dutchjeep
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Half Moon Bay, CA
Hi All,
Just had some new tires put on my wife's XJ (Michelin LTX M/S; size is stock for '92 XJ 225/70R15). I know very little about car tires so I'm trying to learn. Sorry if these are dumb questions. Just let me know.
Here's the thing.
I didn't ask the shop about black-walled or white-lettered tires (simply didn't think about it and frankly don't care much, black would be better). So when my wife came home with the new tires they looked black, fine. So this morning I took the tires off to check on the brakes and I noticed two things.
1) they are white lettered, but letters are on the inside (and there are purple stains on them, looks like a spray paint or so); on the outside there is a silly little bar code (no stains).
2) the tread profiles on left and right tires are inverted with respect to eachother.
Questions.
1) what's that with the white letters on the inside, is that common practice (including the weird looking bar code on the outside)?
2) Since sidewalls don't have an arrow on them I assume these are unidirectional tires? Or is there a preferred rolling direction on car tires, i.o.w. does the inversion of the threads from left to right matter (other than esthetics)?
3) Would it be reasonable for me to ask them to mount the tires symmetrically (even if just for esthetics)?
Thanks for any input guys!
Just had some new tires put on my wife's XJ (Michelin LTX M/S; size is stock for '92 XJ 225/70R15). I know very little about car tires so I'm trying to learn. Sorry if these are dumb questions. Just let me know.
Here's the thing.
I didn't ask the shop about black-walled or white-lettered tires (simply didn't think about it and frankly don't care much, black would be better). So when my wife came home with the new tires they looked black, fine. So this morning I took the tires off to check on the brakes and I noticed two things.
1) they are white lettered, but letters are on the inside (and there are purple stains on them, looks like a spray paint or so); on the outside there is a silly little bar code (no stains).
2) the tread profiles on left and right tires are inverted with respect to eachother.
Questions.
1) what's that with the white letters on the inside, is that common practice (including the weird looking bar code on the outside)?
2) Since sidewalls don't have an arrow on them I assume these are unidirectional tires? Or is there a preferred rolling direction on car tires, i.o.w. does the inversion of the threads from left to right matter (other than esthetics)?
3) Would it be reasonable for me to ask them to mount the tires symmetrically (even if just for esthetics)?
Thanks for any input guys!