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Directional Arrows
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I understand and appreciate the requirement for directional arrows on
tires, but what about the directional arrow on a front wheel?
The reason I ask is last Monday while washing my Venture I discovered
the directional arrow on my front wheel is pointed the wrong way. The
tire is right but the wheel is wrong. Worse is it has been that way
since my last tire change a little over a year ago. Maybe longer for
all I know. I wasn't even aware the wheel would have a directional
arrow.
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Unless the spokes are at 90 degrees to the rim and hub, ALL wheels are
directional.
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The spoke pattern on my BMW is rotationally symmetrical, yet there is an
arrow indicating direction of rotation. I suspect that is there because
once a wheel is built and used, the pattern of compression and tension
on spokes beds them in in a certain way, and that reversing the
direction is bad for them. I don't know how bad...
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Looking at the wheel and the rotors it appears to be symmetrical and
could be reversed and still be a perfect fit.
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Are you positive about that? Mind you, even if you are and the wheel's on
the wrong way, you could have "issues" should you ever have an accident.
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The bike seems to handle fine although it has always had a bit of a
high speed wobble when turning left. Right hand turns are pretty
stable.
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It won't make any difference. The direction requirement is because of
stresses being pumped into the wheel and the angle of the spokes deals with
them, be they from the round up or the hub down.
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The front wheel's greatest forces result from gravity and braking; the
back wheel's greatest forces result from gravity and accelerating.
Sideways steering forces aren't that great, for the vector from the CG
to the contact patch is always close to parallel to the plane of the
wheel; any offness there results in sideways forces. These are dealt
with by the spokes being set up in a V (or, with newer BMWS, an X).
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Should I have it changed?
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Only if you'd prefer the high speed wobble on right turns. ;-)
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Ride backwards?
I'd just wait until the next tire change. Then a again the rotors are
probably mated / matched to the brake shoes?
Maybe get new brake pads when you get a new tire.
Or just buy a new bike. Whatever is easier.
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Yeah a new bike! Dat's da ticket!
Obviously the best solution.
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The ashtrays are full, figuratively speaking.
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