2011 RT Rear Tire

[akaspyderman]

Has anyone put a rear tire on their RT that is anything other than OEM? I ride fairly agressively, and I average about 8500 miles before the tire is worn smooth. There has to be something better out there. Anybody?

[bikeguy]

9,000+ on the OEM original rear tire. 14,000+ on a Kumho Ecsta replacement. Cotton

[SPYD3R]

FOR THE UMTEENTH-MILLION TIME....
KUMHO AST 225/50-R15

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[TuckMiddle]

Me too, Kumho Sabji. 9,000 miles and looks like new, just like a silver bullet!
OEM tires got 13 & 11,000, that's just like the stuff horses leave on the trail.

Tuck

[liketoride2]

I have a 2010 RT and changed the original tire at 5500 miles, although this was somewhat premature because I was leaving on a long trip and didn't want to bother with a change mid-trip. I might have gotten another 500 - 1000 miles on it.

The second tire was a Sumitomo warranted for 40,000 miles wear and I got 8000 miles on this one (of course the treadwear warranty didn't apply to a Spyder). This one was really worn out and mostly bald. I now have a Kumho Ecsta on it but not long enough to get any idea as to how well this one will wear.

I'm not sure why I get worse tire wear than most. I certainly don't run the Spyder aggressively. Our Idaho rural roads tend to have a very coarse oil and screen surface so that may contribute. I also think that because our Spyders are strongly weight biased to the front and the rear is very light, there is much more slippage between tire and road surface and much more wear on the rear tire than with an auto. My conclusion is that, at least based on my experience, regardless of the tire the rear is going to wear much more rapidly than on an automobile. Only 8000 miles on a 40,000 mile rated tire is quite a striking difference.

There have been several threads in the past on this subject with many posts containing discussion and recommendations regarding specific tires, sizes, etc. You may find a lot of info by doing a search on this subject.

Mike
Idaho
www.rtwrider.net

[Bob Denman]

I tried a Falken ZE912, and got about an extra thousand miles out of it over the stocker
Now I'm giving a Kumho a test; so far, so good!

[MarkLawson]

I put a Michelin HydroEdge 215/60R15 on mine. The slightly larger tire diameter has not caused any Nanny issues and now has my speedometer always within 1 mph of the GPS speed & often they read the same speed. The HydroEdge is discontinued & is replaced with the Michelin Defender, which I now have on the front wheels. Both are 90,000 mile tires, although I have no idea what to expect. Both dry & wet traction are rated high, which is important to me. Cheeper to buy than OEM. Have probably 14,000 miles on the rear and am very pleased with it.

[cjackg]

I put a Michelin HydroEdge 215/60R15 on mine. The slightly larger tire diameter has not caused any Nanny issues and now has my speedometer always within 1 mph of the GPS speed & often they read the same speed. The HydroEdge is discontinued & is replaced with the Michelin Defender, which I now have on the front wheels. Both are 90,000 mile tires, although I have no idea what to expect. Both dry & wet traction are rated high, which is important to me. Cheeper to buy than OEM. Have probably 14,000 miles on the rear and am very pleased with it.

What size are the Defenders you used on the front? Where is the best source for these?

[Chupaca]

we have 8,500 miles on the roadster and the tires look new. It is a 2012 RS bought that same year. Maybe they improved the compound since earlier years. We ryde double up and fairly aggressively with the sway bar and shock re-locator blocks installed. By the time we need a tire there will be a hundred more threads on the subject..if you check back you will find a myriad of suggestions..good luck..!!

[flybuddy]

Toyo Proxes 4, one of only 3 non-oem tires you can get in same exact size. This is the most expensive of the 3.

[CharlieIndia]

What kind of front tires would anyone suggest besides oem?

[sinkhole]

What kind of front tires would anyone suggest besides oem?

I find the OEM front tires to be fine. I've got 25k+ on mine, and they should last to at least 35k. I've run them at 22psi from the start.

[akaspyderman]

FOR THE UMTEENTH-MILLION TIME....
KUMHO AST 225/50-R15

015.jpg

Umteenth-million is a lot of times. Thanks for umteenth-million and one.

[SPYD3R]

I have a 2010 RT and changed the original tire at 5500 miles, although this was somewhat premature because I was leaving on a long trip and didn't want to bother with a change mid-trip. I might have gotten another 500 - 1000 miles on it.

The second tire was a Sumitomo warranted for 40,000 miles wear and I got 8000 miles on this one (of course the treadwear warranty didn't apply to a Spyder). This one was really worn out and mostly bald. I now have a Kumho Ecsta on it but not long enough to get any idea as to how well this one will wear.

I'm not sure why I get worse tire wear than most. I certainly don't run the Spyder aggressively. Our Idaho rural roads tend to have a very coarse oil and screen surface so that may contribute. I also think that because our Spyders are strongly weight biased to the front and the rear is very light, there is much more slippage between tire and road surface and much more wear on the rear tire than with an auto. My conclusion is that, at least based on my experience, regardless of the tire the rear is going to wear much more rapidly than on an automobile. Only 8000 miles on a 40,000 mile rated tire is quite a striking difference.

There have been several threads in the past on this subject with many posts containing discussion and recommendations regarding specific tires, sizes, etc. You may find a lot of info by doing a search on this subject.

Mike
Idaho
www.rtwrider.net

i got about 20,000 miles out of my first KUMHO... considering i'm hard on the excellerator, i think this is pretty good... only got about 8,000 on the OEM...
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[Bob Denman]

AK,
Has your delaer had a change of heart, and is will now mount other brands of tire too?

[MarkLawson]

What size are the Defenders you used on the front? Where is the best source for these?

They are 175/65R14 & are slightly wider than the OEM. I have seen no sign of rubbing the fenders, but they are a bit of a tighter fit, so you have to work a little harder to get them inside the fenders. But hey, if they last a long time, it's worth the extra effort.

One note: if the tires do have the wear life as suggested by Michelin's claim of 90,000 miles on the Spyder, it may be that with the extended years and repeat heating & cooling cycles, the tread may harden with time & lose traction. I may find I want to replace them before they are worn out, but time will tell...