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Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:57 am

How is the best way to rotate radial tires on a super beetle?

Roy8518 :roll:

Sat Dec 17, 2011 11:03 am

If I remember my Bentley correctly (though this is also just common practice), the two rear tires go to the front. The two front tires switch sides. So:

Right Rear ---> Right Front
Left Rear ----> Left Front

Right Front-----> Left Rear
Left Front -------> Right Rear

Sat Dec 17, 2011 11:06 am

its best to keep tires to the same side. Switch the front and back tires. this is due to wear patterns. Switching sides could cause more wear. Make sure if your doing the switch yourself, torque them down so your wheels dont fall of on the hightway :P

Sat Dec 17, 2011 1:32 pm

Before you go switching tires around from side to side. Make sure your tires are not Directional. They are only supposed to go one way.
If you switch the right front to the left rear the tread will be backwards and mess up the tire.

Sat Dec 17, 2011 1:57 pm

smokey503 wrote: Before you go switching tires around from side to side. Make sure your tires are not Directional. They are only supposed to go one way.
If you switch the right front to the left rear the tread will be backwards and mess up the tire.
no, it won't harm the tire at all, not even a little. perfectly fine for use on dry roads. it will reduce performance on wet roads however, as the backwards tread pattern means rain will have a harder time escaping.

Sat Dec 17, 2011 2:33 pm

"I'm just saying" ,......
if you switch steel belted radial tires from one side to the other ,...
{ right to left or left to right ,...}
it will cause torsion 'rifts 'within the steel belted ply's ,...
and the tire will slowly tear it self apart from the inside ,.....
everybody knew this years ago ,...
today,.... somehow - it is recommended to rotate to the other side ,...
my personal belief is that the major tire manufacturers are behind this misinformation ,..
go ahead and switch to the other side ,if you dont believe me ,....
i guarantee that your tires will develop bulges and side wall bumps ,..as the inner ply's bind and twist apart

and if you continue driving like that ,..
the tire WILL blow out ....
:!:

Sat Dec 17, 2011 2:38 pm

phmical wrote:
go ahead and switch to the other side ,if you dont believe me ,....
i guarantee that your tires will develop bulges and side wall bumps ,..as the inner ply's bind and twist apart

and if you continue driving like that ,..
the tire WILL blow out ....
sorry, been there done that... many times. and nary a bulge or bump. 1980's tires, keep them rolling the same direction. modern tires are constructed differently, and it's perfectly acceptable to flip them around.

i go through about 5 or 6 sets of tires per year on my track car. i drive them until the outside shoulders are considerably worn down, then i flip them. now the inside shoulder is on the outside, and the tire is rolling in the opposite direction. it greatly extends my tire life and i've never seen any ill effects. even the tire manufacturer (toyo) recommends this.

sorry, but today's tires are not the same as tires from 20 years ago, and your advice no longer applies.

Sat Dec 17, 2011 2:49 pm

smokey503 wrote: Before you go switching tires around from side to side. Make sure your tires are not Directional. They are only supposed to go one way.
If you switch the right front to the left rear the tread will be backwards and mess up the tire.
If you are speaking of Bias Ply tires then I agree it's possible but for radials there is no evidence I know of to back up your statement of left/right swap.
Tread design will sometimes dictate the direction of mounting to wheel.
Marvin

Sat Dec 17, 2011 3:19 pm

in your particular case , it doesn't really matter
apparently you burn through tires like packs of chewing gum ,....

the " average " VW driver shouldn't need to replace a set of tires for at least 4 years -
i guarantee that if you flip- flop them ,...and drive for a long stretch of time {a year or more } they will eventually rip them self's apart ,....long before the tread wears away ,..
your racing tires just dont last long enough to see the negative results of cross rotation,..

Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:09 pm

I worked for Big-0 tires as well as Texaco service station, 12 years of playing with other peoples cars(tires) and its A giant myth!! non directional tires dont care were you put them!
simply put, look at the 100,000,000s of used tires sold every year in the US alone, when you look at the tires thy are selling thy dont say witch side of A car thy came off :wink: also Winter tires,, lots of people have sets of winter tires thy put on there car every year, and thy dont have left front, right rear, ext printed on them or there raguler summer tires, thy just pull one set off and put the other set on. If it was true that tires had to spin the same derision always! there would be 100,000,000s of accidents related to tire failure, and the DOT would mandate that all tires had to be directional!!!!!!!!!

Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:39 pm

phmical wrote: i guarantee that if you flip- flop them ,...and drive for a long stretch of time {a year or more } they will eventually rip them self's apart ,....long before the tread wears away ,..
That is an old myth that has been debunked decades ago. You need to stop posting this crap. All the tire makers say you can switch them around. I'm sure THEY know more about tires than you.

Back in the 60s and 70s, this was true. Switching the direction would cause failures. In the decades since, the tire manufacturers were able to solve this problem.

Sun Dec 18, 2011 8:22 am

Myth: Never rotate tires from side to side, only front to back.

Fact: Radial tires can be crossed from side to side in the rotation pattern. The old front-to-back rule applied to bias ply tires. Regular tire rotation--every 6000 to 8000 miles--promotes more uniform wear for all tires on a vehicle.

Source (From the March, 1999 issue of Motor Trend):
http://www.motortrend.com/womt/112_9903_tire_myths_and_reality/viewall.html

Sun Dec 18, 2011 9:48 am

I rotate from side to side. Many of us run different size front and rears. Works well.

Sun Dec 18, 2011 9:49 am

Rotating radial tires in the modified X pattern shown above is the best way to have uniform wear on all the tires, reducing cupping, vibration and noise. The only tires that shouldn't go side to side are bias plies and directional tires. Directional tires, if installed backwards, will wear funny and cause LOTS of cupping and noise. I've seen directional tires installed backwards, they sounded like you were driving over rumble strips all the time.

Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:05 pm

Paul Windisch wrote: the only tires that shouldn't go side to side are bias
:?:

Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:47 pm

Bias ply tires from the '70's. If stressed a lot in the opposit direction they could sometimes seperate.
Marvin

Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:57 pm

I have kumho's you guys forced me to get their explanation.
http://www.kumhotireusa.com/tire/basics/tire-rotation
Quote:
Tire Rotation

Ideally, tires should be rotated every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. When this is done consistently, the tires are more likely to maintain good handling and traction, and deliver maximum tread life. However, it's important to remember that tire rotation alone cannot guard against rapid or uneven wear if your vehicle has faulty mechanical parts, or improper tire inflation pressure.

Rotation Patterns Explained

Forward Cross - The most commonly used rotation pattern, designed primarily for front wheel drive vehicles - which most cars have.

Rearward Cross - For rear wheel and 4-wheel drive vehicles.

X-Cross - Also for rear wheel and 4-wheel drive vehicles - but can also be used as an alternative to the Forward Cross method for front wheel drive vehicles.

Front-to- Rear & Rear-To-Front - Primary used for performance vehicles equipped with directional tires of the same size.

Side-To-Side - Primary used for vehicles equipped with non-directional tires of different sizes.

What about the spare tire? - If your spare tire is of the same size as the 4 tires in service, you should include that spare in your rotation pattern. Follow the manufacturer's recommended rotation sequence, or introduce the spare into the rotation pattern in the right rear position.

Temporary-use spares cannot be included in your tire rotation.

Sun Dec 18, 2011 7:21 pm

i dont care ,..
you guys can 'cross rotate'
your tires all day long ,......
who really cares if they rip themselves apart ,...
in fact ,..we need people to spend money , it keeps the economy flowing ,..
so go right ahead - soon you will be buying new tires ,...
and while you are at it ,..
make sure to change your oil every month too !
maybe even once every two weeks

Sun Dec 18, 2011 7:39 pm

Rotate your bunched up panties 180° for best wear patterns and stain management.

I have heard of hi-tech vehicles having the tires removed and rotated positions, since the wheels were designed to operate in specific locations on the vehicle.

Sun Dec 18, 2011 8:12 pm

phmical wrote: i dont care ,..
you guys can 'cross rotate'
your tires all day long ,......
who really cares if they rip themselves apart ,...
in fact ,..we need people to spend money , it keeps the economy flowing ,..
so go right ahead - soon you will be buying new tires ,...
and while you are at it ,..
make sure to change your oil every month too !
maybe even once every two weeks

as has been said.... you are wrong... sometimes it sucks to be wrong, but no need to be bitter about it... I've cross rotated my tires for two decades. better wear, they last the advertised mileage, and never had one spontaneously tear itself apart from changing directions... I started cross rotating and ignoring the old wive's tale when I learned the truth.. you should too... On my daily driver workvan if I only rotate front to rear I get about 30k miles out of my prefered tires. with cross rotation I get the 50K that they are rated for... Ford workvans wear the tires(as do their two wheel drive trucks) in a very distinct pattern if not cross rotated.