Epic2112

I recently moved to Phoenix, where rain is a fairly unusual phenomenon. My tires are showing a bit of unusual wear (or maybe not unusual, but at least uneven). The front tires are worn so that the treads are lower in the front than in the rear. I'm not doing a very good job explaining this, but I'm sure those of you who deal with tires regularly know what I mean. I think it's from stopping too quickly, too often. The rear tires show no such wear. So my question is, can I safely swap my front tires and wheels from left to right? The tires are directional, but since there is no rain here, does that matter?

Also, if I do get caught in the rare downpour with the directional tires pointed the wrong way, is it safe to drive so long as I am careful, or should I find a covered place and put the tires in their correct places?

gratian

Yoy can change tire (from front to rear) but MAINTAIN DIRECTION that shows on them.
I have an accident some years ago doing wrong swap....

jpk

The proper way to do it is have a tire shop take them off the rims and switch them. Probably $50-$60 with ballancing for switching all 4.

xsboost90

just do some killer burnouts to make the rears match the fronts.

Kevin Baker

If the tire wear you are describing means that the OUTSIDE of the front tires are worn more than the INSIDE, then you will need to have the alignment checked, as that is a classic symptom of poor alignment. Same holds for the convers, Inside worn more than Outside. Anyway, rotate the tires, front to rear, replace the ones that are worn. Being that you are in a very arid climate, when it does decide to rain, the roads will be VERY slick as the oil doesn't get washed off, and thus will rise to the surface and stay for a while with the first rain.

kennycoulter

that sounds like unbalanced tires, and loooooooooong periods of not rotatign them. rotate them to the rear if they are the same size, and have them balanced. you can burn them a little to speed the wear down.
to be honest, ive had lots of peopel come in with directionals on "backward" that had work done at other shops, and they never noticed any performance difference.
ive only been selling tires since 2002, but as far as im concerned, there just seems to be more gimmicks than anythign to sell tires, than there are for actual "safety features"

ibkevin

Welcome to the west young man.

I would swap the fronts, get an alignment, and have the cash ready for new fronts on a rainy day. I don't think running them against the direction insures instant catastrophy, but they will run with less water shedding capability.

Socal drivers are famous for neglecting tires and wipers until the last minute.

azmi951

Directional tires should never be run the wrong way. The tire just doesnt run right. Go to Discount Tire (they are great in AZ) and get them dismounted and swapped. As far as getting new ones, dont even look at wet traction ratings. If it is raining, wait for 1/2 hour and then drive.

Me and some some buddys are having a track day on Jan 21st. It will cost about $50 fo the day. Let me know if you want to go.

Matt H

Just to clear up some misconception; there are true directionals and there are actually "cosmetic" directionals. Believe it or not, there are some tires that run the same regardless of the direction they are mounted, even though they are "directional." I know it sounds contrary. Every so often there is a new awakening in the tire business. We go from directional to asymetric back to directional because they is what the market forces.

The proper answer is to have them taken off the wheels and mounted the proper direction. You should always follow the manufacturers spec (which is why we print the godforsaken arrow on the tire to begin with ), etc. etc. etc.

Kevin is also correct that you should have the alignment checked. Find a shop that does alignment, any moron with a tire mounter can swap the tires...however, the morons that swap tires for a living (mentioned above) are unqualified to do anything else (and they screw up the other about 50% of the time).
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Epic2112

Well, this is definitely not an alingment or a balance problem. I didn't do a very good job of describing the wear, so I understand why people mis understood me. I'm away from home on a laptop right now, but when I get home, probably tomorrow, I'll see if I can photoshop something to better explain what's up with my tires. The wear is even both inside and out, and all around the tire.

Matt, the tires are (if I remember correctly) Michelin Pilot sport. Do you happen to know off the top of your head if they are true directional or cosmetic?

Epic2112

I *think* I've got stuff to do on the 21st. If not, although I may not have the money to do the actual driving, I'll certainly swing by and hang out. I'm actually in Tucson right now, but I'm heading back to Phoenix in the morning I think.

kennycoulter

i drew a pic of differences in tire wear. my p-shop is messed up, and i cant resize it. send me your email and ill send you the pic...its easier to follow than a description.
description: tread blocks worn away more at the back of the block, making tires look like "claws">>>>out of balance.
description: tires with extreme cupping, usually if the cupping is bad enough, you usually see diagonal wear across the tread face>>>>a very long time out of balance, and lack of rotation. ALSO, this usually only occurs on trucks on the rear since they would tend to bounce more, and also this can possibly be because of a bad shock. usually will not happen on the front of a vehicle, because the weight of an engine.
description: you can also have extreme cupping on just edges, meaning an alignment issue along with lack of balance and rotation for an extended time.

this is from my experience.

out of balance tires, when you feel your steering wheel shake, is the tires bouncing up and down on the highway(general idea).
when you let them, go for a long time, they wear out in these spots that are hitting the pavement, but not in the spots that the tire would be "bouncing"
when you let this go even further(truck rears usually tend to bounce more because of lack of weight keeping the tires planted) the tires bounce more because of the tire wear. you will get a growling when driving usually when the tires get this bad. im sure theres more i could go into.

have them balanced and rotated.
if your tires are different sizes, then have them flipped driver to passenger side, if they are the same size front to rear, have them rotated front to rear, but if they are out of balance still, they will still wear and "bounce" the same. general idea is to have tires rotated every other oil change, but i used to try to do mine once a month. depending on the roads where you live, or where you drive.

Matt H

Even wear inside shoulder and outside shoulder or across the entire tire? If it is even inside and outside then you have an inflation issue (under).

Yes, they are truly directional and need to be going the correct direction on the road
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Epic2112

It's across the entire tire.