Rear Tire Wear

[jlc41]

Hi Deanna,

I think that will help and most likely give you a better ride.

Joe

[Deanna777]

Hi Deanna,

I think that will help and must likely give you a better ride.

Joe

Joe,


Will the lower PSI give me better gas mileage?
Will it give me a better wear on the tire?

Deanna

[jlc41]

Deanna,

Better ride yes, you will have to keep an eye on the wear but dropping the psi should help even out the wear. Generally speaking over inflating wears the center of the tire, underinflating wears the outer edges of the tires. Better gas mileage not sure. You will have to be judge. BTW what kind of mileage are you getting??

Joe

[trikermutha]

It may get spongier. You be the judge . It will help with the wear pattern and traction some.

[BajaRon]

Absolutely normal tire wear for the OEM rear. If you put enough air in this tire to keep it on the rim, it will wear like this. Nothing you can do about it because it's due to the tire's construction.

The OEM tires have only 2 ply in the tread area. The radial plies are what keep the tire flat across the tread area. Centrifugal force of the tire spinning at freeway speeds overcomes the ability of the 2 plies to keep the tread area flat, so it starts to balloon out. When this happens, the only portion of the tire in contact with the road surface is the 3"-4" that wears out prematurely.

Click on this video and watch from the :48 to :58 second marks to get an exaggerated visual of what is happening to your OEM tire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18fmF5Hj_c8

This is one of the biggest reasons to switch to a car tire. A car tire has 4 plies in the tread area which not only maintains full tread contact with the road surface. But you are more protected against something penetrating the tread giving you a flat tire. Another plus is that you are getting a better constructed tire and usually for less money.

Here is my Toyo TR1 Proxies at something over 15k. As you can see. It wore evenly across the entire width of the tread. I always had 100% contact with the road. This gives you stability and traction that you won't get with an OEM tire.

This is a much better way to go.

ToyoTire.jpg

[Peteoz]

Here is my Toyo TR1 Proxies at something over 15k. As you can see. It wore evenly across the entire width of the tread. I always had 100% contact with the road. This gives you stability and traction that you won't get with an OEM tire.

This is a much better way to go.

Ron, what pressure did you run in your Toyo to see that wear pattern?

Pete

[Deanna777]

Deanna,

Better ride yes, you will have to keep an eye on the wear but dropping the psi should help even out the wear. Generally speaking over inflating wears the center of the tire, underinflating wears the outer edges of the tires. Better gas mileage not sure. You will have to be judge. BTW what kind of mileage are you getting??

Joe

Joe,

I am getting low 40's for mileage. I have a 2014RTS-SE6.

Deanna

[BajaRon]

Ron, what pressure did you run in your Toyo to see that wear pattern?

Pete

Frankly, with a car tire. I'm not sure how much it matters. But I ran 26-28 psi.

[MikeT]

Some of us are stuck with a dealer that will not budge from the BRP line that Kendas are the ONLY tires for the Spyder.

I am stuck, stuck, stuck with the brand until I leave Alaska.

This is not just the reality in Alaska. 99% of the BRP dealers in Indiana are refusing to put car tires on a Spyder. They quote "liability issues".
Mike.

[BajaRon]

This is not just the reality in Alaska. 99% of the BRP dealers in Indiana are refusing to put car tires on a Spyder. They quote "liability issues".
Mike.

You don't have to get the tire put on at a Can-Am dealership. I use my local tire shop.

[Peteoz]

You don't have to get the tire put on at a Can-Am dealership. I use my local tire shop.

There’s two parts to this issue, Ron.

I am quite happy to take my Spyder to my nearest dealer, pay to have them remove the rear wheel, leave the Spyder in the corner while I take my wheel/tyre to a nearby tyre shop, have them put a new car tyre on the wheel.......However, when I take the wheel/tyre back to my dealer they refuse to refit the wheel/tyre as it now has other than a Kenda or Arachnid on it and they are concerned about liability. That’s what most people mean when they say “my local dealer is refusing to put a car tyre on my Spyder”......they want the dealer to handle the whole R&R of the wheel/tyre as they have neither the tools, ability, desire etc to remove and replace the wheel on the Spyder themselves.

