Tire Choices

[canamjhb]

I have 7,877 miles on the rear General Altimax RT43 215/60R15. The tire started with 10/32 tread depth. I now have 8/32 depth and the tire is wearing exactly even across the tread. I am running 18#s psi. Assuming I will replace the tire when I get to 2/32 tread, that means I have used the tire for 25% of it's tread wear life. Giving me about 31,500 useful miles. I am more than happy If I get close to that. By contrast, I wore two OEM Kenda down to 0 tread depth (in the middle) in about 8K miles each. Not trying to start a tire longevity contest. Just showing the wear contrast between CTs and OEMs. And a bonus is the CT cost much less than the OEM.

[Navy9]

Looking at getting a new rear tire. I've seen the 2 sizes people are running, stock 225/50r15 or 215/60r15. I ride mostly 2 up and don't want the tire rubbing if using the 215. I'm about 270lbs plus the wife. I would like to know your opinions. If I go stock size I know it's either stock Kenda, Vee Rubber or Kuhmo Ecsta AST. I have a bunch of choices if I go to the 215. Thanks

I am running a Dunlop Direzza 205/55/15 Ultra High Performance Summer tireand it is incredible. Tire Rack for less than $100.00.

[Docster]

[QUOTE=Deanna777;1368103]

Based on my research of all the many tire threads here and comments from individuals on the forum who've I come to regard as very experienced or experts, i put the same tire on mine.[/QUOT The OEM (Kenda )was replaced at 5,284 miles. I went with the General Altimax RT43 because of the Spec's. It also has the "tire replacement "indicator built into the tire itself.

This is a great tire.

Go to" My albums" for pictures of the General Altimax RT43 tire.

Deanna

Your posts are highly regarded by me. Thanks

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I am running a Dunlop Direzza 205/55/15 Ultra High Performance Summer tireand it is incredible. Tire Rack for less than $100.00.

Actually it's only OK in the wet ..... there are 1/2 dozen tires that are better .......... But this is up there in performance ...... Please keep us posted on your experience with it ....... Mike

[UtahPete]

I have 7,877 miles on the rear General Altimax RT43 215/60R15. The tire started with 10/32 tread depth. I now have 8/32 depth and the tire is wearing exactly even across the tread. I am running 18#s psi. Assuming I will replace the tire when I get to 2/32 tread, that means I have used the tire for 25% of it's tread wear life. Giving me about 31,500 useful miles. I am more than happy If I get close to that. By contrast, I wore two OEM Kenda down to 0 tread depth (in the middle) in about 8K miles each. Not trying to start a tire longevity contest. Just showing the wear contrast between CTs and OEMs. And a bonus is the CT cost much less than the OEM.

This seems to be the consensus and it's what I have on both my RTs. The tire pressure issue is something I'm still conflicted about simply because there are two different sets of opinions, both sides represented by people whose opinions I value highly. So, I've compromised and run them at about 22#.

[Warlock]

I am running a Dunlop Direzza 205/55/15 Ultra High Performance Summer tireand it is incredible. Tire Rack for less than $100.00.

Have looked at that tire. I'm running a Yokohama S drive at present. How stiff is the sidewall on the Dunlop tire? The Yokohama has a stiff side wall and like it. Makes it easy to mount.
David

[Peteoz]

This seems to be the consensus and it's what I have on both my RTs. The tire pressure issue is something I'm still conflicted about simply because there are two different sets of opinions, both sides represented by people whose opinions I value highly. So, I've compromised and run them at about 22#.

Yeah, I did the same, and for the same reasons, Pete......but then I realised that I was in the middle, and probably not getting the full benefits of either option, so I dropped mine to 19 (320lb Rider). Seat of the pants feeling is that I am more comfortable in corners than I was at 22psi, my tyre pressure is increasing by some 4psi when warmed up, and I have not experienced any downsides. I know that “seat of the pants” is not very scientific, but if you saw the size of my seat in my pants, there is plenty of room for credibility there

Pete

[UtahPete]

Yeah, I did the same, and for the same reasons, Pete......but then I realised that I was in the middle, and probably not getting the full benefits of either option, so I dropped mine to 19 (320lb Rider). Seat of the pants feeling is that I am more comfortable in corners than I was at 22psi, my tyre pressure is increasing by some 4psi when warmed up, and I have not experienced any downsides. I know that “seat of the pants” is not very scientific, but if you saw the size of my seat in my pants, there is plenty of room for credibility there Pete

I'll go with your seat of the pants then! Don't want to argue with that!

