Car just serviced - rotated tyres

[Dinnie]

Hi, I just got the car serviced and asked for the wheels to be rotated.

However, instead of putting the front on the back and vice versa, the mechanic also switched the left to the right and the right to the left (which was correct in the old days).

With the car using Continental Premium Contact 2 tyres and their asymmetric tread design, the car now doesn't look symmetrical. I'm concerned that this will affect grip and handling especially in the wet as one tyre is dispersing water outwards and the other inwards. Should I be worried?

Should I just swap them around so that the car sits how I think it should?

Any help or advice will be much appreciated.

PS. I think one of the alloys is now chipped which I noticed after the service but I'm not sure whether the wife did or not. Does anyone else has similar experiences of this "dilemma"?

 

[GrahamC230K]

I didn't think asymmetric tyres looked symetrical. Hence being asymmetric!

So long as they are all rotating the right way IF they are directional, they are ok.

 

[television]

As Graham,, look for an arrow indicating the rotation

 

[GrahamC230K]

I see where you might have got the symetrical idea from. I know there are exceptions, but generally asymmetric pattern tyres are all the same don't come sided so the car is symetrical so far as I know.

 

[rf065]

I had Conti's, as far as I remember there are no directional arrows on the sidewall.

Russ

 

[philiggy]

Hi, I just got the car serviced and asked for the wheels to be rotated.

However, instead of putting the front on the back and vice versa, the mechanic also switched the left to the right and the right to the left (which was correct in the old days).

With the car using Continental Premium Contact 2 tyres and their asymmetric tread design, the car now doesn't look symmetrical. I'm concerned that this will affect grip and handling especially in the wet as one tyre is dispersing water outwards and the other inwards. Should I be worried?

Should I just swap them around so that the car sits how I think it should?

Any help or advice will be much appreciated.

PS. I think one of the alloys is now chipped which I noticed after the service but I'm not sure whether the wife did or not. Does anyone else has similar experiences of this "dilemma"?

The problem is that the tyre structure moves in the direction of rotation over time so they need to be kept to the same side, putting them on the other side causes the whole proccess to happen in reverse and can cause falure.
This was acording to an Avon tech. rep who gave a talk at an IAM meeting a few years back

Phil

 

[television]

The problem is that the tyre structure moves in the direction of rotation over time so they need to be kept to the same side, putting them on the other side causes the whole proccess to happen in reverse and can cause falure.
This was acording to an Avon tech. rep who gave a talk at an IAM meeting a few years back

Phil

Thats a good point plus of coarse the best tyres should be on the rear

 

[imadoofus]

of coarse the best tyres should be on the rear

That depends upon which wheels do the driving.

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>That depends upon which wheels do the driving.

This is one of those Groundhog Day type of topics in motoring forums, but tyre manufacturers state that new tyres should always be put onto the rear axle where possible.

Of course, there are some cars with differently sized tyres front and rear - these would be an excpetion to the tyre manufacturer's recomendation.

 

[imadoofus]

tyre manufacturers state that new tyres should always be put onto the rear axle where possible.

Well I eat my words then. I've never heard that.

Why? The fronts do the steering, and the majority of the braking, and on many cars, they do the driving too, plus most of the weight-bearing.

Why should you put new tyres on the back?

 

[television]

Well I eat my words then. I've never heard that.

Why? The fronts do the steering, and the majority of the braking, and on many cars, they do the driving too, plus most of the weight-bearing.

Why should you put new tyres on the back?

The reason is that if the rear breaks away the average person cannot control the car,, but if the front takes off most can steer the car

 

[Dinnie]

I see where you might have got the symetrical idea from. I know there are exceptions, but generally asymmetric pattern tyres are all the same don't come sided so the car is symetrical so far as I know.

In regards to the symmetrical look, I meant looking at the car from the front or rear and comparing the two tyres.

Thanks for your replies.

It's a front wheel drive car so the better tyres are now on the front. I'm hoping that by wearing them out evenly, I can replace them all at the same time. Sometimes, there are better discounts at buying all 4 at once and it also gives me the option to change manufacturers. (I hear that it's best not to mix them)

There aren't any directional arrows on the tyres. The wheels on the same axel rotate in the same direction but the treads now face in opposite direction so Philigy, not sure whether I fully understand your post but are you in agreement that by switching the tyres from front to back, I should also keep the left hand side together and the right hand side together (e.g. front left to rear left)?

 

[Rory]

The reason is that if the rear breaks away the average person cannot control the car,, but if the front takes off most can steer the car

That's absolutely correct - there was a good feature on one of the TV motoring programmes a few years ago that demonstrated the effect on both FWD and RWD cars.

Costco absolutely will not fit new tyres to the front. That meant on our Jazz they fitted relatively slippery eco Michelin X's to the rear and left the grippy Yokohama's on the front. Ridiculous. I swapped them as soon as I got home.

When I asked what they'd do about the staggered set-up on my Merc they said they would only fit new fronts if the rears were new or very nearly new. Solution is to take the wheels in on their own!

 

[television]

That's absolutely correct - there was a good feature on one of the TV motoring programmes a few years ago that demonstrated the effect on both FWD and RWD cars.

Costco absolutely will not fit new tyres to the front. That meant on our Jazz they fitted relatively slippery eco Michelin X's to the rear and left the grippy Yokohama's on the front. Ridiculous. I swapped them as soon as I got home.

When I asked what they'd do about the staggered set-up on my Merc they said they would only fit new fronts if the rears were new or very nearly new. Solution is to take the wheels in on their own!

Thank you Rory for confirming the situation

 

[GrahamC230K]

I rotate tyres on our FWD car to keep the better tyres on the front. I find they wear that much quicker it just makes sense to. I am well aware of the keep the best tyres on the rear theory, but as I never mix the tyres that much in terms of wear and the tyres never go below 3mm before replacement anyway, I think it still safe.

With rear tyres on FWD car wearing so slowly, some people are happy to leave the rear tyres on forever. Putting brand new tyres on the front and running rears with 2mm or less say would be asking for trouble and is why manufactueres have this advice IMO.

 

[grober]

AN EXPLANATION HERE FOR THOSE INTERESTED? http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/handling/tech_handling_4.htm