my dealer in their infinate wisdom dont use their tyre machine because they say it will damage the wheels, so they take my car to a tyre place over the road ... they swopped my winters back to summers, and when doing a "car check" yesterday, i noticed the word "inside" on both the rear tyres facing out!!

they are asymetrical so have an inside and an outside..... not directional... I have done many miles including some brisk drives before noticing... and have noticed no loss in berformance at all...

this is the pattern..

anyone think I'll have problems? or is this ok?

I think your insurance company may have some issues mate!

Need to be changed Dave, its anything happens your Insurance may be Void.

There asymmetrical for a reason

I think your insurance company may have some issues mate!

Need to be changed Dave, its anything happens your Insurance may be Void.

There asymmetrical for a reason

good points guys, I'll go down this afternoon!

Tyres done! Changed back round, rookie mistake fir a tyre fitter!

Had a slow puncture (bit of corrosion on the bead) sorted on my car and the boy - must have been 15-16 - took ages to do it, half felt like pushing him out of the way and doing it myself!

They have to learn some time though

Had a slow puncture (bit of corrosion on the bead) sorted on my car and the boy - must have been 15-16 - took ages to do it, half felt like pushing him out of the way and doing it myself!

They have to learn some time though

indeed, when back to the local place by the skoda garage that changed my winters back to summers, they were quite confused as to how it could have happened (they have a good rep) asked when, I said end of march, ahhh they said, "++++" had just started then, it was probably him.... "sounds like the kinda thing I'd do!" he pipes up! *sigh... anyway, no harm done, and they are the right way round now, as you say though, they have to learn sometime!

Good result then

And no mention of compensation in this thread just allow someone to rectify a genuine error.

Excellent Attitude!!

meh, everyone makes mistakes, people are lying if they say they dont...... and as babs says, everyone has to learn.... no harm = no foul

Just to clarify the situation regarding Assymetrical tyres, if they are run backwards for extended high speed periods they can disintegrate, hnece why it is an MOT failure, the same happened with us on my wife's car and the MOT station kindly changed them over rather than failing the car but he did advise why they would be classed as a failure!.

Just to clarify the situation regarding Assymetrical tyres, if they are run backwards for extended high speed periods they can disintegrate

...like on a long motorway run in lane 3

It's good to know. Am sure many people either wouldn't notice or wouldn't be bothered to get them changed back.

I'm definately no expert but ....

.... I don't think asymetric tyres can be run backwards, by their very nature they have an inside and outside part of the tread - fit it on the offside and they will be rotating in a different direction to if the same wheel (& tyre) was swapped onto the nearside.

However, directional tyres may not work too well being run backwards. Asymetric and directional don't always go together, although it seems they do a lot of the time.

toonfan, lol, of course you can run asymetric backwards! hence the thread.. iwas! lol....

take the wheel and tyre.. take the tyre off, turn ot through 180 degrees, (looking down on it from above) refit.... done! says "outside" on the inside, and "inside" on the outside

not good...

Just to clarify the situation regarding Assymetrical tyres, if they are run backwards for extended high speed periods they can disintegrate, hnece why it is an MOT failure, the same happened with us on my wife's car and the MOT station kindly changed them over rather than failing the car but he did advise why they would be classed as a failure!.

As per Toonfan66 I can see that being an issue with directional tyres, but asymmetric ones already run in both directions - one on the nearside and opposite on the offside. I'd presumed it was more to do with the direction they shed water, etc.

You can run assymetric both ways, but the side labelled outside must be on the outside of the wheel. I believe that is what the OP was complaining about.

Directional tyres can only be run in one direction.

Nice vid here -

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CFIQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DQXrEqGopV2I&ei=ybgsUMbNHJG20QWDyoDYDA&usg=AFQjCNGru2jp1deDlsxl__AT65oRBu9-2A

It's to do with the outside shoulder's suitability to deal with the lateral forces involved with turning/cornering, particularly at speed. The tread blocks need to be more stable under load, whereas those on the inside may be more suited to dipersing water with a greater sea/land ratio i.e. more grooves.

If the tyre is mounted wrongly, the wrong part of the tyre is doing work its not really designed for, and is consequentgly less predictable.

A directional tyre disperses water outwards but if reverse mounted will effectively focus water to the centre of the tyre leading to premature aquaplaning.

Just to clarify the situation regarding Assymetrical tyres, if they are run backwards for extended high speed periods they can disintegrate, hnece why it is an MOT failure, the same happened with us on my wife's car and the MOT station kindly changed them over rather than failing the car but he did advise why they would be classed as a failure!.

Nope.

As others have said, assymetric tyres have no direction of rotation.

Even directional tyres are only directional due to the tread pattern, not the carcass design.

Just another urban legend out of control.

But shark-rider, aren't you worried about damage to your tyres and wheels by mounting/demounting them twice a year? Could be well worth investing in another set of wheels for your winter boots.

Edited 18 August, 201213 yr by Kiwibacon

nope not worried at all. according to my tyre fitter no problem.

I would be more worried, if someone had hit a curb ect and there was sidewall damage (even unseen) or if a tyre went down slowley for no apparent reason.... if if kept for more than 3 years on the car (low mileage users)

I do enough mileage for them not to be refitted that often..... and I have an inkling to put new tyres on and sell the others on ebay too

for example my rear contis have 5 mill, my (almost new ) front KU39's have 7 mill.... I'm looking at a new matched set , just to do the prague trip (3,000 miles + airfield day + 2 days at the ring) , just to be safe.... the others can go on e-bay... my winters may last 3 winters before I replace....