175/55R-15 VREDESTEIN QUATRAC 5 SL for 2014 RTL fronts
My wife's RTL has 21k miles and the front tires have severe cupping, causing handlebar shaking (yes, it's been Laser-aligned by Squared-Away). My RTL has about 23k on the original Kendas and I'm not experiencing any problems BUT I know replacement is in the near future and I want to be able to do some long-distance touring this summer without having to worry about it.
So, based on my criteria for front tires (excellent wet/dry performance throughout the life of the tire) and the many posts on the topic from knowledgeable people here (Peter Aawen and Mike BlueKnight911 and JCThorne to name a few), yesterday I ordered (4) 175/55R-15 VREDESTEIN QUATRAC 5 SL tires for $87.01 apiece from TireRack.com. They are due to arrive tomorrow (excellent 2-day free delivery from TireRack).
Some time in the next week or so I'll get them mounted on my stock wheels. After we have ridden the bikes on these new tires for at least 500 miles, I'll post my impressions with them.
I'll also post my experience with getting them mounted. At this point, I'm thinking I'll go to a local tire shop. I may or may not have them dismount and remount the wheels, depending on my level of ambition at the time.
I'm hoping this will be an informative thread and not devolve into a debate over my choice of tires or anything else. If the thread gets out of hand I'll close it and that will be that. I'd be happy to answer questions and hopefully generate a meaningful discussion about these particular tires.
BTW, for reference sake, the OEM Kendas are 165/55 R15 so I'm guessing the new tires will be a little taller (greater circumference) but I've been assured by others on here that it won't affect fender clearance or nanny...
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Getting this thread back on track .....
We got the new front tires mounted on Jane's bike on Tuesday. Wednesday we went for an overnight trip towing the Lees-Ure Lite (me) and the pet trailer (Jane) to a nearby campground. Jane noticed the difference right away in smoothness of the ride (no surprise there since her old Kendas were badly cupped). But, she also noticed a difference in turning at very low speed; whereas before she was having a difficult time of it (in spite of the power assist), now turning requires much less effort. I'm not sure what accounts for that.