Can someone tell me why the maintenance guide says not to ever rotate the wheels on the coupe? I thought we are supposed to rotate (backs with backs, fronts with fronts)? do you guys rotate? how often? i'm at 8500 miles and haven't done it yet

Steve


G-Squad Hi-Res Gallery

 

the pilot sports are directional tires... they're meant to rotate in one direction only. Of course you're going to drive in reverse sometimes, but that's slow, so that's ok.

My winter tires, however, are going to get rotated every season.

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2004 TB/W 6mtC. Sunroof only.
Bel Vector 985
Grounding Kit
Splash Guards
Custom Carputer
Custom FG Sub
Infinity KapPerf6.1, Ref 6002si, 5760 6-ch AMP.
30% Huper

 

The front tires are a different size than the rear tires. So we cannot rotate front to back.

The Pilot Sports are directional, so you can't take a mounted tire and move it from one side of the car to the other (it would then be facing the wrong way).

The only way to rotate tires is to take the tires off of the rims, mount the tires from the left of the car on the rims from the right side of the car (and vice-versa), and then put them back on the car.

2004.5 DG/G 5AT Coupe with all options
Sidemarker turnsignal mod
GroundingGear™
2003 Yamaha YZF600R

 

To rotate, you would need to mount and dismount each tire, due to the unidirectional pattern of the tires. The labor involved, IMO, makes it not worth the effort, unless you are having some sort of uneven wear patterns that could be compensated for by rotation. Not many of us do.

Also, with each mount and dismount, you take the chance of a wheel being damaged.

Lou

 

I just bought some 2005 19" OEM wheels with the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A's. Are these tires directional? I can not see any indication on the sidewalls. All of the tires seem to be mounted in the same direction - meaning that the tread on the tires on the right will feather back and the tread on the tires on the left will feather forward. I have attached a link of what the tread looks like.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....otenza+RE050A&

 

The tire is described as:

"On the outside, the Potenza RE050A features a high grip tread compound molded into an asymmetric tread design."

The dictionary describes asymmetric as:

"Having no balance or symmetry"

So yes, it is a unidirectional tire.

Lou

 

You know

Now I'm not sure. I researched further, and found that there is a RE050 that is described as a directional tire, and the tread pattern looks directional. Looking further at the RE050A, it looks like there is an inside and an outside tread, and could run either way? There are 2 Types of RE050s one with an A and one without. The A is described as Asymmetric and the non A is described as Symmetric. I'm really confused. I believe a Call to Discount Tire would be in order.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

Lou

 

Though the tread is aysmmetric, that does not imply unidirectional. The tire should have one sidewall marked as being required to be the outside sidewall. That way the part of the tread designed for the inside or outside of the tire is in the correct orientation. Tires of this category can be rotated to the other side of the car. Unidirectional tires are clearly marked as to the required rotation direction. My 2004 G35x with Goodyear Eagle RS-A rubber has an asymmetric tread and the sidewall is marked as to which sidewall should be mounted outboard.

 

Even on non directional tires it is not good to rotate from side to side unless you dismount the tire. Tires wear based on the car moving in a forward direction. If you go turining them around you will be moving against the wear pattern causing the tires to wear and ride rough untill you break them in based on the new wear pattern. This could cause premature wear or even ireparable damage to your tread.

 

man ...

Some/many radial tires basically 'break in' in the rotational direction.
The tires in this case have an inisde and an outside as the tread is designed that way.
Once you have driven the tires for a ways (varies but long before a rotatioin period) the tires direction is set, this occurs in the radial belts as I understand it.

So if you were to flip the side of the car they are on, they would deteriate at a fast pace, and maybe fail in a catostrophic manner (belt seperation, etc)

 

How much does it cost for a rotation?

 

Well, $0 since you can't do it with this car.

 

Cost me 50 bucks flipped it inside out whatever you call it... Discount tires center in el monte!

 

Really? My Blizzaks are directional as well, so I can't rotate them. What kind of winter tires do you have?

 

If you went with a staggered winter setup, you can't rotate them. ie 235 front 250 rear
I have (4) four 225/55/17's.
I can not rotate them side to side because they are still directional.

I can, however, rotate them front to rear to help maintain an even tread wear on all four tires...