AboutBarry Smith Expertise I have over 30 years experience in the design, manufacturing, and
testing of tires. I have served as the technical advisor to the "800"
number. I have authored or co-authored many publications - usually
without credit. I can answer almost any technical question, but
please don`t ask me to compare brands. I probably have prejudices because of
my work experience.
Experience Member SAE (Society of Automotive
Engineers)
Member Tire Society (Tire Technical Organization)
SCCA Regional Competiton License holder
Authored many training manuals on tires, their care and use.
Expert: Barry Smith Date: 7/9/2008 Subject: tires rotated wrong
Question I had tires rotated and heard a thumping noise. Long story - the directional tires were rotated with the arrow wrong and driven 1000 miles. When fixed, the thumping continues. Some say this has ruined tires; dealer says it would only have affected handling during the time they were wrong. What is the truth???
Answer Cinda,
The real problem here is irregular wear which is caused by misalignment and aggravated by insufficient inflation pressure and insufficient rotation practices.
Directional tires do not wear funny just because they are rotated in the wrong direction. The only problem would be that they will not have as much wet traction as they could have.
