I only asked Michelin because that's who Russ started with and they were accommodating in providing an answer. I was curious and thought I should try and find an answer for all of us. Their reply seems to confirm my own thoughts. I'm not sure how many of the Michelins use different compounds either.

I trust your feedback Dave. You're obviously a thorough and safety conscious person. As I said originally I don't have any issue with what you've done since you are aware of the potential wet limitations and it is also only for a limited time. I know the annoyance of feathered tires only too well. I have a front set (Michelin P1's) sitting in garage that may get back on the car sometime and run in the reverse direction too, now that you've given us some feedback.

 

I wonder what Russ's email looked like RBull's received reply is much better.

 

Perhaps his wasn't as specific about both wet and dry traction issues. Mine was a bit longer but I can't remember the rest of the stuff I had. I had to fill out one of their comment forms and didn't bother copying that somewhere to save. I posted the jest of it and as accurately as I could.

 

I have my tires flipped and have drove in the rain since a few times, no problems. Runs just like normal.

 

^it's generally well accepted that your wet traction will be compromised. You either weren't going fast enough or the water deep enough.

Be safe.

 

That's about right in my book as well, sounds like you're on track for a lower outcome. Have you been happy with the tire (or tyre) overall? Would you buy again?

 

I have liked the performance of the tire and I love the look, but the tread design and the G's front suspension design aren't a match. I think even with the correct alignment, these tires would wear funky. If you've got a lowered sedan, I would not recommend these tires. Guys with stock suspension coupes have the same feathering issues with these tires.

 

It would seem 'knocking down the blocks' it is doing little to reduce wear. It is only wearing the blocks in the opposite direction. But still continuing to wear the inner tread more than the rest of the tire.
Swapping wheels on opposite sides and removing the tire and reinstalling in reverse, will keep the same rotational direction and move the inner tread now to the outer side. This should even out the wear more over time.

 

Thought I'd chime back in. It's been about 1500 miles and the funky worn inner blocks are even now. Still no roaring. I didn't put the G into a ditch, tree, etc. while driving in the rain. This weekend I'll probably flip the wheels back and then take the car in for an front end alignment set the toe-in to max (0.16") per Nissan recommendations.

 

DaveB, I've got that feathering issue as well. I have a 2003.5 sedan and it's most present in the fronts and not as much in the rears. It practically started after I switched my suspension to a Z's. I actually had Avon M550 a/s in 235/45/17 and I had a bad experience with them. I think I got a bad batch in that it seems like the tire was always imbalanced regardless of getting it road forced balanced. I also couldn't say if it was the colder weather, in Houston, TX which is no where cold as up north, that I run them in but I would get vibrations in the wheel as if the wheel wasn't round. So I got rid of them when it still had plenty of treadlife in them but I did notice that they feathered. I've had good luck with Michelin PS2's and Bridgestone RE050A Pole Positions (asymmetrical). I've had the Bridgestone's on for several thousand miles and have felt the tire and notice that it is feathering a bit on the inside..however they aren't anywhere as loud as the Avon's felt. I did get a 4 wheel alignment after I noticed feathering the first time and it came back from the stealership fine and everything was back into OEM spec. But the tires still feather. My fronts look like it has some more negative camber though. Please remember that it has been quite a long time, maybe a year, when this happened.

I had run Michelin's all around with about 70%tread left and they were truly an awesome tire. Stuck like nobody's business and were light! They rolled along smoothly on highways and etc. also.

 

Bringing this back from the dead... Since there were a few people on here that have the Avon M550s and have experienced loud roaring and feathering, I felt it was better to resurrect this post instead of sending multiple PMs.

For anyone that has had bad feathering, have you noticed the edge of the treadblocks are RAISED? If I stand at the front driver's side tire, put my hand on the tread nearest the face of the wheel and move it clockwise across the tread, the outside tread feels fine.

But if I do the same thing with the tread that's nearest to the suspension (inside the wheel well) the treadblocks have a tapered feel, almost like a cheese grater. I'll try to get a picture of what I'm talking about later (it's too dark outside now.)

If anyone has had that problem, did reversing the direction of the tread resolve the issue? How many miles did it take to remove the raised lip on the tread? I've only had these tires about 7k miles and they're already noisy as hell.

I'll be getting an alignment soon to correct the toe-out problem as I think that's what's causing this issue. I'm certain it's not excessive camber because the raised edges on the tread blocks.

 

My Avons have the same exact pattern. You're right, camber is not the issue. The problem is toe. Nissan's fix for the 350Z's excessive tire feathering was to set toe at the maximum toe-in limit which is -0.16" total toe-in or -0.08" for each side. The other fix was to have Bridgestone design a new type of tire with a nearly solid inner tread block.

The problem is really prevalent in directional tires and tires with inner tread blocks that aren't joined and/or have larger block separations. This leads to block squirm and ultimately the wear and tire roar. Reversing the tires will help somewhat, but it doesn't fix the problem. If the tires are directional and too far gone as it sounds like yours are, your best option is to have the tires cross swapped so that the worn inner tread is transferred to the outside of the tire. Then get an alignment. Finally, when you buy another set of tires, don't get directional tires and rotate your front tires every 2500 miles. It's the only way.

 

Deane,

Thank you for your email. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you.

As stated in the previous email there are no safety concerns with running the directional tire in the wrong direction only wear and performance. The performance will be affected both wet and dry. The dry traction will be affected because of the rubber compound and tread design on the outer shoulders used to obtain the best dry handling for that tire.

If your questions have not been answered to your satisfaction, please call me at 1-888-871-4444 (toll-free) between 8:30AM and 6:00PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday.

Sincerely,
Bobby
Michelin North America
Consumer Relations



My wife, who is a corporate attorney, found the term "PERFORMANCE" curious, especially since performance strongly implies just that: performance on the road. She found the sentence to have opposite conclusions: there are no safety concerns vs. it will affect performance. A serious accident where tires were an issue and in which it could be costly in terms of human life, would raise serious questions in court if the tires had been reversed as described in this thread, irrespective of Michelin's claims. Her comment: "Why do you think manufacturers are taken to court so frequently, and lose or settle out of court for millions -- b/c their claims don't always stand up."

Just my wife's 25¢ worth of info.