RT-S Rear Tire

[rpopdan]

Any success stories out there for a Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50R/15 on a 2015 RT?
Good or bad I would like to hear.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Any success stories out there for a Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50R/15 on a 2015 RT?
Good or bad I would like to hear.

It's a lot better than the Crapenda OEM tire ....... However for about the same money ( and effort ) the General Altimax in 215/60-15 is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the Kumho ...... Mike

[AeroPilot]

Have put 5 of the Kumhos on RTs from 2014 to 2015 and got good wear and performance from all of them. Currently have 33,500 miles on my 15 RT with 20,000 of that on the Kumho. We get between 12 and 13,000 miles out of the OEM Kendas then switch and get twice the mileage out of the Kumhos. YMMV

Just put a General Altimax on the wifes F3T and have another General ready to try on my RT when the Kumho wears out in around 5,000 more miles. Hope that the mileage matches the Kumhos. The Altimax in 215/60R15 is a little taller, so the Speedo is now within 1 mph of the GPS, compared to 2 mph off on the Kumho at 65 mph.

[blacklightning]

I had the Kumho on my 2014 RT, and I loved it. I got it mainly because of the price, and the fact that it had the OEM size. But now I would not second guess going with another one, as the first served me well.

[rpopdan]

It's a lot better than the Crapenda OEM tire ....... However for about the same money ( and effort ) the General Altimax in 215/60-15 is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the Kumho ...... Mike

Mike

Think I will go with the General. We ride 2 up all the time. What pressure would be your choice for this rear tire.

Thanks

[Peter Aawen]

Unless you are loading the rear tire up a lot more than Spyders can safely carry, then you are going to be pretty much on the right pressure running 18 psi, +/- 1 or at most 2 psi to suit your particular load & ryding style/needs!

[Chupaca]

Being the first and most used car tire at the start many were happy. Now there are so many to choose from it has fallen to the wayside... still to many the best substiture so you can't go wrong. Hope they all fill you in on all the choices but it does become hard to pick....

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Mike

Think I will go with the General. We ride 2 up all the time. What pressure would be your choice for this rear tire.

Thanks

with Peter 100% ...... He is the only other person on this forum who has the qualifications to give accurate info on the tire subject ...... you could try 17psi ..... the sidewalls of the Altimax will support any weight you can put on your Spyder ...... Mike

[2dogs]

Had to go with BK911, Peter and Spyder Ann. I just bought a General Altimax 215/60R15 and will install it next week. I pushed my Crappy Kinda to just about 7K and then installed a Kumho. I've gotten just about 20K on the Kumho with around 28 psi. I'll take the advice from BK911 and try 18 psi. on the Altimax, but that's quite some drop in air pressure. I put Federal Formoza on the front and I'm running 17 psi. and they seem to work ok.

[azprince]

Had to go with BK911, Peter and Spyder Ann. I just bought a General Altimax 215/60R15 and will install it next week. I pushed my Crappy Kinda to just about 7K and then installed a Kumho. I've gotten just about 20K on the Kumho with around 28 psi. I'll take the advice from BK911 and try 18 psi. on the Altimax, but that's quite some drop in air pressure. I put Federal Formoza on the front and I'm running 17 psi. and they seem to work ok.

I have been running A Kumho for 6 months on my 2015 RT SM6 and have about 14,000 miles on it. Looks like it will go another 3,000. I am running 23psi now and wear is pretty even from center to edges. Last year I lowered the pressure to 18psi and started getting an orange screen, which would usually clear in 20 miles or so. The code was P0005, nothing. Above 20psi, no codes.Mostly 2 up riding and our road surfaces in AZ are hard on tires.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have been running A Kumho for 6 months on my 2015 RT SM6 and have about 14,000 miles on it. Looks like it will go another 3,000. I am running 23psi now and wear is pretty even from center to edges. Last year I lowered the pressure to 18psi and started getting an orange screen, which would usually clear in 20 miles or so. The code was P0005, nothing. Above 20psi, no codes.Mostly 2 up riding and our road surfaces in AZ are hard on tires.

..., ORANGE screen .... I accidently ran my Hydro-Edge ( rear tire ) as low as 8psi for about 15 miles and I didn't have any CODES or the orange screen ......... I think your screen was for something else ...... and the Altimax will give you the best all-around performance at 17-18 psi....that tire can hold up 1500lbs ..... the Spyder only weighs 500lbs on that rear tire position..... I run My Michelin at 17psi in the Twisties at speeds that cause the Nanny to show the VSS code and it's never gotten " squirrelly " because of the tire pressure .... and if you are riding around on really HOT surfaces that PSI will increase because of it ........ just sayin .... Mike

[2dogs]

I have been running A Kumho for 6 months on my 2015 RT SM6 and have about 14,000 miles on it. Looks like it will go another 3,000. I am running 23psi now and wear is pretty even from center to edges. Last year I lowered the pressure to 18psi and started getting an orange screen, which would usually clear in 20 miles or so. The code was P0005, nothing. Above 20psi, no codes.Mostly 2 up riding and our road surfaces in AZ are hard on tires.

