Tire rotation, that is routinely repositioning your vehicle’s tires in specific patterns from front to back or side to side, is an important element of tire upkeep and safety. Additionally, rotating your tires may also be required to keep your tires covered under warranty. For a quick visual summary of tire rotation, check out our Tread Life episode about tire rotation. Read on for more information about what tire rotation is, why tire rotation patterns matter, and the correct pattern for your vehicle’s needs.
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Tire rotation means periodically changing the position of each of the tires on your vehicle. You should rotate your tires as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, or every 5,000 miles. For many of you, that will mean when you get your vehicle’s oil changed.
Regularly rotating your tires also gives you a good opportunity to visually inspect them for damage, check their air pressure, have them rebalanced if you’re noticing any vibration, and check their tread depth.
There are several reasons why tire rotation is an important element of your standard tire care. First, by routinely rotating your tires, wear is spread evenly across all four tires, and their tread life is maximized. That’s because each specific position on your vehicle requires a different give from each tire—(for example, tires on the front of a front-wheel drive vehicle will take a larger proportion of the torque and friction that’s needed for turning, accelerating and braking)—and can lead to more, or less, wear on the tire. It is especially important to rotate new tires by 5,000 miles because deep, fresh tire tread is more susceptible to uneven wear.
Secondly, even tread wear keeps the tread depth on your tires uniform, which can help keep traction and handling consistent across all four tires. This will improve cornering and braking performance and keep your vehicle safer for driving overall.
Finally, if your vehicle has all-wheel-drive, evenly worn tires lower the stresses on the drivetrain, reducing wear on expensive drive components.
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The tire rotation pattern that’s best for your vehicle will depend on the type of tire you’re using, whether your vehicle is front, rear, all, or four-wheel drive, whether your tires are directional or non-directional, whether or not your tires are the same size on the front and rear of your vehicle, and whether you have a full-size spare that can be rotated through as well, unlike a temporary spare.
. Let’s take a look at tire rotation patterns recommended by the standardizing body of the tire industry, The Tire and Rim Association, Inc., for all of these possibilities.
For vehicles that are 4-wheel, all-wheel, or rear-wheel drive, the rearward cross pattern is recommended. Rear tires are moved to the forward axle and kept on the same side of the vehicle while the front tires are moved to opposite sides of the rear axle.
2. X-PATTERNRecommended for front-wheel drive vehicles such as light-weight trucks and sedans, all tires are moved diagonally, meaning tires are switched from one axle to the opposite as well as being repositioned from one side to the other.
3. FORWARD CROSSThis is the most common pattern for front-wheel drive vehicles. The front axle tires are moved directly back while the rear tires are moved up diagonally to the opposite side of the front axle.
In order to insure that all of the tires on your vehicle have even tread wear, you’ll want to be sure to rotate your full-size spare tire along with the other four. This is especially vital for all-wheel or 4-wheel drive vehicles where even small differences can put undue strain on your car’s drive train.
1. REARWARD CROSS (REAR-WHEEL OR 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES):Both rear axle tires move directly forward to the front axle while the spare tire moves to the right side of the rear axle. The right front tire moves diagonally back to the left side of the rear axle while the left front tire becomes your new spare tire.
2. FORWARD CROSS (FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES):Rear tires are moved diagonally to opposite sides on the front axle while the right front tire becomes the new spare tire. The spare tire is positioned on the right side of the rear axle while the left tire on the front axle is moved directly back into the left rear position.
All tires are switched with their same-sized partner and remain on the same axle. The two rear tires switch to the opposite side with one another while the two front tires do the same.
2. FRONT-TO-BACK (FOR DIRECTIONAL TIRES)All tires are moved from one axle to the other but remain on the same side of the vehicle. For example, the front left tire is moved to the left side of the rear axle while the rear left tire is repositioned on the left side of the front axle.
Directional tires are typically excellent tires that are found on high performance vehicles. They are also great performers as all-season and all-weather tires. Directional tread patterns are amazing at shedding away water and preventing hydroplaning.
One of the side effects of direction tread patterns however is that they can’t be rotated normally. Tire rotation is important to tire life so they still must be rotated to get the most out of them.Directional Tire Sidewall Arrow
How To Rotate Directional Tires
Directional tires must be rotated front to rear only and must not switch sides of the vehicle. If a directional tire is moved to the opposite side of the car or truck it will be spinning in the wrong direction when in motion and will not work as designed. This can lead to very unsafe handling, especially in wet weather.
