lagonda 42 Posted January 19, 2007 Almost unbelievably my CTi is back on the road after nearly 2 years. Only 2 problems getting it MoTd; hole in driveshaft gaiter (new recon, great!). and N/S/F tyre near the limit. I thought the tyre would be OK, but didn't want to argue as I'm sure he could have found plenty else to fail it on if he wanted. He said he'd get a budget tyre fitted cheaply, which he did, but only when I got the car home did I realise the rotation arrow on the tyre was pointing the wrong way. OK the clown who did the fitting got the wheel on its own & didn't see what side of the car it came from, but then the tyre removed WAS unidirectional AND fitted correctly. Easy mistake to make, but surely it's a safety issue & these bozos should receive some training in what to look for when they change a tyre?! I know obvious answer is to take it back, but it would be 130 mile round trip (deliberately booked MoT a distance away to get everything to bed in/free up beforehand), so just not worth it. So, just how vital is it for it to turn the correct way? Would any adverse effects be lessened if I moved it to the rear? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
boombang 2 Posted January 19, 2007 Could you swap it with a wheel on the other side of the car? I won't mix tyres on an axle and very careful if I ever mix tyres front to rear! Directional tyres are designed to disperse water so this would reduce effectiveness considerably, and become a potential hazard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BrainFluid Posted January 19, 2007 Your only allowed to book an mot 30 (or is it 50?) miles away you know. I'ld be carefull in the future with that one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lagonda 42 Posted January 20, 2007 Swapping with a wheel the other side not really an option as the others are all unidirectional: perhaps any problems would be lessened if the wrongly rotating tyre was a more worn one however? At the moment I've moved the new-tyred wheel to the offside front, using that wheel as the spare. The "original" spare is the last of the original 1.6 wheels and has a nearly new NON directional tyre, so perhaps more useful as a spare as a unidirectional tyred spare will only be good 50% of the time! I know the 1.6 wheel/tyre is 14" whilst the 1.9 wheels/tyres it uses are 15", but that said, the rolling radius is identical and I've noticed no complications from the driving seat. Re the long journey to get the MoT, I thought the only requirement was that the journey was directly to & from the MoT station? If there is a specified mileage limit I shall have to be careful to check the distance in future, although hopefully the need for booking a distance away won't arise again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BrainFluid Posted January 20, 2007 Go to a garage and have them take the tyre off and put it back on the other way around it will cost you between £5-£10 depending on wether you want the wheel balancing or not and if you have made the job easier for them by taking the wheel off the car first. Yup your not allowed to buy a car in devon and book an mot in scotland so you can drive it up there for example. The mot station should be within a reasonable distance of which around 30 miles is quoted. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lagonda 42 Posted January 20, 2007 Pine for the good old days! Around 1975 I nearly bought yet another 2 1/2 litre Riley (1950-odd) for about £20. Was rusty as hell but looked like it might run (just imagine that with a 205). Even I realised it might gather police attention, so I rang the local police & spoke with the chief guy there. He said he'd give one of his guys a dressing down if they did cause trouble for me, & to ring him if I did get stopped! Can't see that happening today. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phil H 16 Posted January 20, 2007 I thought directional tyres fitted on the wrong side of the car were an MOT failure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jer309GTi 3 Posted January 20, 2007 I thought directional tyres fitted on the wrong side of the car were an MOT failure. Me too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lagonda 42 Posted January 21, 2007 You'd think so. Either he didn't realise, or spotted it & thought a Nelsonian approach best. He did know fitting the original spare was a no-no! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M_R_205 5 1 Cars Posted January 25, 2007 I thought directional tyres fitted on the wrong side of the car were an MOT failure. i got pulled by the police for speeding last year and they pointed out both my rear tyres wre the wrong way round, and the front two were bald told me to get it sorted within the week and produce a thingy saying so at the station, bastard! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