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

This seems to be the consensus and it's what I have on both my RTs. The tire pressure issue is something I'm still conflicted about simply because there are two different sets of opinions, both sides represented by people whose opinions I value highly. So, I've compromised and run them at about 22#.

I side with Mike on the question of pressure in the rear tire. Here's a pic of the General Altimax I took off this spring after 17,800 miles running at 23 to 25 psi. The center treads are worn much more than the outer treads.

General rear tire at take off.jpg

I'm running my current Cooper CS5 at 18 psi.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I side with Mike on the question of pressure in the rear tire. Here's a pic of the General Altimax I took off this spring after 17,800 miles running at 23 to 25 psi. The center treads are worn much more than the outer treads.

General rear tire at take off.jpg

I'm running my current Cooper CS5 at 18 psi.

I don't like what I'm seeing in that wear pattern ..... I would be surprised to see center wear on any CAR tire .... 23 to 25 psi for a CAR tire is below ( for Spyder weight ) what it was designed to carry ( normally for a car )..... I have a suspicion the rear wheel is not well aligned, as this wear shown is more on the left ....as if it's SCRUBBING (?) .... I don't suppose you any pics of other rear tires you had ????? ............. or verbally what was their wear pattern ........ I hope Peter Aawen see's this pic ..... I value His opinion ........ Peter are you out there ..... Mike

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I don't like what I'm seeing in that wear pattern ..... I would be surprised to see center wear on any CAR tire .... 23 to 25 psi for a CAR tire is below ( for Spyder weight ) what it was designed to carry ( normally for a car )..... I have a suspicion the rear wheel is not well aligned, as this wear shown is more on the left ....as if it's SCRUBBING (?) .... I don't suppose you any pics of other rear tires you had ????? ............. or verbally what was their wear pattern ........ I hope Peter Aawen see's this pic ..... I value His opinion ........ Peter are you out there ..... Mike

Here's a closer look at the left and right of the tread.

20180417_160527.jpg 20180417_160514.jpg

Here's a shot of the Kenda the General replaced. It had about 8400 miles on it. I ran it at about 25 psi, IIRC.

PA231922.jpg

[Peter Aawen]

I don't like what I'm seeing in that wear pattern ..... I would be surprised to see center wear on any CAR tire .... 23 to 25 psi for a CAR tire is below ( for Spyder weight ) what it was designed to carry ( normally for a car )..... I have a suspicion the rear wheel is not well aligned, as this wear shown is more on the left ....as if it's SCRUBBING (?) ....*snip*....... Peter are you out there ..... Mike

Yeah, that wear pattern doesn't look great to me either Mike!! I guess that it could be that dirt or dust is distorting the image & what we can see, but I'd think from looking at that image that tread depth measuring across the face of that tire would show that it HAS worn more in the middle & on one side (the left) than the other!! Running your hand up & down along the tread will probably also feel as though one edge of the rows of tread blocks has a raised & sharp edge; I'd guess most likely worse on the most worn side of the tire (but if the wear has progressed far enough, it might be all the way across the tread face! )

And IF that is the case, then you'd hafta think that it IS scrubbing & the pressure it has been running is a little too high for the load it's carrying & the way it's being ridden.

Over to you lot, to do with as you will (or won't!)

Ps: another thought IMS, put a straight edge across the face of the tread at 90 degrees to the sidewalls - you shouldn't be able to see any gap between the straight edge & the middle of the tire tread.... if you can, the tire is definitely wearing too fast in the middle & that's suggesting you are either spinning it up at high revs waaayyy too often or the pressure you are running is a bit too high! ,

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Here's a closer look at the left and right of the tread.

20180417_160527.jpg 20180417_160514.jpg

Here's a shot of the Kenda the General replaced. It had about 8400 miles on it. I ran it at about 25 psi, IIRC.

PA231922.jpg

IMS, imho the split screen is larger - good , however it's harder to compare both sides of the tire - simultaneously .....the focus is ok , clean the tread area and just take a close -up of the entire width ..... Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Yeah, that wear pattern doesn't look great to me either Mike!! I guess that it could be that dirt or dust is distorting the image & what we can see, but I'd think from looking at that image that tread depth measuring across the face of that tire would show that it HAS worn more in the middle & on one side (the left) than the other!! Running your hand up & down along the tread will probably also feel as though one edge of the rows of tread blocks has a raised & sharp edge; I'd guess most likely worse on the most worn side of the tire (but if the wear has progressed far enough, it might be all the way across the tread face! )

And IF that is the case, then you'd hafta think that it IS scrubbing & the pressure it has been running is a little too high for the load it's carrying & the way it's being ridden.

