David Brown Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Having just ordered new tyres from George Polley, I need to get them fitted. Do normal tyre fitters (KwikFit etc) know about putting the red dot next to the valve? I haven't noticed the dot on conventional tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 No they don't. Just got new Bridgestones on my Legacy and the dots are no where near the valves, but don't get me on about Kwik Fit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wahey Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I always thought the red dot was supposed to go on the opposite side to the valve as it was the heaviest part of the tyre! How wrong I am.. But basically no attention to the dot has ever been paid anywhere I have had tyres fitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Team Shaun_E Posted February 21, 2006 Support Team Share Posted February 21, 2006 Red dot is the high point of the tyre and should be lined up with the low point of the wheel (usually a notch or mark on the rim). If no red dot then the yellow dot represents the light spot of the tyre and should be aligned with the valve. This information from the Tyre Bible The reason for this is to minimise the weights required to balance the wheels. I doubt any tyre fitters bother with either of these as they will just stick the tyre on the wheel and put it on the balancing machine. Yellow SL #32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hadders Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I've just ordered from George Polley as well this afternoon then read this. How important is getting eveything lined up? Is it just a case of more or less weights on the wheels or does it affect handling, tyre wear etc? Orange Superlight #53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elie boone Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Yokohama answered me once that one was the lightest point static and the other was the lightest point dymamicly, can't say witch is witch 😳 and i can't find the print out 😳 😳 It's really something for FAQ Edited by - elie boone on 21 Feb 2006 17:20:23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 As an ex-aircraft mechanic: the red dot is the lightest point of the tyre and the tyre should be mounted on the wheel with the red dot adjacent to the valve, which is the heaviest part of the wheel. After mounting the assembly is not balanced. These are large aircraft (B707, Tristar, B747 etc) tubeless tyres. I've just done a quick Google check and both Goodyear and Yoko say the red dot is the tyre high point and should be mounted adjacent to the drill mark on the rim which is the wheel low point - this is to minimise radial run-out. Other results mention that the red dot is the light point and should be adjacent to the inflation valve. The mobile tyre fitter I use considers the red dot to be the lightest point too. So I guess it's take-your-pick 😬 as usual. BRG Brooklands SV 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Don't think even Polleys worry too much. Might mean a bit more weight but thats about it MikeW Mega Grad Race No 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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