Directional Tyres, Are they better?

[Jesterarts]

I think people are getting a little confused.

Directional vs Non-directional is one comparison and Symetrical and Non-symetrical is another topic.

Though asymetrical tyres are only non-directional so there is an overlap in comparisons.

Here is a symetrical, directional tyre (Good):

Here is a non-directional, symetrical tyre (Good but not as good as direactional/symetrical):

Here is asymetric, non-directional tyre (Err... yeah I'm a bit lost at this point ):

Moral of the point is that if a tyre is asymetrical is doesn't mean it's can't be non-direcitonal and a tyre that is symetrical can be non-direcitonal.

 

[Jacko84]

ill stick to transmissions cause you just lost me. hahahaha

 

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

There is no such thing as an asymetrical directional tyre. All asymetrical tyres have an outside and an inside, but are not directional.

It comes down to personal preference. Each type of tyre has its pros and cons. Directional tyres tend to wear out quicker as you can't simply swap them around without removing and refitting. Rotatin g the tyres to different positions on the car can make them last longer as they are subject to different loads and wear patterns.

 

[Buckd1ch]

When i had my VX SS with 260rwkw i had some non directional pirelli dragons (regarded as a pretty decent tyre) on them. They were ok but got pretty scary in the wet. After that i decided i would try some directionals for a change to see what the fuss was about. I put some NEXEN N6000's on it and in my opinion the nexen directionals (cheaper than the non directional pirellis) were a far better tyre in all conditions. Felt far safer and much better at speeds in corners.

 

[bruggz351]

Directional tyres have better handling performance.

The reason for this is because they have a set directional rotation, the tread can be engineered to be more efficient in that direction.

Non-directional tyres have a tread that has to work at the same efficiency in both rotational directions and therefore cannot be engineered to be as efficient.

Non directional tyres are usually put on non-performance and 4WD vehicles while directional tread tyres go on performance vehicles.

Eg, Hyandai accent comes with non-direcitonal tyres form factory while a HSV Clubsport comes with directional.

The main downside to directional tyres is that is that you cannot rotate them from side to side without having to take them off the rim.

Hope that helps a bit.

Glad you said 'usually':thumbsup:

 

[Jesterarts]

I stand corrected...

 

[Jesterarts]

Glad you said 'usually':thumbsup:

I did choose my words carefully because I knew someone would bring up rock crawlers and performance 4wd's

 

[bruggz351]

:surprise::hiding::rofl2:

 

[TMM]

There is no such thing as an asymetrical directional tyre. All asymetrical tyres have an outside and an inside, but are not directional.

Huh? asymmetrical and directional designs are not mutually exclusive. A tyre can be asymmetrical, directional, both asymmetrical and directional, or neither.

Asymmetrical (as opposed to Symmetrical) just means one half of the tread is a different design from the other half. These have an "outside" marking on the tyre wall. The idea behind asymmetrical street tyres is that you have one side with a design that works in the wet, and one that works in the dry - kind of a compromise between both. Lots of high performance sports tyres use an asymmetric design. They usually use this opportunity to beef up the outside shoulder since that's where you get the most wear when cornering hard without aggressive camber.
They must always be mounted with the 'outside' sidewall on the outside of the wheel, so for instance if you get camber wear on asymmetrical tyres, you're stuffed. Asymmetric tyres can be rotated in any fashion you like as long as you do not remove and remount the tyres in the wrong orientation on the wheel (outside sidewall not on the outside...).

Directional just means that the tyres are designed to rotate in one direction only. Theoretically the directional pattern offers better water dispersion but this is questionable given there have been tyres which possess directional, assymetrical designs but are not offered as a directional tyre (i.e. they only come in one type, not a left and right design) and they work fine in the wet. Example: Bridgestone RE001.
Directional tyres can only be rotated front to back (same side) without removing the tyres from the wheel. If you get camber wear on directional tyres you must remove the tyres from the wheels and physically turn them around and wheels swapped left to right (otherwise the tyres would then be rotating the wrong way).
Same thing if one side is wearing faster then the other side. Tyres must be removed and turned around then the wheels swapped left to right.
If you get tyres that are both directional and asymmetrical you will get 2 'left' tyres and 2 'right' tyres. If you get camber wear or the tyres on one side are wearing faster then the other side, you're stuffed. Literally all you can do to rotate those is swap front to rear. And if you have staggered fitment you can't rotate at all.

Directional, Symmetrical Tyre:

Asymmetrical, Non-Directional Tyre:

Asymmetrical, Directional Tyre:

Symmetrical, Non-Directional:

except the directional and asymetrical tyres tend to have a bit more road noise.

I think you will find that's more to do with the size of the tread blocks and the compound of the tyre rather then just because it's asym or directional.

HTH.

 

[cuttinglaps]

Cheap Directionals on the back fitted wrong are mad fun in the wet ! Lets just appreciate this fact !