The Pirelli 210 winter tires. I know they are Asymmetric but are they directional as well?

I have these tires and today while I was looking at my car's tread marks in the driveway I noticed something "funny". It seems the tread on the inner edge of the left tire is designed to bring the water out whereas the treak on the inner edge of the right tire is bringing water inwards - i.e something like this:

Rear Left-------- Rear Right
****----------****

Basically, the right tire is the same as the left only the direction is different. This does not look right to me but the tires have no directional markings on them like the rotaion arrow. Both sidewalls say "this side out" so the Assymetric part is ok.

IMO, they should be like this:

Rear Left-------- Rear Right
****----------////****

Can anyone clarify? Jim? I've been to two different local tire shops who carry these tires and they both had a different opinion - one says it's not right, the other says it ok and there is not seperate left/right tired. The front tires are the same way, btw.

Thanks!

 

Here's a pic of the tire, I just found it online:

 

Mas - they are directional - check out pirelli's website:

http://www.pirelli.com/en_42//tyres/catalo...&productid=2099



Justin

 

Justin,

That's a different tire, I don't know why it has the same model number/name, though. Might have to do something with size/application.

 

oh I see what you mean - the tread is completely different - sorry!

 

It appears your tire is a W-210A, there's other W-210's... like a W-210P, but I can't find anything about it being, or not being, a directional tire.

 

If the tire is directional, there will be an arrow or mark on the sidewall with the direction of rotation marked. Look at the sidewall of one of our OEM S02's.

 

Jim,

I know TireRack carries these tires, at least they did a test. Can you please help me figure this out?

I don't see an arrow but there's this lightning pattern on the outer sidewall that could represent direction?

Thanks in advance,

mas

 

It doesn't have to be an arrow. I believe the lightning bolt does the same thing. Seems like I saw some Pirelli's that were put on wrong at a dealership once. They were ungodly big and so I went to look and the tread was definitely wrong from the right and left. Took me 20 minutes to find something on the tires to help and I believe it was a lightning bolt. I was even nice enough to tell the service guy at Acura and he thanked me after going to look.

 

nsx555,

Yes, that's the lightning bolt i'm talking about. This lightning pattern on the right side tires points to the back. :-( I called the tire shop where I got these tires and they tell me there's no seperate left/right tires made by pirelli. I also asked at another tire store about this and they told me the same thing.

:-(