SuperSparkies tyre wear ??

[T1 Terry]

I notice more and more car tyres now have an arrow depicting direction of rotation.
How can I unwind them again?

With a little car, you put it in neutral and let it unwind the spring

[jon_d]

I always thought the arrow was needed to make sure the ABS and traction control worked properly.

[T1 Terry]

I wonder how much it effects the handling and grip characteristics of the tyre if it is fitted to spin in the wrong direction?

[BruceS]

I'll have a good look at my tyres but I don't think it would make much difference except to what terry indicated in regards to 'loading up the bias' in one direction. A bit like bending a bit of iron. One way is ok but go back & forth quite a few times & it'll break off.

[BruceS]

I just checked these tyres on my baby Suzuki & it doesn't specify in what direction but instead specifies either the outside or inside of the tyre. The tread is very different on the inside to what it is on the outside.
Gotta be a bit different, huh?

[supersparky]

I wonder how much it effects the handling and grip characteristics of the tyre if it is fitted to spin in the wrong direction?

When I had my Holden 1 tonner I used to run Goodyear Ducaro's. They were the first directional that tyre most of us had seen back then. It didn't seem to make much difference in the dry, but in the wet it sure did. They never lasted long enough to find out over a long term. For some reason the back tyres often went faster than the front ones.

[BruceS]

Some reason?
V8 with lead foot & nothing on the back? That'll do it!!
You old hoon, you!!

[Greynomad]

If your treads have a V formation in them, the point of the V indicates rotation direction.

Learned that the hard way many moons ago with motorcycle tyres...

The V drains/squirts water on the road to the edge of the tyre.

O'course, if you're running ATs or Duellers or somesuch off-road tyre, this does not apply. Look for an arrow on the sidewall.

[supersparky]

I posted this on another thread, but copied it here so it follows.

We took the Winny to the Big Wheels Wheel Alignment people today. And as I half expected the axle needs the cold bend treatment to get the camber angle corrected.
Is there a reason that just about every beam axle vehicle that is produced in Japan requires this corrective surgery?

We will also get two new steer tyres. Falken something. They have a higher load rating than the Michelins that they replace. We will also get some new Powerdown shockers. We pick it up in the morning. I will be like a kid with a new toy for a while.

[Greynomad]

We took the Winny to the Big Wheels Wheel Alignment people today. And as I half expected the axle needs the cold bend treatment to get the camber angle corrected.
Is there a reason that just about every beam axle vehicle that is produced in Japan requires this corrective surgery?

We will also get two new steer tyres. Falken something. They have a higher load rating than the Michelins that they replace. We will also get some new Powerdown shockers. We pick it up in the morning. I will be like a kid with a new toy for a while.

They're probably Falken Good Tyres!

My response on the other thread...

Regarding camber & toe-in, we had the same experience:
LH front tyre worn down to a patch of steel belting before I happened to park with the steering pointing left & the relevant bit of tyre exposed. Tyre shop (I leave it to the experts with laser gear ) did a realignment for driving-on-the-left roads while replacing said rubber. No probs thereafter (until recent events, which do not relate to this phenomenon). Previous owners must have chewed through a fair number of LH steer tyres...
Tyre bloque explained the same prob: suspension set up for driving-on-the-right (USA) roads puts the greater toe-in on the wrong side for Oz, and we have steeper cambered roads because of the rainfall drainage required... when it eventually rains.