Tires General Altimax Opservation

[gerald37]

I run the General Altimax RT 43 on the rear of the spyder( 2014RTS-SE6) and I run @ 28psi. No problems.

I also run the Continentals Contiprocontact's on the front @ 19PSI.

Deanna

I also run the same tires and also the same pressure you are running. I thought about lower my General Altimax to 20 lbs just to see if I do get a little better ride. I ride a lone and weight about 155 lbs.

[gerald37]

Re-read my post - I DIDN'T CLAIM YOU WERE WRONG ..... just mis-guided ..... So I tried to HELP you ....believe whatever you want........Mike

I don't claim to be real smart but try not to be obnoxious.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I don't claim to be real smart but try not to be obnoxious.

Nothing I said was Obnoxious or even close to Obnoxious ......... I only tried to help you, but rest assured I WON"T make that mis-take again........................" EVER " ...Mike

[AeroPilot]

But I got to take the F3T for a spin to the gas station to gas it up for my sweetie. After 8 miles RT when I got back to the garage the rear psi was up to 24 psi at 86F and the fronts were now at 17 psi at 77 and 81F .... what should I do now??

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

But I got to take the F3T for a spin to the gas station to gas it up for my sweetie. After 8 miles RT when I got back to the garage the rear psi was up to 24 psi at 86F and the fronts were now at 17 psi at 77 and 81F .... what should I do now??

The tire went from 23 to 24 psi ..... that's one lb. ..... That's nothing to worry about ..... when I recommend 17 psi , I ASSUME it will rise 3 lbs ... that's why I suggest 17 lbs...... I accidently drove on my Hydro-edge at 8 psi ....NOTHING BAD HAPPENED ..... seriously try 17 -18 psi, your Butt will thank you for it .............Mike

[canamjhb]

Temperature does make a difference. Wife and I started our 3 week tour last month. I aired all the tires to correct PSI. It was over 105 degrees when I did that. Then, I checked pressure in Washington State when the temperature was about 60. We lost about 1 1/2 lbs in each tire and 4 lbs in the trailer tires due to ambient temperature differences. I corrected pressures. After we got back to the desert, I reduced pressures to where they needed to be. The pressure checks were all done on "cold" tires using the same digital gage. Guess I'm getting anal about keeping pressure where I want it.....

[Navydad]

Temperature does make a difference. Wife and I started our 3 week tour last month. I aired all the tires to correct PSI. It was over 105 degrees when I did that. Then, I checked pressure in Washington State when the temperature was about 60. We lost about 1 1/2 lbs in each tire and 4 lbs in the trailer tires due to ambient temperature differences. I corrected pressures. After we got back to the desert, I reduced pressures to where they needed to be. The pressure checks were all done on "cold" tires using the same digital gage. Guess I'm getting anal about keeping pressure where I want it.....

Nothing wrong with that! I help my buddy around his shop when he is busy and some of what I do is tire changes. For every guy like you who is anal about tires I get ten guys who have fifteen pounds of air in a worn out rear tire on a big touring bike. "When did you last check your tire pressures?" They say "HUH" while looking at you like you are speaking a foreign language. I just take their money, wave, and thank God for watching over children and fools.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Temperature does make a difference. Wife and I started our 3 week tour last month. I aired all the tires to correct PSI. It was over 105 degrees when I did that. Then, I checked pressure in Washington State when the temperature was about 60. We lost about 1 1/2 lbs in each tire and 4 lbs in the trailer tires due to ambient temperature differences. I corrected pressures. After we got back to the desert, I reduced pressures to where they needed to be. The pressure checks were all done on "cold" tires using the same digital gage. Guess I'm getting anal about keeping pressure where I want it.....

with the statement " Temperature does make a difference " ...... However there are NO tire manufacturers that tell the buyer - they need to check the tire temperature at any time they are using it .... Probably because the TIRES can handle any change you might encounter......so why even get into this area of " Temperature does make a difference " .... my comments were not meant to be a Slam, but maybe pointing folks to be more concerned about using car tires on a Spyder and having it over-inflated for the weight it's carrying ...... just a thought......Mike

[Peteoz]

But I got to take the F3T for a spin to the gas station to gas it up for my sweetie. After 8 miles RT when I got back to the garage the rear psi was up to 24 psi at 86F and the fronts were now at 17 psi at 77 and 81F .... what should I do now??

Hahahaha.....too subtle, Aero .

Pete

[Deanna777]

I also run the same tires and also the same pressure you are running. I thought about lower my General Altimax to 20 lbs just to see if I do get a little better ride. I ride a lone and weight about 155 lbs.

I also ride solo, and I have 18,060 miles on the General Altimax ( the OEM was changed @ 5,824 miles). The current mileage on the my is 23,884 miles.

I am happy with the Continentals Contiprocontact's on the front. and I'm 5ft. 6 inches tall, and weight about 140lbs.

Deanna

[Fat Baxter]

This is a serendipitous thread. I currently have the General Altimax RT 43 on my Spyder. It has 24,000 miles on it, and the wear indicator is saying "replace me." I've been running it at 22-24 psi.

