never really paid attention but i am a lil confused.. help please !

from my understanding, Asymmetrical Tires (PS2, Pzero) have two definitive sides (inside / outside) - so the side labeled 'outside' must be mounted accordingly.. but it does not have a directional arrow.

so the Asymmetrical Tires do not have left or right.. which means i can use it on either side of the car, right?

however, when i look at my left front tires, the tread pattern goes backwards - compared to my right front..

wont this affect driving? especially in the rain?

in the PS2 pic below, i rotated the one tire 180 deg to show u what i am talking about..

 

and this would be the Pzero..

 

and this is Hankook V12 - a directional tire

notice the tread pattern is identical for left and right side.

 

Dear "Crazy"

A couple of years ago I wasted my time explaining this on this site, and finally gave up arguing with idiots. Directional tires can be mounted on either side and if you look closely you will find rotation arrows so that they are mounted correctly. Asymetric tires can be mounted on either side and the tire shows an "outer" identification on the tire. 'Directional and Asymetric' tires, as you are writing about, are either right or left side (not interchangeable).

If someone tells you otherwise have them go to tirerack and check the tire tech mounting instructions.

 

so the PS2's and the Pzero are both asymetrical and directional ??

and u can just call me carlitos.. lol

 

I agree with you...I always have wondered about this especially in the Rain....but I have never gotten a good explanation. I would expect that the Asymmetrical tires should be mirror images to truely provide the same performance on each side but to your point they aren't....always has puzzled me...I jsut figure the tire manufacturers have done their homework.

 

[quote=crazycarlitos;3143541]so the PS2's and the Pzero are both asymetrical and directional ??

Yup ( and sorry about the appellation )

 

There have been times when asymmetrical tires (those with an outside) have been designed so they don't create a mirror image to minimize harmonic vibration on the freeway. The basic pattern is the same, so it has the same wet & dry surface qualities--it doesn't matter weather they are running forward or backward. They typically place more rubber near the outer edge of the tire to improve handling and wear.

 

i did not like PS2 exactly for that reason. they are asymmetrical but claimed as not directional. but tread is obviously designed to be directional.
when I see something that does not make much sense in a product I just prefer not to use this product.

 

i am beginning to agree..

i am with u on this.. but two of the high-end tires (PS2 and Pzero) seem to that way.
can u recommend a good tire. i am trying hankook v12 (directional) in the rear right now.. but it seems loose compared to the Pirellis..

 

[quote=tejoe;3144040]are u sure? i cant seem to find any place that sells separate left and right for PS2s...

u r prob right.. it just seems odd. but i am sure they spent millions to test it out.

 

i just got a set of dunlop star specs in 235/275 for my stock 18" 8/10 rims - it will be used as street and track rain tire.

they do not have anything in 19". for 19" you are pretty much stuck with RE11s I think.

other option is nitto nt05 - RonCT seems to like (or - be curious about) them.

also read this:
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=318701

 

crazycarlitos,

If you email the Michelin Man he will more than answer any question that you may have about the PS2 tire. Web site is:http://www.michelinman.com/contact/

 

As you all can imagine I have been asked all this 100 times. I have also tried to explain this with some people until I was blue and exasperated. It is true that many (most, actually) asymetric tires can have tread designs that point forward on one half of the tread vs. the other side of the car. Is it wrong? Not really. The best way I have been able to explain is this way:

A: Throw out the misconception that a tire HAS to shoot water out back behind the direction of the car. No. It just has to shoot it out from under it.

B: If the tire can get rid of water and keep it's treadcap on the ground, it's doing it's job. Water has finite mass. If you splash water one way in a pool, it feels the same way as if you splash it another way. So, if the tread on one side is squirting water out forward of the direction of the car, and the other side is doing it behind - the tires are still doing it at the same rate side to side unless the water is deeper on one side. So the car does not know the difference. Keep in mind too that many of today's performance tires have different rubber compounds that change as you move from inside to outside on a tire. In many cases that can be as much of a traction factor as tread design is.

I too have a policy of not trying to outguess the white coats at the tire manufacturers. You Can't.

Incidentally, we have also done hydroplane resistance tests on many directional tires and found that the difference in how they evacuate water is negligible if flipped backwards, too. Check out our tech section, it's a great resource on tires.....

 

I have about 1000 miles on my hankooks and they have very good grip (compared to contis), especially in the wet. I don't understand why yours would be loose?