New Goodyear MTR Kevlar

[80t0ylc]

they look directional to me.

If Goodyear intends that is truly a directional tire, there should be arrows on the sidewall, indicating direction of rotation. Don't ask me how I know! They're not real apparent at first, but once you spot them, you'll know in the future! I went through this with my Green Diamond MTs.

 

[AutoCraft Aus]

What you don't see in the initial post is the hideous and confused sidewall that doesn't quite know which direction to roll even though the tire is indeed asymmetric. The new MT/R also somewhat resembles a re-tread due to the large circumferential gap caused by the mold part junction.

I don't post often but I will take any chance I get to put a plug in for the KM2s over the ugly new MT/Rs...

I have never worried about how they look while Im driving past those fixing punctures in 40 deg c heat, or a destroyed tyre from slow leak.

BFG has proven to be the tyre most likely to be an issue on desert trips here.

We have banned them for our remote trips for this reason.

 

[Hayes]

But they're not a directional tire.

If Goodyear intends that is truly a directional tire, there should be arrows on the sidewall, indicating direction of rotation. Don't ask me how I know! They're not real apparent at first, but once you spot them, you'll know in the future! I went through this with my Green Diamond MTs.

Ugly sidewalls... maybe.
That wheel and the raised white letters on the tire go a long way toward ugly to my eye. Besides, performance trumps appearance.

 

[e9999]

I guess we must have different definitions of a directional tire.
To me a directional tire is one that would behave differently traction wise if you move it from the RHS to the LHS while remaining mounted the same way. IOW when they are all mounted the same way you have different traction on the DS and PS.
That seems to be the case here. although admittedly not in a dramatic way.
Now, whether the effect is significant in practice or not would depend on the situation.
I just don't get why they would do that.

 

[Hayes]

I thought a directional tire was one that was designed with a forward rolling direction and reverse rolling direction; hence you cannot rotate from left to right because the tire would be rolling the wrong direction.

These asymmetric Goodyears have an inside and an outside, but no forward or reverse.

I could be mistaken...

 

[UCBerzerkeley]

I thought a directional tire was one that was designed with a forward rolling direction and reverse rolling direction; hence you cannot rotate from left to right because the tire would be rolling the wrong direction.

These asymmetric Goodyears have an inside and an outside, but no forward or reverse.

I could be mistaken...

Directional Tire:

Directional designs are recognized by the grooves in the tread that swipe away in a backward angle from the center of the tread face and rotate in only one direction. A direction of rotation arrow is located on both sidewalls of the tire. Directional tires enhance straight-line acceleration, provide maximum dry traction, and better wet performance which helps to reduce rolling resistance as well as providing shorter stopping distances.

Source: F1 technical glossary - F1technical.net

Once you mount these MTRs on your rims, it doesn't matter which corner you place them on because the inside will always be facing in (unless you take them off the rim of course). Functionally, they are no different than any other un-directional tire.

 

[80t0ylc]

I thought a directional tire was one that was designed with a forward rolling direction and reverse rolling direction; hence you cannot rotate from left to right because the tire would be rolling the wrong direction.

These asymmetric Goodyears have an inside and an outside, but no forward or reverse.

I could be mistaken...

Ryan:

I'm not saying they are or they are not. My point was IF they were, you should see the arrows, as was mentioned in my first post and confirmed by UCBerzerk's quote of directional tire definition. Earlier in thread, it appeared that it was still up in the air if the tire was directional or not.

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

It looks clear to me that the inside will always be on the inside but that the outer tread blocks will sweep either forward or backward depending on which side the tire is mounted on. If you decide on keeping the ugly white letters inside then does it matter whether the ridge is offset to the inside or outside? If I did not know better I would think there would need to be specific left and right side tire for them to work properly.

 

[barrypt5]

Goodyear MTR with Kevlar is Here | Editorials Blog & Discussion at 4WD & Sport Utility Magazine

found this review and towards they end they do say concerning the direction/white lettering:

The asymmetrical (not symmetrical) tread design looks directional, but Goodyear says the tires are NOT directional, can run either way and have been tested that way. For those like us who don't like white lettering, the new MTR with Kevlar might disappoint, as many sizes will have white outline lettering. That means white outline letters out, ready to be scraped into white sidewalls by rocks. The larger sizes (up to 42") will have black lettering, so will be fine.

guess we may need to find some tire paint or a good way to scratch off the white lettering


barrypt5

 

[e9999]

It looks clear to me that the inside will always be on the inside but that the outer tread blocks will sweep either forward or backward depending on which side the tire is mounted on. If you decide on keeping the ugly white letters inside then does it matter whether the ridge is offset to the inside or outside? If I did not know better I would think there would need to be specific left and right side tire for them to work properly.

there is no way to make these tires to run symmetric - well at least is they are all like the pic up top (are they? or do they sell them in lhs and rhs versions?). There is clearly an inside and outside but there is also a preferential direction to the "chevrons".

