2014 RT front tires at 12k miles

[Peter Aawen]

I did answer your original post Pete, post 3 in this thread! Then in my post that you quoted above, I was answering Blueknight & I quoted his post to indicate that, because he'd commented on one of my earlier posts & quoted it?!?

As for your most recent question, there was a period where all the Spyder Spec Kendas made between mid 2013 & mid 2014 & then continuing to be sold from dealers 'old stock' until well into 2016 (that I'm aware of anyway, it could've been much longer in your neck of the woods) were made with a softer tread compound & most Spyders were lucky to get 5000 miles out of them!! It could be that Buckeye Chuck's second set were the soft compound short life Kendas that were even worse than the 'normal' Kendas...

But when it comes to the 'differences' between the Formoza's, one of those you are considering is a high performance dry weather TRACTION performance tire that sacrifices longevity for greater traction, while the other is an all season long wearing tire that sacrifices a little traction for longer life - you get to choose which feature is most important to you!

Me, I chose an all season Sport/Touring Kumho that I knew wouldn't give me quite the traction one of the dry weather performance tires would, but that gave me longer wearing all seasons performance along with reasonable traction in all weather at the cost of some ultimate dry weather traction. It's all a game of compromise, what is important to you; ultimate dry weather traction (which means a shorter life) or pretty reasonable all round traction with a lot longer tire life?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

And, it seems to be more readily available than the AZ01. EVOs are still plentiful.

How do you think it compares to the Kumho for the front tire? Which Kumho are you recommending?

It has been my experience that the front tires don't matter nearly enough compared to the rear .... Even the Crapenda's aren't terrible for the front , but they are an inferior tire by any standards ..... The wet traction will vary from tire to tire but ultimate traction isn't as critical for the front ... any decent Car tire will provide what you need ...... IMHO ... Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Dad-gum-it.... I spoke to the good people at Superbuytires today and these are indeed out of stock. They do have the Federal EVO tires but not the Formozas. The nice lady I spoke with said these tires sell out fast because they are on the lower end of price. Their "season" is from January through April when they get containers full of tires. When they are sold out, we just have to wait for the next season.

Then if it were me then I'd get the FD2's ( not the EVO's )..............Mike

[jaherbst]

Not all alignments are equal. Doubt if it's the tires. Front Kenda's average between 18-23,000 miles. Balance and a Good alignment are the secret to life of any tire. Wear in the front suspension could also be a factor but I doubt it with only 30,000 miles. A lot of dealers who bought the Rolo system turn it over to less than competent tech's with little or no training. Most tire changes or alignment/balance work get's delegated to the Junior less experienced people. Same with car dealerships. It's a low priority job, so they think.

Jack

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I haven't been running them on my Spyder quite as long here, (largely cos I didn't buy my RT til late 2013! ) but like sooo many others, I haven't looked back since changing over to car tires....

Funnily enough, I don't think too many people do look back after making the change, (especially those who thought the Kendas were OK - until they discovered otherwise once they made the change! ) and of the few that made the change but then may have felt they could've done the wrong thing by doing so, most of them were still running the same pressures as those needed by the Kendas, which is waaaay too high for a tire capable of safely & reliably carrying a full sized car at those pressures!!

annnnnnnnd .....Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Makes it sound like the laser alignment shortened the life of your tires. You don't mean that do you? What else do you attribute the relatively short life of the second set of Kendas to, compared with the first set?

Kenda's appear to have / sell a lot of DEFECTIVE tires .... as this has been reported here many, many times .................Mike

[UtahPete]

Not all alignments are equal. Doubt if it's the tires. Front Kenda's average between 18-23,000 miles. Balance and a Good alignment are the secret to life of any tire. Wear in the front suspension could also be a factor but I doubt it with only 30,000 miles. A lot of dealers who bought the Rolo system turn it over to less than competent tech's with little or no training. Most tire changes or alignment/balance work get's delegated to the Junior less experienced people. Same with car dealerships. It's a low priority job, so they think. Jack

I'm inclined to agree, Jack.

[UtahPete]

Kenda's appear to have / sell a lot of DEFECTIVE tires .... at this has been reported here many, many times ....Mike

I think Peter Aawen is on to something. No telling which batch of Kenda tires the replacements came from...that is one heck of a range of tire life within the same make and model of tire!