I have no clue what code P0005 is and I don't Know anyone else who's gotten that code. At 28 psi. on my Kumho the wear pattern was pretty consistent all the way across the tread. Possibly a touch more in the center but nothing that interfered with performance. If anyone out there knows what P0005 code means on a spyder, please let us know.

[Highwayman2013]

I have no clue what code P0005 is and I don't Know anyone else who's gotten that code. At 28 psi. on my Kumho the wear pattern was pretty consistent all the way across the tread. Possibly a touch more in the center but nothing that interfered with performance. If anyone out there knows what P0005 code means on a spyder, please let us know.

Not a valid code.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have no clue what code P0005 is and I don't Know anyone else who's gotten that code. At 28 psi. on my Kumho the wear pattern was pretty consistent all the way across the tread. Possibly a touch more in the center but nothing that interfered with performance. If anyone out there knows what P0005 code means on a spyder, please let us know.

2dogs .... the Kumho will ride flat at almost any psi ....it's a car tire with much stronger sidewalls .... The real difference is how much WET - DRY traction it will provide !!!!! ......... Yes I recommend the Altimax for a lot of reasons, but even the Kumho will perform better with a psi of 18lbs.,.......try it you, the Spyder won't suffer, and you won't get hurt..... I promise .......... Think of the tire as part of the over-all suspension on the bike ( because it is )..... If the tire can flex it is going to ride smoother / softer, this is part of the Science and is a Fact not a Feeling.....I generally ride on the upper edge , bordering on HYPER in the Twisties ....and I have never felt out of control because my rear tire is at 17psi..... Enjoy ..... Mike

[Buckeye Chuck 54]

I tried the Kumho Solus and was marginally happy with it. It lasted about 16,000 miles but like the Kenda, it wore in the middle.
But that was before I knew 28 psi was what cars use. Then I tried the General 215-60-15 and ran it at 20 psi. Mike is right on
about this tire, it's waaaaaay better. I ride a lot and buy them 2 at a time so I always have a spare.
My first Altimax lasted over 26,000 miles, it still had tread left but it was changed when the belt finally kicked off.
Chuck

It's a lot better than the Crapenda OEM tire ....... However for about the same money ( and effort ) the General Altimax in 215/60-15 is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the Kumho ...... Mike

[KX5062]

It seems to me that a lot of the tire wear/life stories are very dependent on where you ride. The stories (which I accept as true) about the lifespan of the Altimax do not match my experiences with that tire. I believe this is due to where you ride. I live in the Western US and ride mostly through the deserts where it is a combination of high heat and lots of rough edged rock chip seal roads. I've seen how those conditions have eaten tires. To wit: On one trip through Death Valley one of the roads just outside of the monument is super rough rock chip seal, so rough that when I stopped to check a map (yes, I still use a paper map as a back up) I saw the tires had small pieces of rubber on the tread, like racing tires. At the end of the day the tires was visibly worn compared to the start of the day. (IIRC, that was the Kumho rear)

Anyway, the thing I've noticed in 65K miles in 2 different Spyders is that many of the recommended tires, front and rear, may perform well, but just don't wear as well many riders elsewhere in the world experience. So, for me, I switched to a hard compound rear, the Cooper CS5 Touring, and so far it has performed and worn excellently. I am over the moon happy with this tire compared to others. (I do my own work and hate changing the rear tire.) The only condition I haven't used this tire in is snow/ice, but under all other conditions and in about 15k miles so far, it works the best I've seen. And, to boot, it's made in the USA and is under $100. Win-win in my book.

[Highwayman2013]

It seems to me that a lot of the tire wear/life stories are very dependent on where you ride. The stories (which I accept as true) about the lifespan of the Altimax do not match my experiences with that tire. I believe this is due to where you ride. I live in the Western US and ride mostly through the deserts where it is a combination of high heat and lots of rough edged rock chip seal roads. I've seen how those conditions have eaten tires. To wit: On one trip through Death Valley one of the roads just outside of the monument is super rough rock chip seal, so rough that when I stopped to check a map (yes, I still use a paper map as a back up) I saw the tires had small pieces of rubber on the tread, like racing tires. At the end of the day the tires was visibly worn compared to the start of the day. (IIRC, that was the Kumho rear)

Anyway, the thing I've noticed in 65K miles in 2 different Spyders is that many of the recommended tires, front and rear, may perform well, but just don't wear as well many riders elsewhere in the world experience. So, for me, I switched to a hard compound rear, the Cooper CS5 Touring, and so far it has performed and worn excellently. I am over the moon happy with this tire compared to others. (I do my own work and hate changing the rear tire.) The only condition I haven't used this tire in is snow/ice, but under all other conditions and in about 15k miles so far, it works the best I've seen. And, to boot, it's made in the USA and is under $100. Win-win in my book.

