Opposite Tread Patterns For Front And Rear Tyres
 

Ever wondered why tread patterns are opposite for the front and read tyres of a motorcycle? That's because the rear wheel propels the motorcycle forward and hence twists in a way to "push" the tarmac behind. Although the front wheel doesn't play a role in propelling the motorcycle forward, it does most of the work while braking by effectively "pushing" the tarmac in front. So these primary forces work in opposite directions.

Modern complex tyre tread patterns are designed to be more effective in one direction, which is why you can see the treads that this pair of Pirelli MT60 tyres made in the sand look opposite to each other.

http://www.deelipmenezes.com/wp-cont.../2016/04/a.jpg

This is why it’s very important to mount a tyre as specified by the rotational arrow marked on its side wall. Tyres that are symmetric in tread pattern don’t come with rotational arrows and can be mounted in any direction.

yes that's right to the best of my limited knowledge! but I wonder why the the front tyre is thinner that the rear in a lot of applications? As you can normally brake faster than you can accelerate!

This is especially the case for a lot of modern cars! I wonder if it is to do with the scrubbing effect that you have when driving a vehicle forwards that acts on the driving wheel(s)?

Any ideas?

It's easier to steer a thinner tyre. This is also the reason why off road bikes have thinner front tyres than they road biased counterparts. Case in point, tiger XC and XR variants.