Maxxis ADvantage which Direction ?

PXR5

Recently fitted a pair of these, and so far very satisfied with the grip in muddy and wet conditions - yes even here it can chuck it down at times -

When i fitted them i noticed that there is just one "arrow" on the side wall indicating the rotation direction, so logically I now have both tyres fitted the same way around, whilst out with a mate yesterday he noticed the way i had them fitted and thought it was wrong - he had heard that if it was not marked front or rear rotation you assumed it to be for the rear, so fit the tyre accordingly as the tread pattern gave best drive efficiency this way round, then normally you would fit the front tyre the other way round as you would want the tread pattern to favour braking efficiency...

Any one have any ideas - the maxxis site gives no help..

It's not that important, just that i'd like to know if there is any logic in all of this..

konadawg

Basically look at the tread, and work out the ideal direction for braking on the front and traction on the rear.

.blitz

As a rule of thumb, if the tread has a chevron pattern the chevrons point upwards on the front (when viewed from the front) and upwards on the back (when viewed from the back).

UncleMonty

Some front & rear tyres are designed to be fitted differently, if so it would state this on the tyre: e.g.
front >
rear<

Most are not though, if your trye only has one arrow then thats how it should be fitted.

The Rookie

.blitz wrote:

As a rule of thumb, if the tread has a chevron pattern the chevrons point upwards on the front (when viewed from the front) and upwards on the back (when viewed from the back).

Chevrons nearly always point down on the front tyre when viewed from the front! Rear may point up (single direction tyre) or down (reversed rear).

Some fronts are reveresed to deal with a lockup where the tyre then runs the 'wrong' way on the surface and it helps squeegee the muck out, I would follow the manufacturers arrow.

Simon

.blitz

The Beginner wrote:

Chevrons nearly always point down on the front tyre when viewed from the front!

That's because you've fitted them the wrong way round

The Rookie

No, that is the direction of the arrow! More tyres are that way round than the other I think (OK of the top of the range tyres mybe about 50:50)

For best grip while rolling you want the point of the chevron to touch down first, for best grip when locked the other way round as the tyre works back to front.

Simon

xtreem

You still gonna be slow either way.

PXR5

See, its a bag of worms isn't it

The offending article is shown below

http://www.maxxis.com/Bicycle/Mountain/ADvantage.aspx

The directional arrow on the side wall just says <ROTATION, and on this photo it would point AWAY from you, ie the tyre would roll into the screen if you see what i mean.

This means that if you look at the larger central lugs, the ones perhaps that look more like arrow heads/chevrons, would be travelling "point first" when they hit the ground, actually this does makes sense to me, as in this point first direction they would push water/mud/whatever out sides ways from the tyre, which would normally be what you require from a tread, if they we the other way around then their shape could pull water/mud back towards the centre of the tread..


Next time perhaps i should buy tyres marked front and back, otherwise i'll just get sadly confused again..

konadawg

PXR5 wrote:

This means that if you look at the larger central lugs, the ones perhaps that look more like arrow heads/chevrons, would be travelling "point first" when they hit the ground, actually this does makes sense to me, as in this point first direction they would push water/mud/whatever out sides ways from the tyre, which would normally be what you require from a tread, if they we the other way around then their shape could pull water/mud back towards the centre of the tread..:

That is correct, and furthermore, that setup generally means better braking.

It all depends on the intended purpose of course.

On some tyres you would have that setup in the front (for braking) and the rear the other way round (for traction).

I.e. (sorry Blitz) as Beginner said.

Now with the Advantage, maybe the intended purpose means that clearing of water/mud and also braking is more important than traction. There is leeway of course - fit the tyres (well the rear mainly) as you imagine suits your purposes best. E.g. for DH riding the rear is generally always fitted for braking, not traction, but if you used the same tyres in an all mountain scenario you may want to flip the rear.

The only important thing is that you DO know what is going on so can make a knowledgeable decision.

.blitz

*whine* you're all picking on me and spoiling the forum

If you want to fit your tyres the wrong way round be my guest :P

bennett_346

.blitz wrote:

*whine* you're all picking on me and spoiling the forum

If you want to fit your tyres the wrong way round be my guest :P

No you're just wrong :?

The Rookie

Well Blitz, if you learn to modulate your braking so you don't lock up, you'll find fitting them the right way round (rolling) gives you much better grip!

Of course if you keep locking them up you need all the help (from the tyres) you can get.

Simon

PXR5

Right, so i'm sticking with my current set up, both tyres fitted in the same direction as per the Maxxis arrow, with the little chevronney things squeezing mud and crap outwards..

I don't mind locking the back end up occasionally, its very childish i know but fun, and i do it to prove to my son that dad can still do bigger skids than he can

However locking the front is not cool, the last time i did this the resulting very brief unintentional attempt at a forward loop made me look more like Granny than Danny Macaskill...