her, and she turned while, livid and fully freaked out, wrongly assuming I didn't use the Mobil 1 5w30, but the straight 40 weight dad keeps around for the Perkins diesel in his troller.
As a Bitoger, I was outraged at the insinuation.

Glad to hear a simple reinstall and rebalance is the most favored response. I'll inform pops

 

[javacontour]

Ditto is all I can add.

Originally Posted By: yonyon
Originally Posted By: ProfPS
Don't have the tires turned around on the rims, just switch the wheels/tires with the ones on the other side of the car. This will turn the tire rotation direction.


That won't work. As Quattro Pete stated, DWS doesn't have a directional tread pattern; the direction of rotation doesn't matter. It has asymmetric tread so there's an inside and an outside. It must come off the rim and be flipped over, then rebalanced. If it isn't excessively worn it'll be fine.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: wrcsixeight

One time I checked the oil, found it low, and added nearly a quart for her, and informed her, and she turned while, livid and fully freaked out, wrongly assuming I didn't use the Mobil 1 5w30, but the straight 40 weight dad keeps around for the Perkins diesel in his troller.
As a Bitoger, I was outraged at the insinuation.

Can you register her on this forum?

 

[Darris]

Cant believe how many backwards facing directional tires I've seen in parking lots in just the past 3 weeks alone. Two thirds of them on vehicles with the Wheelchair disability sticker ... where do these folks all go for such horrible service?? And of course half of them were driving directional WINTER tires mounted backwards in July, so they're beating them up thermally an physically.

I've never run a tire this way, but wether it's directional or asymetric, it cant possibly be a good thing for either driving dynamics, mileage or hydroplaning resistance being that the tire was developed and tested to go roll in the oher direction.

Shouldn't be too significant in slow, leisurely driving, but I'd be very worried about having those same folks ever touch my car again - recognizing directional/asymetric tires an facing them the right way is not hard (most tires have arrows on the sidewall in the direction of travel or inside/outside lables for asymetric) - they should owe you freebie out of sheer embarassment.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Radials can be reversed...done it many times. Note that trucks have been using recapped radials for something like 30 years...and that any cap is 50% likely to be reversed when remounted!

 

[Rand]

I occasionally work in a parking lot.

I think this year alone I've told 6-8 people

about their backwards tires

usually it happens when they go back to the tire place for a rotation and they cross rotate the directional tires.

giving them 2 in the back right direction 2 in the wrong going backwards. What do you expect from min wage help with no QC.

 

[Ken2]

I bought a set of directional tires in a Big-O store one time. I noticed after the tires were mounted that the warehouse had sent them three rights and only one left tire. I told the fellow. He didn't say anything, he just went to that big red noisy machine and did something with one of the tires. I guess he found another left tire behind that machine....

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Ken2
I bought a set of directional tires in a Big-O store one time. I noticed after the tires were mounted that the warehouse had sent them three rights and only one left tire. I told the fellow. He didn't say anything, he just went to that big red noisy machine and did something with one of the tires. I guess he found another left tire behind that machine....