[UtahPete]

I did answer your original post Pete, post 3 in this thread!

But when it comes to the 'differences' between the Formoza's, one of those you are considering is a high performance dry weather TRACTION performance tire that sacrifices longevity for greater traction, while the other is an all season long wearing tire that sacrifices a little traction for longer life - you get to choose which feature is most important to you!

Me, I chose an all season Sport/Touring Kumho that I knew wouldn't give me quite the traction one of the dry weather performance tires would, but that gave me longer wearing all seasons performance along with reasonable traction in all weather at the cost of some ultimate dry weather traction. It's all a game of compromise, what is important to you; ultimate dry weather traction (which means a shorter life) or pretty reasonable all round traction with a lot longer tire life?

Peter, you are very right of course. My apologies.

I appreciate your analysis of the difference between the two Formoza tires; now I've just got to figure out which is which . Which particular Kumho is it that you (and probably Mike) are using? Is there a model name?

[canamjhb]

The Federal FD2 is, in fact, the new generation of the Formoza. The tire designation is Federal Formoza FD2 (instead of AOZ1).

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Peter, you are very right of course. My apologies.

I appreciate your analysis of the difference between the two Formoza tires; now I've just got to figure out which is which . Which particular Kumho is it that you (and probably Mike) are using? Is there a model name?

About 5 years ago I tried the Kumho is 225/55-15 for the rear .... it was much,much better than the Crapenda's .... but I wasn't really impressed with it ... it did last a lot longer but the wet traction wasn't great ..... I put a Michelin -Hydro Edge in 215/60-15 on my RT ...I loved it ( but not sold anymore unless it is OLD stock )..... I was going to use a General Altimax RT43 ( 215/60-15 ) but before I bought it ...I found the Pirelli - P4 Four Seasons " PLUS " version ... I think this mat be better than the Altimax ( which is highly rated ) ..... I'll report on it next riding season ( right now some other members here are using it ) .... Mike

[Buckeye Chuck 54]

The OEM tire pressure was set at 23, and after alignment and new tires I noticed after too long it was 30. The right front was worn badly on the inside and cupped all across, left cupped too. That's when I had the front end checked. I then changed to Federal EVO's, but had to balance them every 5000 miles or so. They lasted 46,000 miles then I bought Kumho Solus KH16's. Good tire, on my second set.
I've bought new motorcycles through the years. The OEM tires ALWAYS last longer than replacements of the same size and brand. Never fails.
THe laser alignment made the Spyder handle and ride better.
Chuck

Makes it sound like the laser alignment shortened the life of your tires. You don't mean that do you? What else do you attribute the relatively short life of the second set of Kendas to, compared with the first set?

[UtahPete]

About 5 years ago I tried the Kumho is 225/55-15 for the rear .... it was much,much better than the Crapenda's .... but I wasn't really impressed with it ... it did last a lot longer but the wet traction wasn't great ..... I put a Michelin -Hydro Edge in 215/60-15 on my RT ...I loved it ( but not sold anymore unless it is OLD stock )..... I was going to use a General Altimax RT43 ( 215/60-15 ) but before I bought it ...I found the Pirelli - P4 Four Seasons " PLUS " version ... I think this mat be better than the Altimax ( which is highly rated ) ..... I'll report on it next riding season ( right now some other members here are using it ) .... Mike

Thanks Mike, but I was asking about the front tires since I'm going to need to replace those fairly soon.

[Peter Aawen]

I'm currently running a pair of Kumho Solus KH17's in 175/65R15 up front with 14-16 psi in them for solo/2-up ryding.

They've clocked over 35,000 km on my 2013 RT since late 2014, still look brand new, and the Spyder handles like a rocket sled on rails on dry or wet roads - in fact, my emergency braking from 100kph/about 60mph on a wet skid pan is consistently about 1/3rd BETTER in the wet than on the skid pan when it's dry, but that is not all that uncommon a thing for 'all season' sports/touring tires like the Kumhos, even on cars! Dropping the front tire pressure to 12psi made the handling feel doughy & the steering feel heavier/harder as well as noticeably chewing more fuel, but it improved the braking by about another 5 or so metres; while increasing the tire pressure to 18 psi made the steering feel lighter & possibly marginally 'more direct' and it improved the fuel economy marginally too, but it made front end skids & understeer a real issue when pushing it a little, hydro-planing common on even just damp roads plus almost a certainty on wet roads, and it pushed the emergency braking distance out by over 1/2 again wet or dry!!

