Another Tire Question

[Koop]

I recently purchased a 2009 RS SE5. I replaced the rear Kenda with a Kumho Ecsta 225/50r15 tire and I'm very happy with it. The front tires have plenty of tread left at 15,000 miles, but they're obviously the original tires - they have date codes showing they were manufactured in 2009. I don't like running tires that are more than 7 years old. I want to use something other than Kenda for replacements.

I've searched and found a few threads on front tires - my question is this: I saw a few old posts about using a 175/65r14 to replace the original 165/65r14 tires. But, I haven't found any recent threads or follow-up posts on this tire size. Does it work well? Any concerns? I can get 165/65r14 Bridgestone tires, but there are more options in the 175/65r14 size.

[Bob Denman]

I'm a (relatively ) firm believer in staying with the OEM sizes. Bridgestone's Potenza has proven to be a pretty darn good replacement tire.
But if your Kendas are doing that good of a job up front; why not just stay with the OEM?
Is it the pricing???

[Chupaca]

I don't do tires... but you can get 30,000 out of the kenda fronts and unless you have signs of dry rot I would ryde them out. jmo

[Koop]

I'm not a fan of the Kenda tires. IMHO they are low grade Chinese tires sold at a premium price. BRP teamed up with Kenda for OEM and replacement supply strictly for the $$$ they can make. BRP tries to convince us these are "special" motorcycle tires - they're not motorcycle tires and a Spyder isn't a motorcycle. BRP and Kenda don't publish actual diameters - they don't want us to know what's out there to replace it with.

I spent my career working for a European auto manufacturer in technical service and quality. I understand how these things work and I understand tire construction.

Thanks for the replies but I'm looking for feedback from someone that has run 175/65r14 tires on the front of their GS/RS.

[SpyderAnn01]

I don't do tires... but you can get 30,000 out of the kenda fronts and unless you have signs of dry rot I would ryde them out. jmo

I agree. The 14" Kenda front tires were actually pretty good.

[CMA/IBA_rider]

Not much difference in those two tires you can check it out on this website

https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc...5r14-175-65r14

[Koop]

It's the age of the front tires that is prompting me to replace them. Sidewall cracks aren't the only thing that cause tires to "age out." Here's a link to a NTSB presentation.

[Koop]

Not much difference in those two tires you can check it out on this website

https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc...5r14-175-65r14

Thanks for the link! Good info - although there can be differences from manufacturer to manufacturer even though they carry the same size designation. But, as you point out - the difference is pretty small.

[Highwayman2013]

Here's a couple contenders:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?width=165%2F&ratio=65&diamet er=14&rearWidth=255%2F&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=1 7&zip-code=

http://www.onlinetires.com/products/...s-657+79t.html

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Here's a couple contenders:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...r=17&zip-code=

http://www.onlinetires.com/products/...s-657+79t.html

......I can't comment on the Dunlop or Federal ......But the Bridgestone above had some of - if not the worst performance ratings of any tire I have checked in the past two years.........really .....Mike

[Dan McNally]

It's the age of the front tires that is prompting me to replace them. Sidewall cracks aren't the only thing that cause tires to "age out." Here's a link to a NTSB presentation.

Thanks for posting that very important link. The information provided in that NTSB link is critical, and every vehicle owner or operator should be aware of it. When I was still working, we had a small fleet of vehicles used for a classified government mission. They were very low mileage. I started asking for permission to replace the tires and radiator/heater hoses at about the five year point - and kept getting turned down. I scheduled a meeting with the government senior executive (SES) who managed our program, and brought a guy from NTSB with me - he briefed my SES on this very subject - and I got my new tires and hoses.

Rubber wears out, just sitting on the shelf or on the vehicle, even when mileage is very low. Old tires kill.

[kbwitt]

people buy these big motor coaches with low miles tires look new but way out of date. try replacing 6 or 8 of those babies. or sport looks cheap now

[Koop]

people buy these big motor coaches with low miles tires look new but way out of date. try replacing 6 or 8 of those babies. or sport looks cheap now

Yep - tires for my motorhome are over $500/each and I'll never wear them out. After 7 years they'll still look great but they'll get replaced.

[3whlLefty]

My OEM's went south quickly due to bad alignment. I replaced them with Falken ZEIX ZE512's in 185/60 - 14 largely because of availability at the time. They were a b***** to fit into the fender space. Removing the mud flaps would help a lot. I really can't notice a difference in handling and will go back closer to OEM size next time. After a few K miles I had the laser alignment done by Squared Away but the tires already showed uneven wear so I still dance on some road seams.

If I decide keep this Spyder for a long time I may spring for new tires soon. It's an '09 RS SE5 with 14K miles and going strong.

Just another example to throw into the mix. Enjoy the search.

[Koop]

I had 175/65R14 Kumho Solus TA11 tires mounted today. Getting the wheels back onto the Spyder was a chore. I removed the mudguards and had to finagle the wheels onto the lug studs to get them under the fenders. Clearance is tight but doable. So far, I'd have to say they are very smooth and I like the grip level. I replaced the original tires due to the 0309 (calendar week 3 of 2009) manufacturing date. Looking at the tread on the directional Kumhos and reading the reviews, I think this will be a superior tire, especially in wet conditions.

[Raptor]

I had 175/65R14 Kumho Solus TA11 tires mounted today. Getting the wheels back onto the Spyder was a chore. I removed the mudguards and had to finagle the wheels onto the lug studs to get them under the fenders. Clearance is tight but doable. So far, I'd have to say they are very smooth and I like the grip level. I replaced the original tires due to the 0309 (calendar week 3 of 2009) manufacturing date. Looking at the tread on the directional Kumhos and reading the reviews, I think this will be a superior tire, especially in wet conditions.

I just had the rear tire done and went with the OEM Kenda. But these Kumho tires that you just put on are the ones I am lookin at to replace the fronts. I was not impressed with the OEM fronts and do not want to put another set on, but I was wondering about possible clearance issues. Thanks for the info, Koop! Appreciate it.

[Deanna777]

I am running the General Altimax RT 43 on the rear of the spyder, and I am running 26psi. New tire was put on @ 5824 miles. I like it, and it is my 2nd motorcycle riding season with it. Deanna

[Koop]

I just had the rear tire done and went with the OEM Kenda. But these Kumho tires that you just put on are the ones I am lookin at to replace the fronts. I was not impressed with the OEM fronts and do not want to put another set on, but I was wondering about possible clearance issues. Thanks for the info, Koop! Appreciate it.

I'm very happy with the Kumho Solus tires. The fit works on our 2009 RS. My wife remarked about how good they felt after she took a 40 mile ride yesterday.

[hecoon]

I had 175/65R14 Kumho Solus TA11 tires mounted today. Getting the wheels back onto the Spyder was a chore. I removed the mudguards and had to finagle the wheels onto the lug studs to get them under the fenders. Clearance is tight but doable. So far, I'd have to say they are very smooth and I like the grip level. I replaced the original tires due to the 0309 (calendar week 3 of 2009) manufacturing date. Looking at the tread on the directional Kumhos and reading the reviews, I think this will be a superior tire, especially in wet conditions.

I have the same tires on my 09 and they have 54k on them with plenty of tread left

[scott16119]

I thought I was happy with the performance of the original Kenda front tires . At 20,000 miles they still had a lot of tread life left but I was starting to experience some front end vibration. Rebalancing may have cured the vibration. I installed the same size Bridgestone Potenza's about 1000 miles ago. I can't say how the wet road performance is but so far on dry pavement it is a huge improvement over the Kendas. I'm running with 24 psi.