Over to you lot, to do with as you will (or won't!)

Ps: another thought IMS, put a straight edge across the face of the tread at 90 degrees to the sidewalls - you shouldn't be able to see any gap between the straight edge & the middle of the tire tread.... if you can, the tire is definitely wearing too fast in the middle & that's suggesting you are either spinning it up at high revs waaayyy too often or the pressure you are running is a bit too high! ,

Peter, if it's " Scrubbing " ..... WHY , what's causing this ....my belt moves back and forth on the sprocket constantly .... And I don't have un-even wear ...it has been reported some engines weren't ALIGNED perfectly ...... Also too high a psi won't imho cause UN-EVEN tire wear - it would be the same across the footprint ....... Mike

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Peter, if it's " Scrubbing " ..... WHY , what's causing this ....my belt moves back and forth on the sprocket constantly .... And I don't have un-even wear ...it has been reported some engines weren't ALIGNED perfectly ...... Also too high a psi won't imho cause UN-EVEN tire wear - it would be the same across the footprint ....... Mike

But if the rear tire is slightly off parallel with the bike frame doesn't the laser alignment process compensate for that? I thought after the laser alignment is completed the bike will track straight with respect to the three wheels but the bike frame might be slightly off parallel with respect to the line of travel.

[Jeffmal]

I am running a Dunlop Direzza 205/55/15 Ultra High Performance Summer tireand it is incredible. Tire Rack for less than $100.00.

What model and year Spyder are you running the Dunlop on?
How does it handle wet roads?
Thanks

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

But if the rear tire is slightly off parallel with the bike frame doesn't the laser alignment process compensate for that? I thought after the laser alignment is completed the bike will track straight with respect to the three wheels but the bike frame might be slightly off parallel with respect to the line of travel.

I would PM SpyderAnn she knows this better than anyone ...... Mike

[Peter Aawen]

Peter, if it's " Scrubbing " ..... WHY , what's causing this ....my belt moves back and forth on the sprocket constantly .... And I don't have un-even wear ...it has been reported some engines weren't ALIGNED perfectly ...... Also too high a psi won't imho cause UN-EVEN tire wear - it would be the same across the footprint ....... Mike

I think it hasta be TWO problems Mike - the easy one being the first, the high tire pressure that's causing the 'centre' of the tread to wear more than the edges.... only that's skewed just a little bit by the 'other' problem! And the second problem being the uneven wear/scrubbing issue, that's a little more difficult, and yeah, SpyderAnn is probably the best person to ask about that one!!

But if the rear tire is slightly off parallel with the bike frame doesn't the laser alignment process compensate for that? I thought after the laser alignment is completed the bike will track straight with respect to the three wheels but the bike frame might be slightly off parallel with respect to the line of travel.

You are basically right IMS, and the only things I can think of that might be causing this 'abnormal wear issue' are that 1). the tire hasn't been mounted properly on the rim - the LHS bead is possibly seated a bit 'higher' on the rim than the other side... something that can occur during mounting if the technician doesn't use/get quite enough free air flow when inflating to 'bead seating' pressure & doesn't give the tread a few whacks with a mallet or tire lever to help pop the bead down into its seat properly &/or then check that the bead is seated correctly, but this is usually 'fixed' pretty much as soon as the tire starts carrying the weight of a car - as the weight goes on it generally 'pops' the bead back down into its seat properly as soon as the tire does its first rotation under load, only maybe in this instance the weight of the Spyder hasn't been sufficient to do this?? or 2). was the laser alignment done before that particular rear tire was put on & the axle 'aligned' during tire replacement? That other earlier tire tread wear pic didn't look skewed like this latest one, so has the rear axle alignment been 'crossed up' just a bit since the laser alignment occured?!? There'd hafta be some signs elsewhere tho, maybe the bars not quite aligned with 'straight ahead', or the front tires feathering just a tiny amount on the LHS of their tread?? I dunno if that'd really do it tho, not without physically checking the actual vehicle & mounting etc out personally, I'm sorta clutching at straws here - SpyderAnn may be able to offer something more substantial??? or 3) possibly the tire construction isn't quite as 'even' as it normally is on Passenger tires, with the tread band laid onto the carcass marginally off centre?!? OK, Not really all that likely, altho it IS theoretically possible - just look how many of the Kenda tires that get onto the streets with construction 'defects' like that that've slipped thru their quality control!! So one in a million slipping thru from Cooper isn't anywhere near as bad, is it??? I'd still be asking SpyderAnn, or having a very up close & personal look at the tire, rim, axle alignment, wheel bearings, belt tension, road camber, swing arm alignment, swing arm bearing, etc to see if there was any indication as to why that particular tire was wearing like that?!? If it wasn't quite so fiddly to do, I'd suggest flipping that tire on its rim & running it the other way for a bit to see if it made ANY difference in the wear pattern - but it'd be a right pain doing that for potentially very little gain!?!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Bravo Peter - bravo ....I know Utah doesn't like me using " emojis " ....but YOU deserve EMOJIS ......... Mike