I've ridden (tested?!?) a few different Spyders with various Performance/Dry Weather Traction tires fitted, & while my RT on the Kumho's is undeniably not quite so direct nor the tires quite so grippy on a dry surface, it's really not that far behind & the better wet road performance & braking I get plus the significantly better tire life that I get from them is, in my opinion, well worth it! And point to point on public roads in any weather/on a variety of surfaces, I'm not giving away ANYTHING AT ALL by running the Kumhos instead of a stickier tire! When the Spyders with stickier &/or more expensive (& generally shorter lived) dry road traction/performance biased tires arrive at a given destination, I'm almost always up towards the front of the pack! And I'm not that much of a better ryder! Some, maybe; possibly even arguably... more committed, quite probably.... but not all that much better!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks Mike, but I was asking about the front tires since I'm going to need to replace those fairly soon.

...Sorry lately I've been asked about tires do many times , I may have confused you w/another .... BUUUUUUUUUUT I did post about front tires in my post #27 & #28 on this thread ......... Mike

[AeroPilot]

When the OEM front Kendas wore out around 25,000 miles, we put a set of Kumho Solus KH16's on the wifes 15 RT-S and they were wearing even at 44,000 when we traded off this April. Based on that I ordered another set and have them on my base RT since 23,500 and just got back from Red Rocks and have a little over 30,000 miles so just getting started. We are mainly cruising type riders at the speed limit and enjoying the myles of smyles. Running about 17-18 psi cold in the front Kumhos, 25-26 psi in the rears. Just mounted a General Altimax RT43 on the wifes F3T to try it out after several Kumho Ecsta AST's with great service on the rear. YMMV.

[jaherbst]

I think Peter Aawen is on to something. No telling which batch of Kenda tires the replacements came from...that is one heck of a range of tire life within the same make and model of tire!

The new compound for the rear tire began in May of 2014 or 2015. I can't remember. I got this information from Ann and think it would included the front tires also. Evan so the front tires have lasted a reasonable amount of mileage and no one has had only 6000 miles before changing the fronts.
,
Regardless, if buying the Kenda's as I do, check the manufacture date and make sure it is recent production. This should be done in any case with any brand. Some of these tires have been sitting on the shelf for an extended period of time. I am talking about all brands here. The tire size on the Spyder is odd for any brand and could be quite old. I personally do not run any tire whether in constant use or sitting more than five years.

All tires sold in the USA are required to have a date of manufacture stamped on the sidewall.

​Jack

[UtahPete]

The new compound for the rear tire began in May of 2014 or 2015. I can't remember. I got this information from Ann and think it would included the front tires also. Evan so the front tires have lasted a reasonable amount of mileage and no one has had only 6000 miles before changing the fronts. Regardless, if buying the Kenda's as I do, check the manufacture date and make sure it is recent production. This should be done in any case with any brand. Some of these tires have been sitting on the shelf for an extended period of time. I am talking about all brands here. The tire size on the Spyder is odd for any brand and could be quite old. I personally do not run any tire whether in constant use or sitting more than five years. All tires sold in the USA are required to have a date of manufacture stamped on the sidewall. ​Jack

Good point, Jack. Sometimes those 'clearance' priced tires are just plain old!

[UtahPete]

...Sorry lately I've been asked about tires do many times , I may have confused you w/another .... BUUUUUUUUUUT I did post about front tires in my post #27 & #28 on this thread ......... Mike

Mike, I saw those responses, thanks. What I'm asking now is which Kumho's you like for the front? What model and size? Thanks.

[UtahPete]

When the OEM front Kendas wore out around 25,000 miles, we put a set of Kumho Solus KH16's on the wifes 15 RT-S and they were wearing even at 44,000 when we traded off this April. Based on that I ordered another set and have them on my base RT since 23,500 and just got back from Red Rocks and have a little over 30,000 miles so just getting started. We are mainly cruising type riders at the speed limit and enjoying the myles of smyles. Running about 17-18 psi cold in the front Kumhos, 25-26 psi in the rears. Just mounted a General Altimax RT43 on the wifes F3T to try it out after several Kumho Ecsta AST's with great service on the rear. YMMV.

Thanks, that's helpful.

