11-08-2013, 06:53 PM
I decided to start a new thread, since this is a very specific question that isn't directly related to the one I asked in my other recent tire-related thread.
I finally got hold of Toyo, and asked them what exactly happens if you run a direction tires, such as the Proxes R1R, on the "wrong" side of the car (so against the recommended rotation). The answer? Nothing. The rep told me this is a question they get asked a lot, and he told me the tires (at least Toyo's directional models) are all constructed identically across the entire section of the tire. The only purpose of the directional tread, and this was consistent with the research I had done, is to improve the channeling of water. So he said it's perfectly fine to rotate them side to side, particularly on a track car, to even out the wear. But he advised caution when driving in the rain when mounted in the "reverse" direction. However, given the results of Tire Rack's test, where they didn't even detect any difference, either in lap times, or subjective feel, in the wet, even this seems to be a minor issue at most. I almost never drive my car in the rain anyway, and when I do, I always exercise extreme caution, so this is a non-issue for me. So, once my current (directional) tires wear out (and I'm going to go ahead and rotate them side-to-side to extend their life), I think I'm going to go ahead and switch to a square 17 x 9 set-up, with the 245/35R17 R1R's, which are the only tires on the planet that come in that size.
I finally got hold of Toyo, and asked them what exactly happens if you run a direction tires, such as the Proxes R1R, on the "wrong" side of the car (so against the recommended rotation). The answer? Nothing. The rep told me this is a question they get asked a lot, and he told me the tires (at least Toyo's directional models) are all constructed identically across the entire section of the tire. The only purpose of the directional tread, and this was consistent with the research I had done, is to improve the channeling of water. So he said it's perfectly fine to rotate them side to side, particularly on a track car, to even out the wear. But he advised caution when driving in the rain when mounted in the "reverse" direction. However, given the results of Tire Rack's test, where they didn't even detect any difference, either in lap times, or subjective feel, in the wet, even this seems to be a minor issue at most. I almost never drive my car in the rain anyway, and when I do, I always exercise extreme caution, so this is a non-issue for me. So, once my current (directional) tires wear out (and I'm going to go ahead and rotate them side-to-side to extend their life), I think I'm going to go ahead and switch to a square 17 x 9 set-up, with the 245/35R17 R1R's, which are the only tires on the planet that come in that size.
(This post was last modified: 11-08-2013, 06:59 PM by Cloud9...68.)