I was deciding between the Cooper and the Altimax when my rear tire was worn out. I thought they would both perform well, but went with the General. I see no problems with the Altimax wearing excessively after 8,000 miles, haven't ridden in the heat yet but that is coming.

[Deanna777]

I tried the Kumho Solus and was marginally happy with it. It lasted about 16,000 miles but like the Kenda, it wore in the middle.
But that was before I knew 28 psi was what cars use. Then I tried the General 215-60-15 and ran it at 20 psi. Mike is right on
about this tire, it's waaaaaay better. I ride a lot and buy them 2 at a time so I always have a spare.
My first Altimax lasted over 26,000 miles, it still had tread left but it was changed when the belt finally kicked off.
Chuck

I am also running the General Altimax RT43 ( Size: 215/R6015). I have 16,176 miles on the General.

Deanna

[Lew L]

I am also running the General Altimax RT43 ( Size: 215/R6015). I have 16,176 miles on the General.

Deanna

Altimax here also----- very pleased with it.

Lew L

[Deanna777]

Altimax here also----- very pleased with it.

Lew L

Lew, I installed the Altimax on 6/20/2015. I still have a lot of tire tread left.

Deanna

[2013REDRTS]

Has anybody tried Falken or Pirelli tires? Would you use a Touring tire vs. a Summer performance tire?

[ricford]

OK, let me get this straight. It IS OK to run the rear tire (Altimax T43) at 20 PSI? I just pulled my head out and checked. I'm at 24K miles on the Altimax and it's about to be ryding season. So replacement is imminent. Better early than late I suppose. My concern, and it has been mentioned in this thread, is about speed with various tires. I do not want to get a ticket and don't want to have to worry that I'm exceeding that 'allowed' max speed by even one of those mile things, oh yeah, MPH. I have a couple of 5 K mile trips planned this ryding season.

And, where is instruction on how to acquire, fill and post those travel maps of the US and Canada? I went a whole lot of new places last year.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Has anybody tried Falken or Pirelli tires? Would you use a Touring tire vs. a Summer performance tire?

I've done quite a bit of research on Auto tires as they relate to our Spyders ..... here are some of my conclusions .... The Nanny ( ie. the VSS computer ) plays a large factor in determining at what point you stop gaining a traction advantage by using super sticky tires. I believe auto tires, any auto tires are much better than either the Kenda's or Arachnid's ..... On a three wheeled vehicle, the traction of the rear tire is more important than the fronts. Especially it's wet road traction. I discovered using super sticky tires,( front and rear ).... although they allow you to hold a turn much better/ faster..... they will cause the Nanny to trigger sooner and this interruption can / will effect the handling ( your turn line ). This usually slows you down more than if you went slower and didn't trigger the Nanny to begin with..... To comment on your Questions, I don't think the Falken's have great traction properties. I plan to put a Pirelli Four Season PLUS tire on my RT - for the REAR tire ... the General Altimax RT43 is a good rear tire choice also..... Touring (?) vs. Summer tire - the Summer tire will be much less effective below 50 degree's F.........and I think you meant ALL-SEASON tires and these will usually provide better WET road traction than a Summer designated tire ..... good luck .... Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

OK, let me get this straight. It IS OK to run the rear tire (Altimax T43) at 20 PSI? I just pulled my head out and checked. I'm at 24K miles on the Altimax and it's about to be ryding season. So replacement is imminent. Better early than late I suppose. My concern, and it has been mentioned in this thread, is about speed with various tires. I do not want to get a ticket and don't want to have to worry that I'm exceeding that 'allowed' max speed by even one of those mile things, oh yeah, MPH. I have a couple of 5 K mile trips planned this ryding season...... Yes 20psi will work fine .....However 17-18 psi will be better. If you have the 215/60-15 size tire you will lose the 2 mph fudge factor that a Kenda 225/50-15 tire has built into it. I don't think there is any Police officer on the planet that is going to ticket you for going 2 mph over the limit..... We all need to be AWARE of what speed we are driving at ...period.

And, where is instruction on how to acquire, fill and post those travel maps of the US and Canada? I went a whole lot of new places last year.

..... Someone will assist you with this ....... Mike

[2013REDRTS]

I think my problem will be finding a dealer that will mount a car tire and not make me use a Factory tire.