[jcthorne]

Just throwing it out there for consideration but,

We sell and install Yokohamas for front and rear and have been very impressed with them. Since this thread is about the fronts,

Yokohama Avid S34FA 175/55R15 is a perfect fit and GREAT handling tire on the Spyder.

[UtahPete]

I'm currently running a pair of Kumho Solus KH17's in 175/65R15 up front with 14-16 psi in them for solo/2-up ryding. They've clocked over 35,000 km on my 2013 RT since late 2014, still look brand new, and the Spyder handles like a rocket sled on rails on dry or wet roads - in fact, my emergency braking from 100kph/about 60mph on a wet skid pan is consistently about 1/3rd BETTER in the wet than on the skid pan when it's dry, but that is not all that uncommon a thing for 'all season' sports/touring tires like the Kumhos, even on cars! Dropping the front tire pressure to 12psi made the handling feel doughy & the steering feel heavier/harder as well as noticeably chewing more fuel, but it improved the braking by about another 5 or so metres; while increasing the tire pressure to 18 psi made the steering feel lighter & possibly marginally 'more direct' and it improved the fuel economy marginally too, but it made front end skids & understeer a real issue when pushing it a little, hydro-planing common on even just damp roads plus almost a certainty on wet roads, and it pushed the emergency braking distance out by over 1/2 again wet or dry!!

I've ridden (tested?!?) a few different Spyders with various Performance/Dry Weather Traction tires fitted, & while my RT on the Kumho's is undeniably not quite so direct nor the tires quite so grippy on a dry surface, it's really not that far behind & the better wet road performance & braking I get plus the significantly better tire life that I get from them is, in my opinion, well worth it! And point to point on public roads in any weather/on a variety of surfaces, I'm not giving away ANYTHING AT ALL by running the Kumhos instead of a stickier tire! When the Spyders with stickier &/or more expensive (& generally shorter lived) dry road traction/performance biased tires arrive at a given destination, I'm almost always up towards the front of the pack! And I'm not that much of a better ryder! Some, maybe; possibly even arguably... more committed, quite probably.... but not all that much better!

Great feedback Peter, thanks.

[UtahPete]

Just throwing it out there for consideration but, We sell and install Yokohamas for front and rear and have been very impressed with them. Since this thread is about the fronts, Yokohama Avid S34FA 175/55R15 is a perfect fit and GREAT handling tire on the Spyder.

Thanks JC. Sounds like another great option for the front tires. How is the wear life on them?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Mike, I saw those responses, thanks. What I'm asking now is which Kumho's you like for the front? What model and size? Thanks.

As I have reported before .... Any good Car ( that fits ) will be fine ....getting that tire perfectly aligned is Key ..... the rear tire is VERY critical and that's what I have strong feelings about ...... Mike

[Peter Aawen]

.... Evan so the front tires have lasted a reasonable amount of mileage and no one has had only 6000 miles before changing the fronts.
.......

The soft compound Kendas here were date stamped between June 2013 & June 2014, but many Spyders were manufactured between those dates & then dealers sold them later (my 2013 RT was manufactured late in 2013, & so, it scored them!) and even more dealers had stocks on hand of those tires for months (if not years) later, so they were sold & installed over the next couple of years too.

I didn't quite get 4800 miles out of the rear 'soft compound' Kenda with fairly sedate 'run in' ryding, and from there, the two Kendas up front went from looking like I needed to replace them sometime soon to having canvas show thru in LESS than the next 200 miles (the trip home!) so the fronts were changed out just before 5000 miles, & I wasn't alone in needing to do that here in Aus - there are very definitely people & Spyders around who DID NOT get even 6000 miles out of the 'soft compound' Kendas - I was one of them!!

But you are definitely correct about the tire age thing Jack, Aus & EU countries have the same requirement for date stamps. In fact it's illegal for a tire dealer here to sell a tire older than 5 years old as 'new' & in some State they aren't allowed to fit a tire older than 7 years without warning the owner, & a vehicle running tires older than 10 years old can be declared unroadworthy & put off the road until it's rectified.... But some pretty old tires definitely DO get sold off as 'clearance specials' & there's always some people who will buy them!! Hey, some people even go on-line here to buy dodgy imports cheap that aren't in any way up to the standards required for their or anyone else's safety on the roads, but they saved 10 bucks on the single most important thing between them & the road!!