Let’s cover the details of properly rotating directional tires and additional information you may need to know.
You can tell if your tires are directional by checking the sidewall for a directional tire arrow marking.
This marking can take slightly different forms but the message should be clear.
Directional tires can be rotated, but they can not be rotated using typical tire rotation patterns. Directional tread patterns can only spin in one direction. When a directional tire is mounted onto a wheel, it is locked into being used on only one side of your car or truck.
If you try to rotate a directional tire to the opposite side of your vehicle the tire will be spinning in the wrong direction and the tread will not be able to work as intended.
While it’s true that directional tires can’t be rotated using typical tire rotation patterns such as the forward cross, rearward cross, or X-pattern, they can still be rotated front to rear.
Front to rear tire rotation is less than ideal but it is still quite effective. The majority of the benefits of tire rotation come from the wear pattern differences between front and rear axles.
Suspension geometries between these axles is very different and swapping tires front to rear will still create useful benefits.
Typical rotation patterns include crossing tires side to side. This helps to even out tread wear differences from one side to the other but these differences are very similar and the benefits are small.
If directional tread patterns are not coming into contact with the road surface properly they can not work as designed. Often these tread patterns include a “V” shape or angled grooves that are designed to move water from the center of the tire and outward.
If the tire is mounted backward, the design will try to push water toward the center of the tire, which obviously is counterproductive and can create a dangerous situation.
Even in dry weather, the tires will not be able to perform as well as they could or should if they were mounted to spin in the correct way.
The directional tire rotation pattern is very simple.
You never move the wheels from one side of the vehicle to the other and simply swap the front and rear wheel assemblies on the same side of the car or truck.
Be sure to read our detailed article on how to rotate tires. All of the same steps apply regardless of the rotation pattern.
When mixing directional tires and staggered wheel sets there is no good way to rotate tires. Directional tread patterns are not able to be rotated to the other side of your car or truck.
Staggered wheels are not able to be rotated front to rear. Staggered wheel sets have different sized wheels on the front and rear axles and are designed to be specifically used on a specific axle.
Since directional tires limit rotation front to rear and staggered wheels limit rotation side to side, there is no way to rotate your tires short of removing them from the wheels and remounting them reversed. Unfortunately, the benefit of doing this is negligible and not worth the expense or time required.
The best course of action with directional tires on staggered wheels is to not rotate tires. You can inquire with your tire manufacturer if they have a provision for how to deal with this scenario and still maintain your tire warranty.
In most cases, if the tire manufacturer allows for maintaining some tire warranty in this situation, they only guarantee 50% of the normal tire warranty mileage.
Directional tires can no cross rotate because this would cause the directional tread pattern to spin in the wrong direction and not work as designed.
This can create a dangerous situation and should be avoided. The typical “V” grooves of most directional tread patterns are designed to shed water out and away from the center of the tire’s contact patch.
If the grooves are inverted, the water is forward toward the center and needs to find an alternate path and can create significantly worse traction in wet weather.
Like with any tire, the tire manufacturer will require a certain rotation schedule to maintain the tire mileage warranty.
Be sure and check the warranty paperwork that came with your tires to know specifically how often to rotate your specific tires.
In general, directional tires are rotated similar to non directional tires and benefit from being rotated every 5,000 miles. This usually meets or exceeds the tire warranty requirements.
As long as directional tires are rotated front to rear there will be do issues. If somehow they are accidentally rotated following the forward cross pattern, rearward cross pattern, or X-pattern, which are the most common tire rotation patterns, you will have at least two of the tires that have crossed to the other side of the car or truck.
You can check to see if this indeed the case by looking for the directional tire arrow marked on the sidewall of each tire. If the arrow is pointing forward on each tire you should have no problems.
If you find any tires that have the directional arrow pointed rearward, you should swap it over to the opposite side of your vehicle.
If you’re in a situation where there is an odd number of tires that have the directional arrow pointing in the wrong direction you will need to have one of the tires removed from the wheel and flipped so that the directional arrow is pointing in the proper direction.
The most obvious difference between a directional tire and a traditional non-directional tire is the tread design. Directional tires typically have a “V” pattern or some other directionally oriented aspect to the tread that requires them to only spin in a certain direction to be effective.
Non directional tires can spin in either direction without sacrificing performance.
Directional tires typically are able to perform better than non directional tires but this comes at the cost of only being able to rotate them front to rear. They also tend to not last quite as long and non directional tires and can become louder as they wear.
The benefits of directional tread patterns are usually amazing wet weather performance and exceptional dry performance.