So I called the dealer today and asked if they would install another General for me; I even said I'd sign a waiver. Nope, they won't install any tire that hasn't been purchased through the dealership. So I'm off to check a third-party shop about installation.

The good news is that WalMart sells this tire. No hassle about whether it fits your current vehicle.

[Beaudog]

OK rode 70 miles today at 20 psi. I have to ride 1 mile of dirt before I get to the pavement. The ride over the studder bumps was softer, then I have about 7 or 8 cattle guard to cross to get to town. The ride over the guards was softer and I did not get as much rear tire kick up as before so this is all good. I did perceive that the rear of the machine was not responding to steering input as fast as before. There seemed to be a few millisecond delay before the rear reacted to steering input. This bothered me at first but then I realized it might be a good thing as small input to the front tires were being ignored and there were no twitchies in the ride. It tracked straight down the road. So people who seem to have trouble with the spyder being twitchie might want to try lowering tire pressure.

I will try 18 psi next ride to see how that goes. But I think I can say anyone running the altimax over 24 psi is probably running too much pressure.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

OK rode 70 miles today at 20 psi. I have to ride 1 mile of dirt before I get to the pavement. The ride over the studder bumps was softer, then I have about 7 or 8 cattle guard to cross to get to town. The ride over the guards was softer and I did not get as much rear tire kick up as before so this is all good. I did perceive that the rear of the machine was not responding to steering input as fast as before. There seemed to be a few millisecond delay before the rear reacted to steering input. This bothered me at first but then I realized it might be a good thing as small input to the front tires were being ignored and there were no twitchies in the ride. It tracked straight down the road. So people who seem to have trouble with the spyder being twitchie might want to try lowering tire pressure.

I will try 18 psi next ride to see how that goes. But I think I can say anyone running the altimax over 24 psi is probably running too much pressure.

What you perceived is known as Traction ..... At the lower PSI that you are experimenting with you are actually feeling better Traction. Traction is never a Bad thing, It's the reason manufacture's keep making improvements in the rubber compounds they are using and the subtle tread design changes they do ...... It's a Science ..............PS I think you are headed in the right direction by lowering the psi .................Mike

[Finn]

When I stroll through the forest ....I never argue with TREE's ....... So I won't bother doing it here and now ...I have better things to do .........Mike

For what its worth, I agree with you Blueknight911. The tyre size we have on a Spyder rear, is rather large, and can take a lot of load, and if it has, it must have higher pressures than we use on a Spyder.
I have been running down to 18psi on the OME tyre, dropping gradually from 22psi. its now up for replacement after only 15,5000km. I'm now fitting a car tyre, hence on this page. I have been in the auto trade since 1960, so I have an idea of tyre pressures. Finn, from Down Under.

[Easy Rider]

What you perceived is known as Traction ..... At the lower PSI that you are experimenting with you are actually feeling better Traction.

That is a preposterous assertion.

Under the conditions he stated, "traction" has nothing to do with it.

He is describing a tiny difference in TRACKING and under normal circumstances that is quite different than traction.

[Beaudog]

I can not argue traction because i have no way to measure it. My physics instructor always said I could have a coefficient of friction greater than 1 and that always baffled me.

I think it is more related to under steer vs over steer. The general rule being that as you lower pressure the tire tends to move toward under steer and as you add pressure it tends to move towards over steer. The problem is where is neutral. I think at 20 the tire is just starting to have some under steer or less over steer to the point that i can perceive it. Now if increasing under steer increases traction I do not know.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

For what its worth, I agree with you Blueknight911. The tyre size we have on a Spyder rear, is rather large, and can take a lot of load, and if it has, it must have higher pressures than we use on a Spyder.
I have been running down to 18psi on the OME tyre, dropping gradually from 22psi. its now up for replacement after only 15,5000km. I'm now fitting a car tyre, hence on this page. I have been in the auto trade since 1960, so I have an idea of tyre pressures. Finn, from Down Under.

You don't say whether it's the front or the rear tire ???? ..... the Kenda's probably need 18 psi minimum for the front ..... the rear Kenda really MUST have ....28 psi .... to function at it's best ............ Car tires are totally different 15psi front - 17 to 18 psi REAR .............. Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I can not argue traction because i have no way to measure it. My physics instructor always said I could have a coefficient of friction greater than 1 and that always baffled me.

I think it is more related to under steer vs over steer. The general rule being that as you lower pressure the tire tends to move toward under steer and as you add pressure it tends to move towards over steer. The problem is where is neutral. I think at 20 the tire is just starting to have some under steer or less over steer to the point that i can perceive it. Now if increasing under steer increases traction I do not know.

In your post about this subject you were referring to what you felt in the REAR tire. So my reply was about the REAR tire.... Unless the veh. you are talking about is ... REAR STEER ... Understeer & Oversteer are 99.9% related to the front tires and steering geometry............... And the Quote you used from me was directed towards ANOTHER members silly assertions ....He probably didn't understand it either .............Mike

[BoilerAnimal]

As I said in an earlier post, I have a Yokohama Avid Touring S tire and am running at 18-19 PSI. I was riding home from work the night before last and rode through a short, heavy downpour. This was the first real heavy rain that I've ridden in since putting this tire on and was curious how it would do from a hard acceleration from a dead stop.