Unfortunately, a local tyre shop can not jack the Spyder up, remove the rear wheel, fit a car tyre and reinstall the rear wheel complete with belt alignment.

Pete

[BajaRon]

There’s two parts to this issue, Ron.

I am quite happy to take my Spyder to my nearest dealer, pay to have them remove the rear wheel, leave the Spyder in the corner while I take my wheel/tyre to a nearby tyre shop, have them put a new car tyre on the wheel.......However, when I take the wheel/tyre back to my dealer they refuse to refit the wheel/tyre as it now has other than a Kenda or Arachnid on it and they are concerned about liability. That’s what most people mean when they say “my local dealer is refusing to put a car tyre on my Spyder”......they want the dealer to handle the whole R&R of the wheel/tyre as they have neither the tools, ability, desire etc to remove and replace the wheel on the Spyder themselves.

Unfortunately, a local tyre shop can not jack the Spyder up, remove the rear wheel, fit a car tyre and reinstall the rear wheel complete with belt alignment.

Pete

True. If you cannot dismount and remount the rear wheel then you may be at the mercy of the dealership.

[ARtraveler]

You don't have to get the tire put on at a Can-Am dealership. I use my local tire shop.

Fronts...not a problem. There is to much stuff in the rear that can get screwed up letting a "non-" person mess with it. I am not mechanical either. So if they screw it up...

[jlc41]

Well if you ask your dealer if they are willing to mount a new tire of your choosing that you supply maybe that solves the problem.

[jlc41]

Deanna, that sounds pretty good, although I am not sure what is the norm.

Joe

[metman]

Anybody out there still running a Michelin HydroEdge on the rear of an RT besides me? And/or know of an equivalent tire today?

My OEM Kenda lasted 10K on my 2012 RT-S, mostly riding two up and pulling a loaded RT-622 trailer.
The next was a Toyo Proxie 4 that only lasted about 15K.
Then I found two 215/60R15 Michelin HydroEdge tires in September of 2014 left in warehouses in Indiana and Florida. That tire was discontinued in mid 2012 and both had mfg dates of 0512.
I put the first one on at about 26K and changed to the second one at 58K in July of 2016 because I was planning a 4K+ mile trip to New England. I just wasn't sure if it would make it to 35,000 miles. My guess now is that it would have made what turned out to be a 5,400 mile trip anyway.
Right now the second HydroEdge has 32K+ on it and I don't have plans to change it before Spyders in the Ozarks or the Texas Hill Country Ride in October, probably another 4k miles total.
So I'm looking for input from anybody that knows if there is an equivalent to the HydroEdge tire out there today.
I'm not interested in a Kumho and don't yet know enough about the actual mileage anybody's getting out of the Yokohama S.drive.
And within reason, price is not a factor.

Mike in KY
2012 RT-S SE5 with 90,007 miles

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Anybody out there still running a Michelin HydroEdge on the rear of an RT besides me? And/or know of an equivalent tire today?

My OEM Kenda lasted 10K on my 2012 RT-S, mostly riding two up and pulling a loaded RT-622 trailer.
The next was a Toyo Proxie 4 that only lasted about 15K.
Then I found two 215/60R15 Michelin HydroEdge tires in September of 2014 left in warehouses in Indiana and Florida. That tire was discontinued in mid 2012 and both had mfg dates of 0512.
I put the first one on at about 26K and changed to the second one at 58K in July of 2016 because I was planning a 4K+ mile trip to New England. I just wasn't sure if it would make it to 35,000 miles. My guess now is that it would have made what turned out to be a 5,400 mile trip anyway.
Right now the second HydroEdge has 32K+ on it and I don't have plans to change it before Spyders in the Ozarks or the Texas Hill Country Ride in October, probably another 4k miles total.
So I'm looking for input from anybody that knows if there is an equivalent to the HydroEdge tire out there today.
I'm not interested in a Kumho and don't yet know enough about the actual mileage anybody's getting out of the Yokohama S.drive.
And within reason, price is not a factor.