In general, directional tires do tend to wear out more quickly than traditional tire tread patterns. This isn’t always the case however. The Michelin CrossClimate 2 has a 60,000 mile tire mileage warranty which is on the higher end of tire warranty mileage guarantees.
Directional tires are great tires but they must only be rotated front to rear. Once a directional tire is mounted onto a wheel it can only be used on one side of the vehicle. Moving it to the other side of your car or truck will cause it to spin in the opposite direction the tread is designed to work.
It is possible to remove a directional tire and flip it on the rim so that it can be used on the other side, but this amount of effort isn’t worthwhile. The most benefit comes from rotating tires front to rear.
Below are some links you may find helpful when learning about tires
Will Creech
Will has been an automotive enthusiast since he was old enough to make engine sounds.
Formerly a member of the contract training team at Discount Tire, he is unusually knowledgeable on all things related to tires. He is now the owner of and main contributor to TireGrades.com.
Introduction
What is the feature of the directional tread pattern?
Advantages and disadvantages of
directional tiresHow to properly install directional tires
Conclusion
When choosing good tires, you often face the problem of not only a huge number of models, but also a variety of tread patterns, which also need to be sorted out. One of the most popular patterns is the traditional directional pattern, which has been used on the tread surface of a wide variety of tires for decades.
What are directional tires and why are they still in demand not only among motorists, but also among professional motorcycle racers? In the article, we will reveal all the secrets and technologies of directional tires, as well as show you how to install them correctly. Here, nuances and discoveries await us at every step.
There are four types of car tire tread pattern:
directional symmetrical,
non-directional symmetrical,
non-directional asymmetrical,
directional asymmetric.
Each drawing is designed for its own version of the road and has its own set of advantages. Different tread patterns have different functionality and behavior on the road. When mounting tires on wheels, their own installation principles also work, which will need to be strictly observed so as not to create an emergency. We will talk about them in the corresponding section.
The essence of the directional tread design is clear at a glance: the blocks, ribs and tread grooves of the V-pattern are directional, spinning the wheel in a certain direction. Most often, directional tires are found in winter models, but there are many of them among summer ones.
In symmetrical tires, both halves of the directional tread are mirrored, in an asymmetric design, both halves have a different structure and different functionality.
It is necessary to mount the wheels only in the right direction, otherwise all the advantages will come to naught, and at the same time problems with handling and accelerated wear will be added. Excessive strong pressure will accumulate in the center of the working area, due to which the tire will begin to rise above the road and harm traction in how many areas.
The directional tread pattern is best suited for wet tarmac, as the grooves that widen from the center to the sides are much better at shedding water from the contact surface. This not only improves grip on wet surfaces, but also works in favor of protection against the effect of hydroplaning. This works even better for a rear-wheel drive car - the front wheels will quickly clear the water before the rear axle sets foot on the road. Accordingly, contact with the track in such a car will be much more thorough.
The directional pattern of the winter models excels in raking snow and removing dirt from the contact surface - ideal for snowy trails in the winter.
On a dry summer surface, they also give the car a couple of advantages - first of all, it concerns directional and lateral stability. For high-speed tires, this is one of the most relevant designs, as directional tires have a positive effect on the reactions of the car at high speed.
However, their driving disadvantage is the increased noise level during active work on asphalt, and the higher the speed, the stronger the rumble. Also, directional tires are more expensive than non-directional tires, but cheaper than asymmetric ones. It is better not to install directional tires if you often drive on dirt roads or are completely forced to drive off-road. They will not show effective work on soft and medium hard surfaces. For rural areas, a tread pattern with a non-directional arrangement of large lugs is better suited.
Remember that, being put on disks, wheels with directional rubber can only be changed from the front axle to the rear and vice versa, but not rearranged on the sides. To do this, the tires will have to be disassembled and put as needed.
Although we've talked about directional tires, it's the symmetrical design that's most common. Asymmetric directional pattern is very rare. This is due to the fact that such tires are not only much more difficult and expensive to manufacture, but they have one serious drawback for car owners. Due to the very strict installation scheme for the car, constant difficulties arose with spares - I had to constantly carry two spare wheels with me instead of one, because you never know which tire will be damaged, and you can’t change directional asymmetric tires with sides. In addition, the warehouses constantly accumulated tires for only one side, which are completely useless without a paired wheel.
As mentioned above, one of the "secrets" of directional tires is their installation pattern.