It seems like the inside/outside effect is far more pronounced so you'd want to put the same insides in. Then if there is only one version of the tire you can't help but have them run differently on left and right sides. If GY says it makes no difference in traction, I don't believe it. If they say it makes no *significant* difference in traction, I can live with that.

I would, however, go by GY recommendation on which side should be in. That would make a big difference I would think.

Geez, why is this geometry so difficult to see...? (not you Doug)

 

[bluto]

Side by side comparison with RED ARROWs pointing to outside:
With the OWL either out or in, the direction of lugs (inside and outside) stays the same. Even though they are asymetric. I have confidence GY stating that it would not matter which side you run (as long youre consistent with the rim placement), I would run it with the two big lugs out from the 1st picture just to be comfortable.

Edit: If there are no indication on the tire which is in or out you can look at the second picture in how it would look with the arrow pointing inside with the tow big lugs outside. But as you can see if thats the case, the two outside lugs would be different direction from the left side of the truck (compared to the first top picture). Making it seem they are supposed to be directional.

 

[-Spike-]

It's not difficult to see what you're talking about. When mounted on a vehicle, the tread blocks will be pointing forward on one side of the truck, and backward on the other. The effect is purely aesthetic. Almost all tires do the same thing. Go take a look at your truck tires. Odds are, the tread on the outside edge of the tires will be oriented either forward or backward on one side, and reversed on the other, unless you have directional tires (and they're mounted correctly). With directional tires, the tread will be oriented the same way on both sides of the truck (or car, since most directionals are sport type tires).

The only difference with these tires is that the tread doesn't follow the same pattern on both halves of the tire, so the tires are supposed to be mounted with a particular side 'out'.

-Spike

 

[Hayes]

I agree with Spike.
In every photo of these tires, they are mounted with a particular side out.

A weak review and some photos here:
Goodyear Wrangler Mtr Kevlar On Rocks Photo

 

[bluto]

I agree with Spike.
In every photo of these tires, they are mounted with a particular side out.

A weak review and some photos here:
Goodyear Wrangler Mtr Kevlar On Rocks Photo

So if Goodyear states to run the two big lugs out:
285/75/16s force you to run the OWL outside. Therefore run 315s if you want to have the BWL. How convenient!

 

[80t0ylc]

Just a dumb question, maybe it's already been asked and answered: If these are NOT directional tires, why does GY recommend a certain side out? If direction is out of the question then mount them to your taste, OWL out or OWL in. I guess the mystery to me is: why the manufactured mounting recommendation?

 

[e9999]

It's not difficult to see what you're talking about. When mounted on a vehicle, the tread blocks will be pointing forward on one side of the truck, and backward on the other. The effect is purely aesthetic. Almost all tires do the same thing. Go take a look at your truck tires. Odds are, the tread on the outside edge of the tires will be oriented either forward or backward on one side, and reversed on the other, unless you have directional tires (and they're mounted correctly).

snip

-Spike

I don't know about "almost all tires", but my MT/Rs are symmetric. A given tire mounted on a wheel (and staying there) will look the same on both sides as seen from the front. So, in fact they have double symmetry. Not only can you move them to either side when mounted and you'll get the same traction with respect to the truck centerline. But you could even mount them either way (OWL in or out so to speak) on a wheel, and it would still look the same.

 

[Hayes]

Symmetry is really gradational.
Your MTRs are more symmetrical than the new MTRs, but they're not completely symmetrical in the sense of being mirrored across the centerline. The overall shapes and pattern of the lugs is uniform across the tire, but the orientations are not mirrored across the tire. You could say yours are isotropic (hehehe) but not totally symmetric around any given plane.

The new MTRs have even lower-order symmetry in that the lugs themselves vary across the tire.

 

[maybe_a_80...]

As an all round tire, the new Duratrac from GY (I think that is what it is called) looks even more appealing.

Agreed. The Duratrac also has the venerable "mountain snowflake" symbol. For those of us who need a great all-around tire and like an aggressive look, the Duratrac looks like a winner!

Sorry for the brief hijack...

 

[-Spike-]

I don't know about "almost all tires", but my MT/Rs are symmetric. A given tire mounted on a wheel (and staying there) will look the same on both sides as seen from the front. So, in fact they have double symmetry. Not only can you move them to either side when mounted and you'll get the same traction with respect to the truck centerline. But you could even mount them either way (OWL in or out so to speak) on a wheel, and it would still look the same.

Yes, but did you go look at your tires? On one side of the truck the tread points forward, on the other side it points back. Same thing these new tires do, except that the new tires' tread differs across the width.

-Spike (Now THAT'S a dead horse. )

 

[Nay]

I am pretty sure that most peoples decision matrix looks like this:
Tyre performance > Tyre cost > Tyre appearance

I'm pretty sure you are wrong given how many people still run BFG AT's