Mike in KY
2012 RT-S SE5 with 90,007 miles

.... I have 34,673 mi. on mine and it's still good in dry , but getting a little loose in the rain. Not much but I do watch for large puddles. .... I am going to put a Pirelli P-4 Four seasons plus on in about 4,000 + miles .... If I was going to get a new Rear tire I would look at the Michelin Defender " T & H " model in 205/60-15 ...tire Rack $ 110.00 ea. WITH FREE SHIPPING ....The other tire which is slightly better is the VREDESTEIN " Quatrac 5 " ....If you have followed what I have said about tires on this Forum, you probably know .... I KNOW TIRES ..... for the Vredestein rear check here - - Vulcan tire .. on-line has a good selection of sizes....... good luck ....Mike

[AeroPilot]

Frankly, with a car tire. I'm not sure how much it matters. But I ran 26-28 psi.

After running many OEM Kendas size 225/50 and 5 Kumhos in the same size, at several pressures from 24 to 30 psi, Your Toyo had the most even wear I have seen thus far on a Spyder. Im not sure if it was a 195/45 or a 185/55, but it seems that slightly narrower width, helps get even wear. Probably it is more about the quality of construction and 4 plys, as you usually get what you pay for in terms of weear and performance.

The longest running tire we had was a Michelin Defender in the 205/65 profile on our 11 RT and had good tread when we traded it. Now were trying the Generals and just changed out the first after getting just under 21000 miles on the 16 F3T running 23 psi cold, and good roll and wear for the price, but about 20% less mileage than the Kumhos.

Here is a picture of the General Altimax when we took it off... 215/60R15

DSCN2682.jpgDSCN2681.jpgDSCN2680.jpgDSCN2679.jpgDSCN2678.jpg

I measured the tread remaining like TeninoSpyder, but only 3 spots across the tread in four quadrants, and saw some uneven wear, but still not bad. Measured in 32nds..

Left Mid Right

3 1.5 4

4 2 5

4.5 2 4.5

3 1.5 4

At $80 a tire, and getting a years wear out of the Generals we're happy.... YMMV Running 23 psi on the lighter F3, and 27 psi on my General on the RT with about 8,000 miles thus far. Just our experience.

PS - Ive only used about 1/2 the weights that the Kendas had on the wheel to balance the car tires...

[KX5062]

this is on the wear limit after about 17,000 miles...I run 26 lbs....

Gene, I hate to be THAT guy, but.... That tire is waaay past the legal limit and IMHO isn't safe. Remember that because those Kendas balloon out when ridden, you're contact patch is the worn out center. You still have rubber, but no tread.

The rule of thumb is the old Lincoln head penny trick. (For those that don't know or never heard of it.) Take a penny and place it into the tread at various points and places, if the top of Lincoln's head shows, you're okay. If the thread visually touches the top of his head or is past, then it's worn out.

[opiewhan]

[QUOTE=lois35;1378654]Hello Everyone,

I just have removed my rear tire on my Spyder RT Limited 2015. I am going to be replacing with a new tire. I wanted to post this pictures to see what you guys thought of why the tire was worn in the middle. What could cause this? Over pressure, under pressure, etc. Any suggestion would be appreciated. I have 12,000 miles on the bike.
Lois
Yokohama makes a great tire,(rear) looks good and very good tread pattern.. Thats on my wifes 2013 Spyder ST myself I have a Kumho(2011 Spyder RT) works and drives very good as well.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

[QUOTE=opiewhan;1387358]

Hello Everyone,

I just have removed my rear tire on my Spyder RT Limited 2015. I am going to be replacing with a new tire. I wanted to post this pictures to see what you guys thought of why the tire was worn in the middle. What could cause this? Over pressure, under pressure, etc. Any suggestion would be appreciated. I have 12,000 miles on the bike.
Lois
Yokohama makes a great tire,(rear) looks good and very good tread pattern.. Thats on my wifes 2013 Spyder ST myself I have a Kumho(2011 Spyder RT) works and drives very good as well.

