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Saw one of these for the first time yesterday - parked in a shopping centre plastered with the dealers details. Whilst my wife was in Next I had a shufty round. It was in bright orange which put me off, but I noticed that two of the directional tyres were on the wrong way round ('Inside' stamp was on the outside). This was obvoiusly a showroom model, but should it be sold one day will this be rectified and would it make a difference anyway?
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Funny I saw one of these parked outside a Next store on a retail park. I wonder if its some sort of product placement ?
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noticed that two of the directional tyres were on the wrong way round would it make a difference anyway?
Only in the wet. The grooves are specifically cut in a certain way to disperse the maximum amount of water. Fit them the wrong way around and they won't perform properly and the car could end up aquaplaning.
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I have quite often seen cars with unidirectional tyres, particularly tyres with v-shaped treads, on the wrong way, or more accurately, mispositioned, and have also wondered about the implications. Obviously aquaplaning must be much more of a risk but should one have an accident as a result, could there be insurance implications?
With regard the Focus ST, looks like a fantastic car with fantastic low down torque, something I am now used to driving a diesel. If I was in the market for a hot hatch, it would certainly be near the top, if not at the top of my wish list, although I don't think that I could live with that bright orange colour.
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If I was in the market for a hot hatch, it would certainly be near the top, if not at the top of my wish list, although I don't think that I could live with that bright orange colour.
The orange colour is proably not one that they expect many people to buy -- it's an attention-grabber to get you interested in the car.
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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If you want a bright orange ST you have to pay extra, believe it or not...
Fabulous car, by all accounts. Must find time to drive one ASAP. If i buy one, I think i will stick to black, however.
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>> noticed that two of the directional tyres were on the wrong >> way round >> would it make a difference anyway? Only in the wet. The grooves are specifically cut in a certain way to disperse the maximum amount of water. Fit them the wrong way around and they won't perform properly and the car could end up aquaplaning.
Not so.
The frictional properties are also affected by incorrect rotational fitment. Even in the dry, directional tyres fitted the wrong way round will have less grip than fitted the right way round.
When I had a puncture, I found that the tyre fitted to my full-size spare on my Audi was directional. Sods law meant that the side punctured was the wrong side for the spare. Every time I braked hard you could feel the car pulling in the direction of the "correct" tyre. That said, the ESP kicked in and it wasn't an issue, which is probably how they justify fitting a directional tyre on a spare wheel. Not sure how cars without ESP would cope though...
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MoneyMart
Current car: 55-reg Audi A4 2.5 V6TDi Quattro flappy-paddle
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The advice that I've been given regarding having to use a directional tyre in 'the wrong direction' is to drive as though it's a 'get you home' spare. This largely means at less than 50mph.
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The advice that I've been given regarding having to use a directional tyre in 'the wrong direction' is to drive as though it's a 'get you home' spare.
Yep:-
www.dunloptyres.co.uk/ourTyres/car/technicalInform.../
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Just a thought, but if Money Mart's spare was new when put on its relatively poor adhesion might be explained. Brand new tyres don't grip as well as scrubbed-in ones that have done 100 miles, and the manufacturers tell you so.
Another thing that occurs to me is that you only notice that sort of thing when braking very heavily, as when really pressing on.
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Sometimes not only is the tyre directional but so is the sidewall "inner" or "outer" specific according to loads it is designed to take. A friend in the Czech Republic with an Audi A8 W12 (and a wife with an S8 for good measure, lucky lady) has tyres clearly marked not only for rotational direction but also "outer face only". I can't recall the brand, sorry.
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Sometimes not only is the tyre directional but so is the sidewall "inner" or "outer" specific according to loads it is designed to take.
Or were they Asymmetric tyres? (see the Dunlop link I posted above)
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Sometimes not only is the tyre directional but so is the sidewall "inner" or "outer" specific>>
A tyre cannot be directional and inner/outer specific, to be so there would have to be a different construction for left and right hand fittment.
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PS: asymetric tyres are inevitably inner/outer specific so cannot be directional.
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to be so there would have to be a different construction for left and right hand fittment.
They are.
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To be exact, they also have asymetric tread design as guessed by DD; three distinct patterns across the width of the tread, with that on the outer having more water dispersal sipes and looking more like a "traditional" tread than the almost "slick like" inner section. The middle section is a pronounced "vee" design. The blurb that matey who owns the car read before deciding what to buy also mentioned that the inner and sidewalls have different construction.
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AFAIK a tyre is either asymmetric or directional (or neither) so does not need a different construction for left and right fitting. Asymmetric has the advantage over directional that a wheel can be fitted on either side of the car without the tyre being refitted on the wheel as would be requirted by a directional tyre if moved from one side to the other.
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