I recently replaced the tyres on my 'van. The new ones are directional and have an arrow on them showing the direction of rotation. Despite this, the tyre fitter put one on the wrong way round. I didn't notice until I got the 'van home. My question is - does this matter on a caravan? It's a bit of a drag having to take the wheel off to get it changed but do I need to? Also, the wheels were balanced (no charge) but is this necessary?
Tyres
- Thread starter PaulT
- Start date
Damian
Moderator
Directional arrows on tyres are there for a purpose and the tyre fitter should NOT have fitted it the wrong way.
Go back and insist he refits the tyre correctly.
Does it matter on a caravan,YES it does as the tyre has been designed to give the best water clearance and handling in the direction indicated
Balancing is, despite certain manufacturers saying otherwise, ESSENTIAL to reduce vibration in your van whilst being towed, and saves all those screws mysteriously falling out, fire fronts falling off etc.
Go back and insist he refits the tyre correctly.
Does it matter on a caravan,YES it does as the tyre has been designed to give the best water clearance and handling in the direction indicated
Balancing is, despite certain manufacturers saying otherwise, ESSENTIAL to reduce vibration in your van whilst being towed, and saves all those screws mysteriously falling out, fire fronts falling off etc.
of course the tyres need to be fitted the right way,its important for the clearence of water,but not universal for handling and grip,as not surprisingly many actually give better road grip runnig in the wrong direction..Damian-Moderator said:
hi all, excuse me for being a bit thick here, but why put directional tyres on a van, it ain't a sports car, also it means when the spare could be used, it would be for one side only as it rotates the opposite way round on the other side so in effect you only have one spare wheel, it's daft?.PaulT said:
Hello Colin,
I have to agree with Damian,
It is a moot point but it may be illegal to have directional tyre running the wrong way, even on a trailer which is non the less considered a road vehicle when attached to a tow vehicle.
I have to agree with Damian,
It is a moot point but it may be illegal to have directional tyre running the wrong way, even on a trailer which is non the less considered a road vehicle when attached to a tow vehicle.
I have to agree also John, which is why I said it was daft to put them on in the first place, it limits your choice to only having a spare for one side.Prof John L said:
my Opel Kadett GSI Motorsport had huge directional tyres fitted, I was advised to carry two spares one for each side for exactly the reason you stated.
I ordered the tyres from an on-line retailer and got directional ones. I might be tempting fate but I've never had a 'van puncture however, the spare is an ordinary (non directional) one, so the direction question doesn't arise. I will get the "wrong" tyre changed round though.
Damian
Moderator
Just a thought, the tyres you have bought, are they van tyres or car tyres????
Is the load rating corect for your van?
Is the load rating corect for your van?
Im not certain that it is illegal to have a directional tyre fitted the wrong way around if it is the same size and LI as the other tyre. In the same way that it is not illegal to have a non-directional tyre and a directional one on the same axle, but for normal driving it certainly not recommended and in the event of an accident it may give insurers a let out clause. Cars with directionals are also given space saver wheels which are non-directional.
Buying off of the internet is not really an excuse as the tyre tread patterns are readily seen on the traders pages. Given it is for regular use and the depot fitted it incorrectly then it should be changed, but is the other one the wrong way round too? For a spare a muliti directional should be fine at up to legal speeds even if partnered with a correctly fitted directional tyre, but in such a situation you could slow down when its wet/greasy.
Buying off of the internet is not really an excuse as the tyre tread patterns are readily seen on the traders pages. Given it is for regular use and the depot fitted it incorrectly then it should be changed, but is the other one the wrong way round too? For a spare a muliti directional should be fine at up to legal speeds even if partnered with a correctly fitted directional tyre, but in such a situation you could slow down when its wet/greasy.
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