Tires: Inside/Outside Designation, rav 4, wear warranty

Question
QUESTION: I recently purchased a set of Continental Sport LX for my son's 05 Rav 4 and asked the sales person to mount them black out. when I arrived to pick up the car, the white letters were out. When I protested the service tech showed me the "outside" designation on the sidewall and explained that it was a directional tire and if I had them turn them around, the tread would not last a month.

OK. Lets assume that theory is correct. Shouldn't there then be right side and left side, so that the tread direction is not reversed?

Sounds like smoke to me. what's your take?

ANSWER: Wade,

It is hard to say without looking at a picture of the tread pattern - and your description of the tire doesn't quite line up with what Continental says is available.

BUT

The basic premise is that the less "asymmetrical" the tread pattern the less benefit you will get. I'm guessing but Continental's tire line up includes a slightly asymmetrical product that would likely be applied to a Rav 4 called the Cross Contact LX.  Based on what photos are available on the internet,I would say that mounting the black side out would be OK and not cause any significant problems.  However, you should be aware that the tread wear warranty may be voided by mounting the tires inside out.

As a side note:  I assume that the tire mounters are told to mount the tires the way they say to be mounted and their technical expertise is not the level of rocket science.  The clue here is that the tires aren't directional if they say "This side out" or words to that effect - they are asymmetrical.  

BTW it is not uncommon for small elements of a tread pattern to appear directional.  This has a lot to do with the water finding a clear path to the outside of the tire.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: These tires were purchased at WalMart. I was told they were made especially for WM, that they were the Cross Contact LX but with the White Lettering, giving it the "Sport" designation. Is this typically done for such a large retailer as WM?

Answer
Wade,

It is not uncommon for a large retailer to want a "different" tire.  This has a number of advantages:

Price comparison is more difficult.

You only need to adjust what you sell.

Sometimes this takes the form of a different name on the tire - and nothing else is different - to a completely unique, nothing is the same, type of situation.

These situations usually require a retailer to be large enough to justify the expense of making adifferent tire.  Obviously Wal Mart would fit into that category.
So,yes, Wal Mart