I came to a complete stop at a T intersection. I made a hard left turn and as I was about halfway through the turn I went to full throttle up to 55 MPH. There was no breaking away of the tire on wet asphalt. When I first put it on, I was able to sometimes break traction on hard acceleration, even on dry pavement. I was very concerned that I had made a couple hundred dollar mistake in putting this tire on.

After reading Mike's (Blueknight 911) and Peter Aawen's posts regarding lower tire pressure, I decided to try it. I started at 28 PSI, then 22 and now 18-19 PSI. It has made a world of difference, ALL for the better! I am now VERY pleased with my Yokohama tire and would get another in a heartbeat. I will also add that my wife and I ride two-up about 98% of the time with a combined weight of about 285 pounds.

Thanks Mike and Peter! Continue your crusade to enlighten the masses!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

As I said in an earlier post, I have a Yokohama Avid Touring S tire and am running at 18-19 PSI. I was riding home from work the night before last and rode through a short, heavy downpour. This was the first real heavy rain that I've ridden in since putting this tire on and was curious how it would do from a hard acceleration from a dead stop.

I came to a complete stop at a T intersection. I made a hard left turn and as I was about halfway through the turn I went to full throttle up to 55 MPH. There was no breaking away of the tire on wet asphalt. When I first put it on, I was able to sometimes break traction on hard acceleration, even on dry pavement. I was very concerned that I had made a couple hundred dollar mistake in putting this tire on.

After reading Mike's (Blueknight 911) and Peter Aawen's posts regarding lower tire pressure, I decided to try it. I started at 28 PSI, then 22 and now 18-19 PSI. It has made a world of difference, ALL for the better! I am now VERY pleased with my Yokohama tire and would get another in a heartbeat. I will also add that my wife and I ride two-up about 98% of the time with a combined weight of about 285 pounds.

Thanks Mike and Peter! Continue your crusade to enlighten the masses!

...............Mike

[UtahPete]

The rear tire on my ST limited had bare spots at 7000 miles. The local shop Sierra Cycles Sieraa Vista Az keeps the General Altimax in stock and will mount them so I went that way.

The first ride with the Altimax the bike felt squirrely and was reacting to small road variations. cracks, tar strips and crown. I checked the pressure and the shop had aired it to 28 psi. I dropped it down to 24 for the next ride and all was back to normal. So the tire definitely needs to be run at lower pressure than BRM recommends for the Kenda. I will probably try 22 for the next ride.

Once the pressure was down I realy could not tell any difference in ride than the Kenda but hopefully it will go more than 7000 miles.

The Altimax did take 1 mph error out of the speedometer. The Kenda always had the speed 2 mph fast compared to my gps. The General moved that to 1 mph difference.

[Fat Baxter]

So I called the dealer today and asked if they would install another General for me; I even said I'd sign a waiver. Nope, they won't install any tire that hasn't been purchased through the dealership. So I'm off to check a third-party shop about installation.

Aaaannnnddd..... that third-party shop I was relying on no longer offers this service. We chatted and he admitted he didn't know of anyone else in this area who could do this for me.

I hope that doesn't mean I'm stuck with going to the dealer and getting another crappy Kenda.

Update: I just checked with the dealer, and they want $189 for a new rear Kenda (that doesn't include installation), as opposed to WalMart's price of $80 for a General Altimax. That's highway robbery.

This may just drive me off the Spyder. I'm that pissed.

[gerald37]

Aaaannnnddd..... that third-party shop I was relying on no longer offers this service. We chatted and he admitted he didn't know of anyone else in this area who could do this for me.

I hope that doesn't mean I'm stuck with going to the dealer and getting another crappy Kenda.

Update: I just checked with the dealer, and they want $189 for a new rear Kenda, as opposed to WalMart's price of $80 for a General Altimax. That's highway robbery.

This may just drive me off the Spyder. I'm that pissed.

There is nothing to taking the rear wheel off the Spyder and then taking the wheel and tire to any tire shop.

[Docster]

" Tire science proof " - Peter Aawen and I have posted thousands of words on this subject. I'm sorry but I don't have a couple of days to RE-TYPE all that info.....It's all been said at least a couple of times ...... The info is still here, try search or go to Peter's Threads / posts and read the ones that apply ...... I can only use TWO fingers and I still make lots of typo's, so it takes me a long time to post a lot of verbiage ........ Mike

^^THIS......and it's been said and explained MANY times. Reading through posts that are repeated time and time again, one can usually determine who is a subject expert using data and science, and who isn't. That's why it pays to SEARCH and read many threads. One will find many opinions but only a few based on data and hard evidence.

[Fat Baxter]

There is nothing to taking the rear wheel off the Spyder and then taking the wheel and tire to any tire shop.

I don't have the necessary jack and tools. I'm trying to avoid making that investment for a task I may perform only every three years.