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

If it wasn't quite so fiddly to do, I'd suggest flipping that tire on its rim & running it the other way for a bit to see if it made ANY difference in the wear pattern - but it'd be a right pain doing that for potentially very little gain!?!

Any suggestions about the tire are moot. It was sent to tire heaven about 3 months ago!!! When I took it off all I was focusing on was the center wear and decided that 25 psi was too high. I'll just keep a watch on the Cooper CS5 I'm running now.

This is twice that my experience didn't quite match Mike's experience and recommendation! I ran a Michelin Hydro on my 2013 RT. I was not impressed with its traction on wet pavement. I'm talking wet, not standing water covered! Its wear wasn't super either, IMO. 25 psi tire pressure probably was the reason! If I hit the throttle very hard at all it would break loose. I sold the bike with about 18k miles on the the Michelin touting it to be good for about another 5k. Even if the wear would have been even on the Altimax above I'm doubtful I would have made it to or past 25k miles. Otherwise all was good with it the best I remember!

One factor probably is that most of my driving is on highways at 70 mph and over!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Any suggestions about the tire are moot. It was sent to tire heaven about 3 months ago!!! When I took it off all I was focusing on was the center wear and decided that 25 psi was too high. I'll just keep a watch on the Cooper CS5 I'm running now.

This is twice that my experience didn't quite match Mike's experience and recommendation! I ran a Michelin Hydro on my 2013 RT. I was not impressed with its traction on wet pavement. I'm talking wet, not standing water covered! Its wear wasn't super either, IMO. 25 psi tire pressure probably was the reason! If I hit the throttle very hard at all it would break loose. I sold the bike with about 18k miles on the the Michelin touting it to be good for about another 5k. Even if the wear would have been even on the Altimax above I'm doubtful I would have made it to or past 25k miles. Otherwise all was good with it the best I remember!

One factor probably is that most of my driving is on highways at 70 mph and over!

#1. - INTERSTATE use will be a factor, however something else might be going on #2. my experiences with car tires are at 17 to 18 PSI..... so yours at 25 may also be a factor #3. - my Hydro-edge ( on my RT ) now has 38,500+ miles on it and I still feel safe in the wet ..... however I will be changing it fairly soon ...#4.. with Peter, yes you had increased center wear ....But it wasn't EVEN across and it SHOULD have been.... There is a reason it's wearing slightly more to one side of the Middle ....... figuring that out isn't going to be easy ...... PM Ann about the alignment ..... Mike

[jcthorne]

#1. - INTERSTATE use will be a factor, however something else might be going on #2. my experiences with car tires are at 17 to 18 PSI..... so yours at 25 may also be a factor #3. - my Hydro-edge ( on my RT ) now has 38,500+ miles on it and I still feel safe in the wet ..... however I will be changing it fairly soon ...#4.. with Peter, yes you had increased center wear ....But it wasn't EVEN across and it SHOULD have been.... There is a reason it's wearing slightly more to one side of the Middle ....... figuring that out isn't going to be easy ...... PM Ann about the alignment ..... Mike

I have seen this uneven wear pattern on two other bikes. Both, it turns out had been victims of minor rear end collisions. The uneven tire wear is a bent swing arm. This is why I tell folks that are in rear end collisions, even minor that the swing arm must be checked for being true. It does not take much out of square to cause this and it drastically reduces rear tire traction when riding as well because the tire is not in good contact with the road.