I see the "Outside" label on the tire. Where does it say directional? Where is the arrow?

 

Look at the tread pattern, the only way you can rotate it is side to side, after unmounting the tire from the rim and remounting it.

 

There is a common misperception that the Potenza RE050A is a directional tire, which, strictly speaking, it is not. It is an asymmetric design, with an "outside" and an "inside." If moved from one side of a vehicle to the other, a true directional tire must be dismounted from the rim and remounted so that it will rotate in the correct direction when swapped, whereas an asymmetric tire can rotate in either direction and simply must be mounted with the outside of the tire facing the outside of the rim. Theoretically, an asymmetric tire should be able to be moved from one side of a vehicle to the other without the need for dismounting/ remounting. However, the owner's manual cautions against this practice. I suspect there are a couple of reasons for this:

1. Manufacturers frequently change tire brands and styles during a production run, so there is no way to be certain whether a given car will be equipped with directional or asymmetric tires. No manufacturer wants to have to reprint an owner's manual just to accommodate a change in tire styles. Furthermore, the non-swap rule is essential for directionals and won't adversely impact cars with asymmetrics, so it's a safe recommendation no matter what kind of tires the car has.
2. Even if a car comes from the factory with asymmetric tires, there is no guarantee that an owner won't replace those tires with directionals. Clearly, not all owners are savvy enough to know which kind of tires are on their car and whether or not a side-to-side swap is safe. A manufacturer would open itself to lawsuits unless it cautioned drivers not to swap them under any circumstances.

 

i got some es100s, and got about 1000k on them so far. and my fronts are wearing out pretty badly on the outside as well, with everything STOCK. WTF?? i dont even corner that hard at all

 

If you rotate the two fronts (left to right and visa versa) wouldn't the inside of the tire where the worn part of the tire is, still be on the inside? The only way to "rotate" to make the tires last longer would be to unmount and remount.

I have the same problem, but only on the front.

 

you can't dismount and remount asymmetric tires to move inner treadwear to outside... they only go one way, sans the inside/outside designations....

Directiona tires can be dismounted and remounted to change excessive wear towards inside or outside.

 

so when does the coupe get its tires rotated??

 

you dont