Front tire on the rear

[82gs1100glz]

What, if any, problems would a guy have by running a tire on the rear, that was labeled as a "Front", but was still the correct size for the rear?

I have an opportunity to buy such a tire and I'm looking for some feedback on the subject, Thanks.

Leon

[NICK!]

If the front tire you want to use on the back has a direction of rotation arrow you have to put the tire on backwards (arrow pointing opposite the direction of rotation).

Be careful, make sure the tread looks appropriate for a rear tire. We use to put Pierelli Phantom's meant for rear use on the front all the time back in the day. I've NEVER had anyone ask about putting a front tire on the back.

[rphillips]

Back in the day, some tires had "front tire rotation", written on one side of the tire, with an arrow pointing the reght direction. On the other side it would have "rear tire rotation" with an arrow pointing the other direction. I hope you get a good answer, cause I've wondered the same thing.

[Pete Logan]

That's for racers and experimenters who are not too careful with their own lives.

For those of us who live on this planet - Just Don't Do It

The tire guys spent millions getting it right.

You ain't smarter.

Just look up the spec on the tire website and do it.

[Scot Thompson]

Front on rear

Hey Leon,

Don't do it. The front tires have a different cross section profile, the fronts being rounder than the rear's somewhat square shoulders. Also, the fronts are frequently made with different load ratings, e.g., 62 versus 75. Further, the fronts always have a shallower depth than the rears do. Couple all that together and you'll find unsatisfactory handling and fast tire wear.

Tires are just not the right part to be pinch penny over. Please buy the right tire for the application, your life depends on it.

Cheers, Scot

[tone]

This is a really REALLY bad idea

[gsryder]

Some tire manufactures (kenda) for example make tires rated for both front or rear applications. I would check with the manufacturer just to make sure and go with their recommendation.

[redryder]

frt. to rear

bike bandit told me about 3 mo. ago that the only difference is the rear has a stiffer side wall for carrying more weight otherwise they are the same..

[mighty13d]

bike bandit told me about 3 mo. ago that the only difference is the rear has a stiffer side wall for carrying more weight otherwise they are the same..

You should be alright then. The tire you are looking at is probably for a large cruiser.

I made this mistake on the tire I ordered for my GN250. I ordered a front instead of a rear for the rear. Same size and almost the same tread pattern. The tire is rated for more weight than my entire bike so I'm fine on that, and it should wear incredibly well. The difference that I'm experiencing is that it turns a LOT quicker in corners. The bike doesn't go fast enough to worry about highway speeds or anything. If it wasn't going to be a huge hassle for me, I would have sent it back and gotten the correct one though.

[ReTread]

I just put a new Bridgestone Spitfire on the back of the Skunk. It's a decent tire for the $68.00 and little bit of shipping.

Take the excellent advice offered from others here. Tires, like brakes, are a poor place to look for savings.

[neil w]

If the tyre is directional DO NOT run it against its correct orientation.
It is nor unheard of for the structure of the tyre to fail. Most commonly the tread pattern will start to break down and splits will appear between the tread blocks in the bottom of the grooves.
Any tyre which is marked for front and rear application will be designed differently ie the old Avon Roadrunners etc.
The older Pirelli Phantoms in the 80's did have rear pattern tyre that could be run on the front BUT it was designed as a front tyre fron the offset and merely mimicked the tread pattern of the rear not its construction.