Snake bellies

[In2bmx]

Just bought some for my beloved quad . I've been having a debate about which way they should face .

Conflicting opinions on the net . What's right and wrong ? Which way should they be ? 






Carl 

[Retrodan72]

They're the right way round on that Ripper.

[In2bmx]

They're the right way round on that Ripper.

that's my quad Danos 

[BMX1973]

+1

This is how I always rode them.

They're the right way round on that Ripper.

[factory pilot]

I read a long time ago that they need to go in opposite directions ( something to do with mud splatter ) front and rear in opposite directions ..with the front as on your quad .. I think they look better with both treads going forward 

[Retrodan72]

They're the right way round on that Ripper.

that's my quad Danos 

Looks baby blue in that light. 

[Jaymz]

They're the right way round on that Ripper.

that's my quad Danos 

but there are pictures of Bob Haro running them the other way round. But I agree you have them the right way like a directional tyre.

[GRAB ON KID]

Actually they should be the other way around to scoop the dirt for more traction on the track.BITD this was how we ran them to stop sliding or spinning out.You could tell the difference between more experienced racers to guys who were less experienced by which direction their tires were facing.

[griff]

Tractors are the key

[GRAB ON KID]

Tractor tires are that way to dig through mud for traction combined w/the weight & slow movement of the tractor.Also there are 4-6 wheels & It also stops the mud from clinging that way.

For race bikes which are light on hard dirt or normal track conditions, the tire needs to be scooping the dirt the other way so it doesn't slide or spin out.We mostly used snake bellies on the rear this way w/fat Aggressors or Comp 2's on the front.Try it on a track & you'll see that this way grips better. 

[griff]

I'm just keeping the thread going Mike 

Actually I initially thought that the rear at least would be better going the other way as I imagined it would dig in more when under hard pedaling. Then I saw the tractor pattern and figured a muddy track would cause the tread to clog up and therefore not dig in so much if the tread wasn't pointing forwards

Never had snake bellies or raced so happy to defer to the experts 

[GRAB ON KID]

Well the easier way to explain it is a  > has less forward traction than a <  as you have two ends gripping & scooping the dirt out as it moves forward so more of the tire is gripping the surface first as opposed to one point hitting the dirt first the tractor way which would  cause you to spin out or slide being less contact.The actual slits  & fanning out of the tread pattern on snake bellies were designed this way to disperse the dirt & grip better.

Saying that quite a few OS ads & bike shops put them on the wrong way round which adds to the confusion.

[insectbones]

I always ran my front as Carl has it and my rear as Mike says.

[In2bmx]

I always ran my front as Carl has it and my rear as Mike says.

that's what I think and would make more sense . Thinking logically.

Front forward for grip and the back reversed for power . 

[insectbones]

It wasn't logical thinking for me regarding the front Carl, I just prefered looking at the tread pattern that way from the bars 

The rear was logical to me though.

[wilsey72]

The "correct" way as per how they were designed is arrow forward in my opinion.

The fact they work better in some circumstances the other way round was found out through trial and error/personal preference.

I still say arrow forward is correct.