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rotation arrows on conti tyre,s

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  • February 6, 2012 at 4:38 pm #15014
    radfahrer

    I was cleaning mud of my tyre,s today and noticed an arrow on the side wall plus the word rotation, i assume it means the tyre should go on the rim with arrow pointing forwards(of course mine were pointing backwards)so my question is does it make any difference to the rolling of the tyre on the road whether the arrow is pointing backwards or forwards

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Viewing 7 replies - 16 through 22 (of 22 total)
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  • November 3, 2014 at 2:44 pm #664101
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    brooksby

    Can I resurrect this one,
    Can I resurrect this one, please?

    My Continental Touring Plus tyres don’t appear to have a rotation arrow. Does it matter which way round I put them, or is it just aesthetics?

    My bike is a Mongoose Hybrid, used for commuting on tarmac.

    February 6, 2012 at 7:22 pm #664099
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    radfahrer

    Haha,yes you never know what
    Haha,yes you never know what you could find under all the crud, you could discover that its not even your bike,also many thx to all who have answered so far, very useful info

    February 6, 2012 at 6:05 pm #664097
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    cat1commuter

    I think this question is
    I think this question is intended purely to make me feel guilty about not cleaning my bike.

    February 6, 2012 at 5:33 pm #664095
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    velotech_cycling

    You are correct in your
    You are correct in your assumption re direction of rotation.

    Does it make a difference? Well, possibly – the footprint of 700 x 23s is very small, so in terms of clearing water away from the road surface / tyre interface via the “siping” moulded into the tyre tread on a narrow tyre, it’s probably not a big factor. As the tyre contact area gets bigger, so the siping becomes for important, but it’s probably not the most important reason to fit a road tyre “right way around”.

    Some tyre manufacturers make the casing of the tyre itself so that it resists loads from braking or from pedalling, or even from cornering, better if it fitted the right way around, so from that perspective, it’s a good idea to have it right.

    If you are a mechanic in a shop, best to get it right as if the rider takes a dive & you were the last person to fit the tyre, some smart lawyer could have a field day with you if the tyre was on the rim back-to-front …

    Off road (incl. CX) it can make a big difference to how the tyre works against an uncertain, claggy or generally un-made-up surface … you need the tread oriented so that it clears loose or wet material to the side, so hopefully taking you down to a firmer footing below …

    February 6, 2012 at 5:33 pm #664093
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    Darth Weasel

    Some of my mtb tyres have
    Some of my mtb tyres have opposite rotation depending on whether fitted to the front or rear . . . I guess it does matter as it impacts tread pattern dependent grip.

    February 6, 2012 at 5:33 pm #664091
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    thereandbackagain

    As I understand it rotation
    As I understand it rotation direction is to do with clearing water from under the tyre. If you think of a V-shaped tread on a car tyre the point of the V should hit the road first so water is squeezed up the arms and out of the side of the tread. Doing it the other way would push water into the tread, possibly ending up with an aquaplaning situation.

    That’s cars though. For road tyres on bikes I’m not sure it actually makes much of a difference, as the contact patch is so small and speeds so low I’m not sure you could aquaplane in that way. Rubber compound is a more likely determinant of grip.

    I’d still install them the right way round. Aesthetically it just looks right with the tread pattern pointing “forward” on the top of the tyre when you look down at it from the saddle.

    February 6, 2012 at 5:31 pm #664089
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    msw

    Probably not to the rolling
    Probably not to the rolling resistance but maybe to the grip in the wet – the tread pattern is designed to funnel water off the tyre and presumably it’s direction-specific.

    (It should be said that Sheldon Brown is very sceptical about the value of tread on road tyres, arguing that with a tyre at 100psi you have to do over 100mph before you can make it aquaplane: http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html)

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