Changing rotational direction on stock Metzeler K3

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Jommy

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As I do mainly trackdays on a clockwise circuit, my tyres wear out much faster on the right hand side. In particular the rear. A couple of weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and flipped the rear around. So far I have not noticed any adverse effects and my wallet is much happier as I expect to get about 50% more mileage from the set.
I Googled this and after reading posts ranging from "I do it all the time" to "You will die in the next corner due to ply delamination" I figured I had to try it myself. My rationale being that a rear tyre is designed to handle forces both from braking and acceleration and that the direction arrow has mainly to do with getting rid of the water when riding in the rain. I can also understand that certain thread patterns can get some strange and potentially unsafe wear, but since the K3 is virtually a slick tyre where it really matters this did not deter me either.
Any thoughts on this?
 
You should be able to find out the info from the manufacturers website. I know the Metzeler TD slicks have a belt that is one piece ie no join so it can be swapped in direction.

The important thing to remember changing the rotation direction of the tyre is suicidal if the belt join is overlaid one on top of another. i.e the overlap will be fine one way but will want to open up the other direction because of the distortion as the rubber 'slaps' the tarmac, if that makes sense.

It's a different load to braking and acceleration and continuous every wheel revolution. J

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If the tyre has a directional arrow on it the manufacturer is saying it can only be used 1 way round.
However knowing if that's due to the construction or just because the sipes are in the wrong direction for water dispersement is another question...which the manufacturer will never answer.

Own risk, you'll never get an official verdict.
 
flipped slicks for a years,b/stone,dunlops,pirelli without any issue.

as you say,some will always do it,some will tell you it will lead to iminent doom,choice is yours at the end of day.
 
I flipped the rear all the time on my D675 never ever the front.
I used pirelli's and dunlops both slick and treaded with no issues at all. I used to buy scrubs and local fitter would fit the on reverse then get them flipped correctly at track if there was any wear left. Track day tyre fitters will not fit it wrong way round but will put it right. BUT saying all that as i now run fast group pace and a bike with nearly double the hp I would not consider it for one moment.
 
flipped slicks for a years,b/stone,dunlops,pirelli without any issue.

as you say,some will always do it,some will tell you it will lead to iminent doom,choice is yours at the end of day.

Thinking about it, slicks do so little mileage that I doubt the carcass would go, compared to road tyres that cover way, way more mileage and are subject to all the pot holes etc.
 
I installed a sc the wrong way by accident last year...

Stupid me.. but it was better then a worn tire but not as good as installed as the correct way.

It may of been a mental thing but I didn't notice my mistake till the end of the day.
 
Metzeler

The only tyre in Metzeler?s Racetrack/Road Racing range that the manufacturer states that you can reverse is the Metzeler TD Slick (rear only). I mostly use Racetec RR race compound tyres (not K3) on track and would personally never flip any of their tyres, especially treaded. It?s worth noting that the tread pattern on a Racetec tyre is designed to maximise slick area, contact patch and wear in a given rotational direction. It?s a personal choice but ultimately you own the risk.
 
Thinking about it, slicks do so little mileage that I doubt the carcass would go, compared to road tyres that cover way, way more mileage and are subject to all the pot holes etc.


thats a good point
 
Thank you all for valuable input. The general consensus here seems to be that flipping the K3, and most other tyres, is a bad idea. In my experience, track riding is all about confidence. If you lose confidence in something as important as tyres you are not going to have much fun. I just lost mine and have replaced the k3 with a fresh set of S22. Not quite as track oriented but should be good for a few more road miles this summer.
Another factor that helped me along is the fact that Metzeler does in fact allow flipping one model of their slicks but not others which would seem to indicate that there are differences within the tyre which can and will make a difference.
One thing would be interesting to know though; has anybody actually experienced tyre failure due to wrong rotation? Or this a case of having heard from someone who had heard about somebody a few years ago who thought they knew a guy so it is definitely for real?
To comment on the suggestion to contact the tyre manufacturer to get their view on tyre flipping I believe that the only way to get a true reply from them is to take one of their more knowledgeable technicians down to the pub and then refuse to buy more beer at last orders unless he comes up with a straight answer. All other replies will be determined by their Lawyers, Accountants, Public Relations, HSE etc. etc.
 
I don't think it would be a case of failure ever. Only one of reduced performance, and as I said that could solely be down to a factor like wet weather riding rather than carcass...

I do know that tyres are cheaper than crashes.
 
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