Front tires

[lewisalice]

I see a lot of talk about rear tires but what you all like for the front tires.

[SpyderConvert]

At 1900 miles, I switched to Federal Formoza AZ01s in stock size (165/55 R15). I believe that the handling is MUCH better.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I see a lot of talk about rear tires but what you all like for the front tires.

Because of my past profession, and using different tires on various Spyders. The absolutely best tire was a Toyo Proxes T1R in a 185/55-15 ..... held like GLUE ..... But guess what , the NANNY didn't approve. The grip was sooooooooo good she would kick in constantly in the Twisties .... If the Spyder didn't have the Nanny, ULTIMATE grip would matter. But the Nanny is there so just look for TIRES that perform well in the WET .................. Mike

[Bensonoid]

As soon as I finish my beer I'm going to mount these.

[cognaccruiser]

I also have a 2014 and have put Continental Contiprocontacts on in the 175/55R15 size. No problems with fitment, no Nanny complaints and they do seem to improve handling. There are other options if you search the forum as this question does come up fairly often.

Gary

[opiewhan]

I see a lot of talk about rear tires but what you all like for the front tires.

Hankook Optimo's for me..just does fit and the ride and steering are great..oh ya and a great price to..check em out at Discount Tires..

[R FUN]

Hankooks for me also. Have performed great. This is in the 14'' size. For Canadians, available at Canadian Tire.
Roger

[SpyderAnn01]

For 15" wheels I love the Federal Formoza.

[south GA Farm Boy]

For 15" wheels I love the Federal Formoza.

Spyder Ann,
What tire PSI do you run in your front Federal Formoza tires?

[Deanna777]

Another vote for the Continental Contiprocontact Size: 165/60R 15 @ 19PSI.

No problems, current mileage on spyder is 16,893 on a 2014RTS-SE6.

Mileage on the front tires is 4,086 miles, changed the front tires last year. These tires work well and hold the corners great. There is NO noise from the tires . Deanna

[Fat Baxter]

Kumho Solus KH16's, and the change in handling was DRAMATIC!!!!!!!!

[Fat Baxter]

I had an idea: as much discussion as there is about tires, Lamont ought to create a separate "Tires" forum.

[Bam Bam and Pebbles]

Federal Evo's in the OEM size for me.

And if Lamont did create a Tire section, he may as well create an Oil section too. And people would still probably just post a question in the General section.

[Bob Denman]

And a "Helmet" section too!

[Highwayman2013]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-NEW-Federa...W/222444863481

[wrb3004]

Do car tires on the front make that much difference with handling? I have added the sway bar and I have done the laser alignment. I don't think it handles bad but I think it could be better. The bike only has about 7000 miles and the front tires still look like new but I don't have a problem changing them if it would make it handle better yet.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Do car tires on the front make that much difference with handling? I have added the sway bar and I have done the laser alignment. I don't think it handles bad but I think it could be better. The bike only has about 7000 miles and the front tires still look like new but I don't have a problem changing them if it would make it handle better yet.

If the Spyders didn't have the " NANNY " .... Tires would / could make a difference. Since you have changed the Sway bar, the biggest difference has already been done. Wet road handling could be better with certain Car tires, but this would mostly occur for the rear......... Accurate alignment ie. ROLO/ Tru-Trac Lazer type would be more important than Car tire as far as handling is concerned. The main weakness with the KENDA's is their poor construction and QUALITY CONTROL ..... a lot of them are not round or have ply separation or are difficult if not impossible to balance etc..... If you have Kenda's, when they wear out definitely switch to Car tires. They are stronger, made better, will last longer and much less expensive than the Kenda's ....... Mike

[Bob Denman]

Do car tires on the front make that much difference with handling? I have added the sway bar and I have done the laser alignment. I don't think it handles bad but I think it could be better. The bike only has about 7000 miles and the front tires still look like new but I don't have a problem changing them if it would make it handle better yet.

Since you really don't have any specific complaint about the Kenda tires: why not wear them out first, and then go get some quality replacements?
Why spend money before you have to?

[lewisalice]

I decided to go with the Toyo proxes TR1 185/55/R15 and the Yokohama for the rear what tire pressure you recommend for front and rear using these tires.

[Bam Bam and Pebbles]

Since you really don't have any specific complaint about the Kenda tires: why not wear them out first, and then go get some quality replacements?
Why spend money before you have to?

I chose to remove my Kendas with about half the tread life left. I don't have the BajaRon swaybar, but the Evo's made a heck of a difference for me in the handling. I am keeping my Kendas as spares, just in case. Tried to get my dealer to buy them from me, but they said no.

[MikeT]

Since you really don't have any specific complaint about the Kenda tires: why not wear them out first, and then go get some quality replacements?
Why spend money before you have to?

There's a lot about tires that confuses a first-timer. There doesn't seem to be much space between the OEM tire(165/55/15) and the fender. How are people running 175 and 185 tires??????
Mike

[Bob Denman]

There's a lot about tires that confuses a first-timer. There doesn't seem to be much space between the OEM tire(165/55/15) and the fender. How are people running 175 and 185 tires??????
Mike

This is actually a two-part question:
There's the original fenders...
and the new ones that showed up in 2013...

[cognaccruiser]

There's a lot about tires that confuses a first-timer. There doesn't seem to be much space between the OEM tire(165/55/15) and the fender. How are people running 175 and 185 tires??????
Mike

I can only speak for the 175 Continentals that I'm running and I know others are too. There is absolutely no problem fitting them on my 2014 RTS. I believe you are on a 15 which has the same fender as my 14. Seeing 185 was a little surprising to me but if someone is using a 185 in a particular make of tire I tend to believe it. Something to keep in mind is that a tire can be advertised as a certain size but that size tire listed by one company can be different from the same size listed by another company. It is the actual/real size of the tire that counts.

Gary

[SpyderSteveFL]

Do car tires on the front make that much difference with handling? I have added the sway bar and I have done the laser alignment. I don't think it handles bad but I think it could be better. The bike only has about 7000 miles and the front tires still look like new but I don't have a problem changing them if it would make it handle better yet.

I think it depends on what you mean by 'handling' and what you think could be better. I don't agree that the sway bar is the best thing you can do - again it depends. Shocks are just, if not more, important again depending on what you want. The sway bar and shocks complement each other. If you want better cornering, speed in curves, less nosediving, etc. you need to upgrade the shocks. Also, on alignment, its not all about the ROLO. You need to ensure the DPS is set correctly - thats a computer setting. Have the DPS checked first as that free and easy. Then shocks, then tires. But again, depends on what exactly you are looking to improve, 'handling' is too generic.

[viperryder]

Another vote for Federal Formoza 165/55R 15. Just put a set on front and the Spyder handles very well. Got two tires delivered and installed for $150 total. Great tires.