Do I Need to Change Back If the Tire Is Mounted Backwards?
2 Answers
Tires mounted backwards need to be corrected, and during installation, the tire's specified mounting direction should be strictly followed. Here are the specific reasons: 1. Tire tread design: The tread pattern and its orientation have a directional design, which plays a crucial role in water drainage and anti-slip performance during normal driving. 2. Reversed mounting affects braking: Mounting tires backwards reduces the vehicle's grip, causes uneven resistance on both sides, thereby affecting braking performance, accelerates tire wear, and may lead to vehicle deviation and unstable steering.
Just helped my neighbor with this issue a couple of days ago. If the tire is mounted inside out, it must be flipped back. The sidewall is marked with INSIDE and OUTSIDE - mounting it wrong means the rain tread pattern will work in reverse, making it especially prone to skidding. Particularly for unidirectional tires like Michelin PS4 which have an arrow indicating rotation direction on the sidewall - mounting them backwards not only causes noise but may lead to overheating and blowouts at highway speeds. This is the most common mistake made by repair shop apprentices. I recommend crouching down to feel the embossed letters on the sidewall - the raised letters indicate the outside. Best to get a dynamic balance done before remounting, and check if the TPMS sensor got damaged during the process.
