Does reversing tire side wall affect performance? (1 Viewer)

[cahill]

I just put on a new set of tires and had the shop put the white sidwall facing in because I liked the look better. Today I was admiring the new rubber and noticed that if I hadn't flipped the tires the tread pattern would be facing a different direction; I'll say facing "forward" for lack of a better term. It's facing "backward" with the way they are mounted now. Do any of the tire experts out there know how this affects handling? I assume that it is most noticeable when driving on wet roads since water would be channelled differently. Thanks.

 

[Brunt Force Trauma]

I just put on a new set of tires and had the shop put the white sidwall facing in because I liked the look better. Today I was admiring the new rubber and noticed that if I hadn't flipped the tires the tread pattern would be facing a different direction; I'll say facing "forward" for lack of a better term. It's facing "backward" with the way they are mounted now. Do any of the tire experts out there know how this affects handling? I assume that it is most noticeable when driving on wet roads since water would be channelled differently. Thanks.

If its a directional tread, yes, its meant to be run a certain direction. If thats the case, you can just swap the tires to the other side of the truck.

 

[flagstaff]

Most tires can be mounted either way, meaning there is no forward or reverse for mounting. If your tread pattern is directional, it should be marked on the sidewall.

Tell us what tires you have and you might get a more specific response.

 

[cahill]

Thanks guys, I'll take a look and figure out which way they were meant to be mounted. I just put on michellin 285/75/r16 LTX AT/2 and will give a review in a little while once I've put some more mileage on them. Yesterday was the first day I sort of went off road and found some mud that they made it through without trouble. It wasn't supper thick mud but was about a 18 inches deep. Haven't done rocks yet.

 

[Walking Eagle]

Brunt force is right - swap them left side to right side and it will change the direction of a directional tread. Mine are directional and I run fronts one direction and the rears reversed - for no good reason.

 

[Tools R Us]

They look unidirectional, shouldn't matter which way they are mounted?

 

[Jameym00]

You can not have a directional white letter tire. Most tires now are asymmetrical being an inside and an outside. These can be rotated to any position on the vehicle. I just called my Michelin rep since I am in the tire business and the LTX A/t II are not directional. Your fine. It's just the appearance throwing you off. That tire can be mounted in white letter out or Blackwall.

 

[cahill]

Thanks for calling Michelin Jameym00. That saves me a trip to the shop to get them flipped. They seem to handle fine, but I don't know a ton about tires.