In the tire industry, tires are categorized into several categories. Directional tires are one of these groups.
These tires are created in a specific pattern to offer better forward traction than side-to-side. Follow through to understand how to tell if tires are directional.
Many individuals have a good idea of what directional tires exist. However, they do not know the differences between directional and radial tires. If you want to learn more about directional tires, read on!
How to Tell If Tires are Directional
What are Directional Tires?
Directional tires have tread patterns designed for high-performance driving in only one direction, like on highways or interstates. Their treads face outward from the center of the tire and have different characteristics on each side of the tire. So, they will perform optimally while traveling in a specific direction.
The tread pattern on directional tires is designed to channel water more efficiently, improving handling and traction on wet roads. The grooves are angled in a V shape, with the point facing forward.
This allows the tires to push water away from the tread and keep the tire treads clean and dry.
The main advantage of having directional tires is that they will help you improve handling on wet roads. So, if you live in an area that rains frequently, this can be a lifesaver.
Read: Does my car need XL tyres?
Identifying Directional Tires
Your tires have a tread pattern. They’re designed to work in the direction that they were made for. So, if you flip them around, you’ll probably notice a difference in their performance.
The same is also true with directional tires. Their tread pattern is designed to work fantastic in only one direction. So, if you flip these tires around, they won’t perform to their maximum. However, what remains a nightmare to many people is identifying these tires, despite their popularity.
Here is how you can easily identify these tires.
Look at Your Tires’ Sidewall Labels
When identifying directional tires, the first thing you should do is to look at their side wall’s labels. In most cases, the details on the sidewalls will tell you whether your tires are for driving on both sides of the road (RWD) or one (AWD).
But to avoid doubt, if your vehicle originally came equipped with RWD tires but now has AWD ones installed, then there is a high probability that those new tires are directional.
Check the tread pattern on your tire.
The pattern on a directional tire will have arrows pointing toward one side of the tire to indicate rotation in their entire lifetime. In case they’re rotated backward, they’ll wear out prematurely since they won’t be aligned with their natural movement pattern anymore.
Read: How to rotate non directional tires with one jack
Advantages of Directional Tires
Directional tires tend to be more expensive than non-directional tires but do offer advantages over their counterparts:
Safety
They have increased safety. Their design ensures maximum traction in only one direction, which allows them to grip better on curves than their counterparts.
This means that you could go faster through turns without sliding out of control or skidding across the road surface. Considering how many accidents happen due to loss of traction in turns, it’s easy to see why this feature is so important for safety reasons alone.
Better Traction in Wet Conditions
Because directional tires have grooves running in one direction only, water can flow down those grooves and out of the way of your vehicle’s treads.
This allows your vehicle to maintain better contact with the road during wet weather conditions, improving traction and enhancing braking capabilities while driving through puddles or on wet pavement.
Better fuel efficiency
The tread pattern of directional tires allows for improved handling and better control of your vehicle in wet conditions. This improves the overall performance of your vehicle and can help you get more miles per gallon from your gas tank.
Improved Handling
Directional tires are designed to improve handling while driving on wet or dry pavement, which helps you avoid accidents when it’s raining or snowing outside.
These tires help keep you in control of your car, even when you’re going around corners at high speeds.
Read: How to get better traction in snow
Disadvantages of Directional Tires
However, directional tires are not without their disadvantages. Below are some of them:
They are more expensive than regular tires.
Directional tires are more expensive than non-directional XL tires because of the engineering involved in making them.
The rubber compound is better, and each tire has a special tread pattern designed to give it maximum performance when rotating in a specific direction only (and no other). That not only makes them more durable than non-directional models but expensive too.
Lack of versatility
They are only for specific use. Plus, they also wear out more quickly than standard tires because they do not have as much tread on them as non-directional tires.
Limited traction
Because directional tires only work in one direction, they can only provide adequate traction when traveling in that direction.
If you’re driving on an unpaved surface like gravel or sand, you won’t have enough traction to steer your vehicle safely because directional tires do not work well on rough surfaces like these.
In fact, some manufacturers recommend against using directional tires on unpaved roads altogether. They get damaged easily if not properly maintained or rotated regularly.
Limited Tire Temperature Range
Directional tires have a limited temperature range in which they can operate efficiently. If you drive them outside of this range, they will no longer perform as well and may even cause accidents due to poor handling.
By now, you should have a good understanding of how to differentiate between directional and non-directional tires.
There are a few pitfalls you can avoid, but determining their directionality is easy in most cases.
So long as you keep an eye out for these features, you won’t ever confuse directional with non-directional tires again.
As you can see, deciphering directional tires is no easy task. However, with the simple advice above, you should be able to confidently select which tires are right for you, or at least know how to go about figuring it out.