Considering Directional Tires? What you Need to Know

Directional Tire Quick Facts

The Importance of Tires

Tires. They’re often taken for granted but are extremely important to vehicle safety and operational efficiency. Although they may be the sometimes forgotten components, these are what connect your automobile to the road. Without their traction, your car wouldn’t move forward very well and could skid out of control once in motion. Therefore, don’t put yourself at risk with bad tires. Instead, visit Auto Stop Elite in Vienna, Virginia, for tire repair.

What Are Directional Tires?

Whether the traveling surface is wet or dry, directional tires can help you maintain sufficient traction. That’s a product of their design. Unlike a regular tread pattern, directional tires have a V- or Y-shaped tread pattern that’s excellent at whisking away water. While these tires work well on all surfaces, they’re known for their tolerance of wet pavement. Even on dry roads, directional tires improve handling, traction, and overall performance as speeds increase.

Proper Installation is Key

It’s critical that directional tires be installed properly. Tires with symmetrical or asymmetrical tread patterns can be installed from either perspective, but directional tires must face a particular way to function properly. An arrow marking on the sidewall will show the direction for proper mounting. Installing these in the opposite direction cancels the added benefits and will cause the tread to wear away quicker.

Atypical Tire Rotation

Further, tire rotation works differently for a vehicle equipped with directional tires. The standard rotation pattern can’t be followed. Typically, directional tires are rotated front to rear without the usual crossover. If your directional tires have uneven wear, we’ll talk with you about corrective options.

A Great Local Tire Repair Shop

Whether you sport symmetrical, asymmetrical, or directional tires, Auto Stop Elite is a great local tire repair shop for you. From air pressure checks to services such as rotation/balancing to tire repair/replacement, our technicians have you covered. Even better, you can always count on us to tell you honestly what you need and when. Our family-operated team values your safety and your trust.