Alright, I know the title is an oxymoron on these cars since you don't but the last 600 k of my 8000 k trip started a bit of feathering on the left front outside. It's not real bad yet but you can see and hear it. My dealer showed me 4 other Jags in the lot and they all had feathering worse than mine. He felt it was the very wide tires and the constant pull of the crown of the road. The right tire shows nada.

I know this feathering has been discussed before in other threads but what I need to know is why.......???? can I not swap the fronts to reverse the wear? Alright, I know it's not done but why?

 

Sorry to say that my 99xk8 tires are not feathering! My last set of tires had a problem of cup but it was due to improper balancing. I also changed my tire pressures to 30F / 32R and I seem to get a better wear pattern on all tires. I should mention I changed from air to Nitro and that is my personal choice and at times a hot topic on the forums. I hope this link will help you on the tire wear. As for the other cars having a feathering problem I say, I would not be satisfied with that answer and they (the dealership) need to try harder.
http://www.procarcare.com/includes/c...dtirewear.html

 

Actually, "Tire Rotation" is a truism - One reason you might not want to rotate back to front is that you should have staggered rim/tire sizes. That still might not negate the capability, just that the car could look a little funny with wider tires on the front than the back. Then, front to front might not work if you have directional tires, but if you don't, then there wouldn't be any reason.

I'll leave the nitrogen go...out of kindness...I suppose...

 

The old saw is that radials 'learn' their rotation and do not appreciate rotating in the other direction.

Most of the tires for the XK8/R are asymmetrical, which means that the manufacturer specified and marked the tire rotation.

Tires on these cars 'feather', cup and experience in/out wear because of suspension/alignment problems.

I have moved to symmetrical tread design because:

You can get wear ratings twice what is available in asymmetrical tires.

They are quieter

While they do not have 156 MPH ratings they far exceed my requirement

They are substantially less expensive.

Tight Wad Tom

 

I've switched too, to non-directionals on my X350, X300 and my BMW. I'm probably going the same route on my XK8 next time around as I'm beyond seeing if I can actually get 155mph out of it anymore.

I DO like to rotate tires and I can on three of my cars.

 

alignment out just a bit on that left side, feathering on the outside means it's toed in.

if the tire is worth saving, just get a good alignment, from dealer or jag indy mechanic (no general tire store, unless you want to walk them thru the process). Even better, and a little more costly, swap left to right (and inside out), rebalance, then re-align..keep that feathering on the inside, less noticable.

 

Good advise guys. Thanks. I'll be giving a lot of thought to the next set but I have plenty of tread yet. I'll check on getting that left toed out. I don't think the Jag fellow I mentioned has the equipment but I'll look for a good shop. I know there is some good advise on the exact setting on a recent thread here as well so I'll take that with me.

Re mounting the tires with the outside in might indeed work but I'll save that as a back-up plan. I might be low on my pressure too as I'm down to 30 on the fronts.

The rear rims are larger so moving to the front is out unless I remount them since the same tire size is on both ends, even with the larger rear rims.

I know of the common knowledge of not redirecting these tires but I was looking if someone could tell me why?

Just thinking that if you took the left front and moved it to the right front, leaving them on the rims, what would happen??????? Do the tire police come after you or do they explode?

 

Both - they are set to go off if rotating in the wrong direction, then I hear in some states (Virginia comes to mind) the police will pull you over and ticket you for tires rotating in the wrong direction....they'll take your radar detector too....and give you a ticket for wreckless driving...

 

OK, now I think you might be pulling my leg a bit Steve.

Mind you, in this province, go 32 mph (50km) over the speed limit and your fine could be up to $10,000 (min $2000), you will walk home watching your car leave for a week on a hook and your DL is gone with the car for the week. BTW, You'll also pay about $1500 for the tow and the storage.

All good reasons to look for good tires that need not be capable of 155mph mentioned.

 

It is amazing on how many opinions I found on the internet RE: Tire Rotation. Rotation of the tires depends on the tire and the sizes. If front to back are different then it should not be done. If the tires are directional then crossing them is not a good idea. Certain tires can and will develop a pattern and should not be crossed If you are concerned that your tires are one of them check with the manufacturer and find out the proper rotation procedure. Doing the wrong thing can cost you money and a road hazard. AS for the tire cops in Va I never knew that you could get a ticket for reverse rotation but if you think about it makes sense.

 

I just got new rears a week or so ago. The treads are asymmetrical, but not directional. The tire guy said that they could be rotated from one side to the other with no problem. I've hear that you're not supposed to rotate from side to side, but I don't know why. My tire guy didn't seem to think it was an issue, at least not with these tires (Continental ExtremeContact DWS).

 

I am not sure of the criteria but I was told years ago that side to opposite side was not an option and that the belts would twist. I guess the only one that can confirm if you can is the manufacture. If your tire guy is like many I have come across you will want to verify with the manufacture and I mean no disrespect.

 

With directional tires, the thread pattern is designed to maximize road contact for various inclement conditions. If you reverse the rotation, then you lose the benefit of the tread pattern design. One of those benefits could be the way the tread shears water from under the contact patch in rainy conditions, as an example.

 

Here's what Dunlop says:
So Dunlop says it's OK to rotate from one side to the other. I went to Continental and they say to follow the vehicle manufacturer's directions. In othe words, if the manufaturer says to go side to side, then it's fine. The Michelin website recommends this rotation pattern if the spare is a compact spare:





Basically, it looks to me as if side-to side rotation is fine.


I found another website that said on old, bias-ply tires side-to-side rotation was a no-no, but it's not a problem with radials.

 

Soooooo... the issue is settled. I had the final word. Close the thread!

 

No! Not yet!

That is not how the forum works. You should expect another 40 -50 posts explaining why you are wrong.

I still want to see the videos.

Last post in this thread.

 

I'm not wrong. I never make mistakes. I've only made one mistake my hole life, and that wasn't even really a mistake. I thought I had made a mistake, but I really hadn't, so my mistake was thinking that I had made a mistake when I really hadn't. The issue is settled!

 

Amen Brother!

 

So, I hate to open up a long-dead conversation, but old car guy, new XKR owner. I have the Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires. Wheels are off to clean 19 years of brake dust off of them. What's the answer here? front to rears with a cross, rears to front, no cross?

Hell, I'm old enough to know how to rotate a full-sized spare in as well. I do that on my 73 Mustang.

Thanks,
Bill

 

If your wheels are staggered (rear tires a larger size than front tires), then you can only rotate them side to side on the same axle. That is what I have always done on my wife's 2006 XK8....