Simply put, you need to find the inscription Rotation (from the English. "Rotation") with an arrow on the sidewall. It is this marker that is an indicator - in which direction the tire pattern should “look” when installed on a car. If you make a mistake with the direction of rotation and put the rubber against the arrow, then the drainage system will rake in water like a mill, and not discard it, leveling all the advantages of the model, or even exacerbating them. The fact that the tires are installed incorrectly will tell you a sharply increased noise in the cabin.
If for some reason you could not find this marker, then you can do it even easier - pay attention to the tire tread pattern itself. The rubber of the directional design is a kind of "herringbone" that is directed forward. Simply mount the tires so that the tread pattern faces the direction of travel of the vehicle.
Rubber with an asymmetric device should only be mounted according to the marking, since each individual side is designed for its own tasks and should never be confused.
The correct direction of asymmetric tires will help determine the labels:
Outside, or the outer side of the tire, must face outward.
Inside, or the inner side, respectively, looks inside the car.
Right and left asymmetric tires are much less common. Left (or simply L) will be written on one tire - it means that it must be placed to the left of the body, Right (R) - to the right. You can change them only on one side of the body - front with rear and vice versa.
But much more often, directional tires can be mounted on a rim on either side, the main thing is to follow the direction of the pattern.
And don't forget to balance freshly assembled wheels - tires will never show their advantages and characteristics without good balance. Only after that you can proceed to the installation on the hubs. After installation, go around the car in a circle and check the markings. Recall that we need the rotation direction under the Rotation arrow.
If you have an asymmetric directional tire, then make sure that only the Outside is visible. Left (Left) and right (Right) asymmetric tires must show the sides of the body in the direction of travel.
Special test. Directional tires backwards: Non-traditional orientation
To test the hypothesis, we took on the Lada-112, shod in Amtel Planet T-301 summer tires with a dimension of 185 / 60R14 with a directional tread pattern. And besides the actual braking backwards, we will check other parameters: speed at the rearrangement, fuel consumption, handling, directional stability, noise, ride and cross-country ability. We repeat each exercise twice: first with the correct installation of tires, then “against wool”.
Installing tires backwards not only does not provide any advantages (with the exception of a slight improvement in flotation on the primer), but also worsens many vehicle performance parameters.
Installing tires backwards not only does not provide any advantages (with the exception of a slight improvement in flotation on the primer), but also worsens many vehicle performance parameters.
With the tires properly installed, the Lada-112 keeps well in a straight line, only it steers sluggishly. Small notes on comfort: the car is a little stiffer and noisier than we would like. We overcome the ground rise with some tension, but almost without acceleration.
With "inverted" tires, the car keeps a straight line worse - it floats along the lane. Ride and noise have not changed. Ground climb is overcome more confidently - this is the first plus. The orientation of the tread pattern has no effect on rolling resistance.
We are going to the rearrangement. The maximum speed at which this extreme maneuver succeeds on wet pavement is only 67 km/h: there is not enough information content. And in the dry, at 71.4 km / h, the steering angles are too big.
Now we unfold the tires and perform rearrangement again. On a wet road, the maximum speed of the maneuver decreased by 0.7 km/h, the behavior of the car worsened: the reaction to the steering jerk was more sluggish, the turning angles of the steering wheel increased, and a slight skid appeared. On a dry road, the losses are even greater: the speed is lower by 2.3 km/h, the complaints about the behavior are the same as in the wet version, but more significant. The steering angles increased, the demolition of the front end increased, with an increase in speed, a skid appeared, moreover, torn, the behavior of the car was ambiguous.
Let's start braking on different surfaces. On wet asphalt, we back down from 80 km / h on the verge of blocking, then skid from sixty. In dry conditions, the braking start speed is higher - 100 km / h, with blocked wheels - from the same sixty.
When the wheels are turned, there is no reduction in the braking distance "on the block" - the results are the same! And when braking without blocking, they are worse: on wet asphalt, it takes almost one and a half meters more to stop.
On dry braking distance increased by more than half a meter.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
Most importantly, the braking distance on tires installed backwards increases. Incorrect orientation complicates control during extreme maneuvers, and also reduces the speed of their implementation.
Such a rearrangement gives practically no gain, except that the tires behave a little better on a dry primer, although the all-terrain vehicle is still far away. But on a wet primer, this is not the case - the tread is worse self-cleaning and quickly washed out.
The belief about the benefits of installing tires backwards is not supported by practice. Focus on the arrows on the sidewalls!
Special test. Directional Tires Backward: Unconventional
Special Test. Directional Reverse Tires: Unconventional
Special Test.
