Tire rotation direction
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Tire rotation direction
Kind of lame question. I bought this ole MTB and the tire treads are pointing in opposite directions. See pics below. I feel like the front is correct and the rear should be removed and flipped. What do y'all think?
I've seen some tires where the suggested direction is indeed opposite for front vs rear. That always seemed weird to me haha. Anyway, these are basic Innova tires, and I don't see any directional markings anywhere on the tires.
Front tire
Rear tire
I've seen some tires where the suggested direction is indeed opposite for front vs rear. That always seemed weird to me haha. Anyway, these are basic Innova tires, and I don't see any directional markings anywhere on the tires.
Front tire
Rear tire
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They say it makes a difference so I do a little digging to make sure and mount my tires in the prescribed direction.
Still... I really dont think its that big of a deal on a normal bicycle tire.
Still... I really dont think its that big of a deal on a normal bicycle tire.
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Kind of lame question. I bought this ole MTB and the tire treads are pointing in opposite directions. See pics below. I feel like the front is correct and the rear should be removed and flipped. What do y'all think?
I've seen some tires where the suggested direction is indeed opposite for front vs rear. That always seemed weird to me haha. Anyway, these are basic Innova tires, and I don't see any directional markings anywhere on the tires.
I've seen some tires where the suggested direction is indeed opposite for front vs rear. That always seemed weird to me haha. Anyway, these are basic Innova tires, and I don't see any directional markings anywhere on the tires.
a) the chevron-like element of the tread should point forwards as seen from above (for quieter running or water clearing or ...)
b) the front is for braking and the rear is for driving so the front should be reversed from (a)
c) (b) is backwards, it's the flat bits that grip not the pointy bits
and so on. There is certainly some merit to having a good-steering front tyre and a differently-patterned good-driving rear tyre if you venture off paved roads, so you may like to experiment but I think on the whole a basic general purpose tyre like the ones you have won't do anything great but is fine for the money.
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If you ride on loose dirt or mud the direction of this kind of tread makes a difference.
As you read this imagine a bulldozer. You want the hard wall to push against the dirt. That means toward the back on the bottom of the rear wheel for driving forward.
The front presents two choices. Some people mount as you did so the points engage first and cut into dirt, and others do the opposite for braking.
On surfaces where the tread won't dig in and push, mount both tires as you did the front.
As you read this imagine a bulldozer. You want the hard wall to push against the dirt. That means toward the back on the bottom of the rear wheel for driving forward.
The front presents two choices. Some people mount as you did so the points engage first and cut into dirt, and others do the opposite for braking.
On surfaces where the tread won't dig in and push, mount both tires as you did the front.
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Thanks for the replies.
I took your advice and did some digging... there are varying opinions to say the least
Thanks for this... it's a good summary of what I found as the (apparent) consensus online. So my "reversed rear" is the setup for off road action. I'll be riding 90% pavement though, and any off road will be lightweight.... I'm too old for shredding. So I think I'll flip the rear to also point "forward" with the tread.
If you ride on loose dirt or mud the direction of this kind of tread makes a difference.
As you read this imagine a bulldozer. You want the hard wall to push against the dirt. That means toward the back on the bottom of the rear wheel for driving forward.
The front presents two choices. Some people mount as you did so the points engage first and cut into dirt, and others do the opposite for braking.
On surfaces where the tread won't dig in and push, mount both tires as you did the front.
As you read this imagine a bulldozer. You want the hard wall to push against the dirt. That means toward the back on the bottom of the rear wheel for driving forward.
The front presents two choices. Some people mount as you did so the points engage first and cut into dirt, and others do the opposite for braking.
On surfaces where the tread won't dig in and push, mount both tires as you did the front.
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In a shop the imaged front tire is correct and the rear tread is in the wrong direction. Mostly because customers expect it. As Francis said unless there's a soft enough surface to allow any tread to mechanically engage the "surface" any tread is of very little difference. And for those who mention hydroplaning, I say hog wash on a bicycle.
As to direction of tread pattern making a difference the only time I can say for sure it did was with an IRC tandem spec tire (700x30). That tire had a shallow road like directional tread and a label for the rotating direction. When mounted in this direction the rear tire would hum with every strong pedal stroke we made. After reversing the tire's direction the earth did not also reverse rotation but the hum was gone. Andy
Note that the imaged tread patterns show one direction on the top of the tire and the other at the actual contact patch.
As to direction of tread pattern making a difference the only time I can say for sure it did was with an IRC tandem spec tire (700x30). That tire had a shallow road like directional tread and a label for the rotating direction. When mounted in this direction the rear tire would hum with every strong pedal stroke we made. After reversing the tire's direction the earth did not also reverse rotation but the hum was gone. Andy
Note that the imaged tread patterns show one direction on the top of the tire and the other at the actual contact patch.
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If 90% of your riding is on pavement. Then why not consider getting something that has a less aggressive tread pattern. Couple with a better tire for rolling resistance you'll find your ride more comfortable and your legs won't tire as quickly letting you ride longer. Very possibly that longer time cycling will give you better cardiovascular benefit.
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