Flipping Azenis RT-615s - Inside to Outside

[Don Nguyen]

Has anyone done this, and tracked their car on it? My azenis have somewhat decent wear on it, but it still shows sign of quicker/more inner wear than outer wear.

I just need to have these last one more track event and driving from norcal to socal. Basically to the end of this month, before they are replaced.

I am just wondering if swapping them will cause any noticeable differences. I've read that the outside compound is not as soft/sticky as the inside compound, however, I may be able to live with that as long as everything else is ok.

Any feedback would be great.

thanks.

-Don

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[xcdhridr]

It work, but it likely won't have quite as much grip. Then again, I hate azenis anyway.

But I wouldn't rely on one set of tires for a track day AND a long drive. I'd pick one or the other.

[Don Nguyen]

They are my daily driver tires, and I am fairly sure they will make both the track event and trip.

[Evan]

I've never tried this, but have always wondered if it was safe. The harder you turn, the more load you place on the outside of the tire, so is it really better to put the more worn edge out there? I guess the answer depends on your alignment settings.

[Davidss]

Yes it works fine and is perfectly safe. I've had to do it tons of times and never noticed any difference.

[mpsti05]

ummm i would not recommend this, just my .02 worked in a tirecenter for a few years and have gone to a few michelin training seminars where we got to test out having better tires in the front and rear in wet weather situations, asymmeticals inside out and directionals going the wrong way, here's a quick def and you have the rt615 which are an asymmetrical design.... Another variation in tread design you’ll see is "asymmetrical" tires. Tires with an asymmetrical design mix tread patterns or put more rubber on one side of the tread than the other in an effort to make one tire out of two different tread patterns. Some combine a slick-like smooth tread on half the tire (to improve traction) with a block pattern on the other half (for directional stability).

[Tarmac Junkie]

Originally Posted by Davidss

Yes it works fine and is perfectly safe. I've had to do it tons of times and never noticed any difference.

I've had the same experience.

[Don Nguyen]

Originally Posted by Evan

I've never tried this, but have always wondered if it was safe. The harder you turn, the more load you place on the outside of the tire, so is it really better to put the more worn edge out there? I guess the answer depends on your alignment settings.

Technically yes, I have heard that. However, my insides still wear out a lot faster than my outsides. It wears out somewhat evenly, but still wear more on the inside than outside.

Originally Posted by mpsti05

ummm i would not recommend this, just my .02 worked in a tirecenter for a few years and have gone to a few michelin training seminars where we got to test out having better tires in the front and rear in wet weather situations, asymmeticals inside out and directionals going the wrong way, here's a quick def and you have the rt615 which are an asymmetrical design.... Another variation in tread design you’ll see is "asymmetrical" tires. Tires with an asymmetrical design mix tread patterns or put more rubber on one side of the tread than the other in an effort to make one tire out of two different tread patterns. Some combine a slick-like smooth tread on half the tire (to improve traction) with a block pattern on the other half (for directional stability).

I agree, in wet weather conditions, it can't be good or better to run them in the wrong driection. However, how "bad" could it be in dry weather? Thanks for the input/info.

Originally Posted by Tarmac Junkie

I've had the same experience.

I just swapped mine the other day, since my insides were almost completely worn down, so I doubt they would have provided any wet traction at all anyways. So far, the swapped tires seem to be able to provide me with more feedback, less tramlining, and better feel.

We'll see how it holds up for now. If anyone else has any feedback or info, that'd be great.

thanks.

-Don

[Evan]

My guess is that you've changed when you're most likely to see a tire failure. With the worn edge on the outside, I would expect it to fail during cornering. With the worn edge on the inside, I would expect it to fail while the steering wheel is straight and under hard acceleration or hard braking.

Try to use a pyrometer at the track to check tire temps across the tread.

Obviously, you should take out some camber if you can.

[Don Nguyen]

Tire temps are even across the tires, using a tire pyrometer.

-Don