That tire is worn to the point where I can't tell what tire I'm looking at ...... Soooooooooooo what is it and what PSI was it used at ......To give an accurate answer this info is required ........ Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

After running many OEM Kendas size 225/50 and 5 Kumhos in the same size, at several pressures from 24 to 30 psi, Your Toyo had the most even wear I have seen thus far on a Spyder. Im not sure if it was a 195/45 or a 185/55, but it seems that slightly narrower width, helps get even wear. Probably it is more about the quality of construction and 4 plys, as you usually get what you pay for in terms of weear and performance.

The longest running tire we had was a Michelin Defender in the 205/65 profile on our 11 RT and had good tread when we traded it. Now were trying the Generals and just changed out the first after getting just under 21000 miles on the 16 F3T running 23 psi cold, and good roll and wear for the price, but about 20% less mileage than the Kumhos.

Here is a picture of the General Altimax when we took it off... 215/60R15

DSCN2682.jpgDSCN2681.jpgDSCN2680.jpgDSCN2679.jpgDSCN2678.jpg

I measured the tread remaining like TeninoSpyder, but only 3 spots across the tread in four quadrants, and saw some uneven wear, but still not bad. Measured in 32nds..

Left Mid Right

3 1.5 4

4 2 5

4.5 2 4.5

3 1.5 4

At $80 a tire, and getting a years wear out of the Generals we're happy.... YMMV Running 23 psi on the lighter F3, and 27 psi on my General on the RT with about 8,000 miles thus far. Just our experience.

PS - Ive only used about 1/2 the weights that the Kendas had on the wheel to balance the car tires...

That is a very interesting feature the General's have, but how accurate is it, and what was the criteria used when they decided the DEPTH it needed to be when embedded in the tread...... A legal DEPTH gauge would be the preferred method of checking the wear level of any tire. For the States that require inspections the General's warning would be meaningless, they are REQUIRED to use a Gauge. And tire pressure ( using Auto tires " ONLY ", KENDA's are way different ) doesn't have as much an effect on wear PATTERN that you may think. Your performance and ride COMFORT would improve a lot if you both used 15psi front and 18psi rear......Also based on spyder weight and the SPECIFIC carrying capacity of the tire you are using , if you adjust your measurements into percentages - - a 4 lb. difference is HUGH ........... I could type a few thousand words more, but that info has been posted here by Peter Aawen more than a few times ...... Mike

[007james]

Gene, I hate to be THAT guy, but.... That tire is waaay past the legal limit and IMHO isn't safe. Remember that because those Kendas balloon out when ridden, you're contact patch is the worn out center. You still have rubber, but no tread.

The rule of thumb is the old Lincoln head penny trick. (For those that don't know or never heard of it.) Take a penny and place it into the tread at various points and places, if the top of Lincoln's head shows, you're okay. If the thread visually touches the top of his head or is past, then it's worn out.

That tire to me has at least another 2000 miles left on it, the way I ride, one up, at 180 lbs. in spite of all of the “ expert” Tire inflation infirmation posted on these tire threads. I have stayed with 30 PSI in the rear, and 20 PSI in the fronts, regardless of Tire Brands. My fronts on my 2016 RT are original Kendas, and have 23,O00 miles on them, and should last another 2000 miles or more. They are wearing slghtly on the insides, in spite of my ROLO Laser Alignment. My rear original Kenda went 13,000 miles before I changed to the Khumo, which I have always liked. My Khumo has 10,000 miles on it right now, and still has thread all accross, but I usually change Khumos out some where between 14-15,000 miles. I change them as soon as I see chord in the center. But there is always thread left on the outside edges. Now, if I was riding two up, and taking road trips, I would change them sooner, for safety reasons only. But I don’t like the “ Squishy” feeling of low pressure tires, especially on corners. Also, I avoid riding in the rain, unless I get caught. My daily rides are usually cruises 100-135 miles per cruise on mountain country roads, when I swap my next set of tires, front and rear, I am planning to use Michelins this time, the closest to the OEM sizes as possible, but I am willing to deviate widths this tine, and perhaps even a little Circumference, as long as they are compatable with the rims. I just put Michelon Commander II tires on my Harley, front and rear, and like them very much. Wear Reviews, as well as handling for Michelon are always great.