on the side wall it says outside which means mount that side on the outside right?But when i put the wheels on the car the tread on the tires on the left side is rotating in a different direction from the right side.Anybody know if they are rotational?

 

The Kumho ASX is NOT directional (rotational). It is asymmetric. You only have to make sure that the tires are mounted so that the proper side is facing outwards, and if so, they're fine, even if the tread looks like it's going in opposite directions on different sides of the car.

What do we mean by these terms?

<u>Directional Tires</u>

The Yokohama ES100 is a good example of a directional tire:



Directional tires are designed to rotate in a specific direction - usually, so that in rain, water is channeled from the center of the tread to both outer edges as the car travels in a forward direction. Directional tires have an arrow on the sidewall to indicate the direction in which the tires should rotate when the car goes forward.

When a directional tire is mounted on the wheel, it is done so that it can be used on one side of the car. The arrow shows whether the tire is mounted as a left tire or a right tire. Usually, directional tires are only rotated front to back on the same side of the car. If you wanted to move it to the other side of the car, for best rain performance, you should "flip" the tire on the rim in order to maintain the proper directionality.

<u>Asymmetric tires</u>

The Falken Azenis RT-615, and its RT-215 predecessor pictured here:



have an asymmetric construction. Tires designed for maximum performance on dry pavement are typically designed this way, with larger tread blocks on the outside edge of the tread than the inside, to help to maximize cornering ability. Asymmetric tires have markings on the sidewall indicating whether each side should face in or out.

When an asymmetric tire is mounted on the wheel, as long as the proper side faces out, it can be used on either side of the car. You can (and should) rotate the tires from one side of the car to the other, without dismounting them from the rims.

<u>Directional and Asymmetric Tires</u>

A few tires are both directional and asymmetric. Such tires are designed to be used on one specific side of the car, and you need to order different tires, with different part numbers, for a "left tire" or a "right tire".

 

directional! thats what i meant. Thanks for the info!

 

Not meaning to butt in, but you are saying that The ASX is a non directional tire??? Because I have some and I have only been rotating them front to back, thinking that they were a directional..... can I rotate them in the X pattern then?

 

ALl this info on tirerack

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jdmturbo1127 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Not meaning to butt in, but you are saying that The ASX is a non directional tire???</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jdmturbo1127 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Because I have some and I have only been rotating them front to back, thinking that they were a directional..... can I rotate them in the X pattern then?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes.

 

Thats good to know. Forgive my noobieness

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jdmturbo1127 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Forgive my noobieness </TD></TR></TABLE>

No problem. As it turns out, most of the time people are worried that they might be asking dumb questions, they are actually asking very good questions. (And this was no exception.)