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  1. #1
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    Default New Tires...Brand and Size

    I just bought my first Spyder, 2014 RT-S and I need new tires. I've already seen posts that say don't buy the Kenda's. So what brand and size do I buy?

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    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gigi2 View Post
    I just bought my first Spyder, 2014 RT-S and I need new tires. I've already seen posts that say don't buy the Kenda's. So what brand and size do I buy?
    Currently the best all-around tire sold today is the Vredestein Quatrac - 5 ..... 165/60-15 for the front ( on your year Spyder ) and 205/60 or 215/60-15 for the rear ..... look for them on-line at Tirerack.com or Vulcan tire or Simple tire .... other REAR tires are General Altimax RT43 & Michelin Defender " T&H " model in a similar size ...... another FRONT tire is the Conti- Pro Contact similar size ...... good luck ..... if you use AUTO tires 17-18 psi front and 18-19 psi rear works really well ...... Mike

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    Kanine kendas are a new tire to add to the mix. Haven't heard any complaints yet on them but they are relatively new.

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    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by trikermutha View Post
    Kanine kendas are a new tire to add to the mix. Haven't heard any complaints yet on them but they are relatively new.
    Well the Kanine's construction specs are the same as the old ones ..... I'll let you decide ...... Mike

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    Very Active Member Deanna777's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gigi2 View Post
    I just bought my first Spyder, 2014 RT-S and I need new tires. I've already seen posts that say don't buy the Kenda's. So what brand and size do I buy?
    Hi,

    I have a 2014 RT-SE 6 and I am running on the front Size:165/60 R 15 ,Contiprocontact These were installed on 6/20/2016 the bike had 12,807 miles, when these tires were installed and running @ 19 PSI.

    On the rear I am running General Altimax RT 43 size: 215/60 R 15, and running @ 26 PSI. The first General was installed @ 5,824 miles.

    I am now on my 2nd General Altimax RT 43 tire. The 2nd General Altimax was installed @ 24,553 miles on 4/11/2019.

    Total miles on spyder is 27, 809 miles.

    The General has/says " Replace Tire "built into tire.

    I have not had any problems with the General Altimax RT 43 tire.



    Deanna




    Current Spyder - 2023 F3 LTD Special Mineral Blue

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    Quote Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911 View Post
    Well the Kanine's construction specs are the same as the old ones ..... I'll let you decide ...... Mike
    Please plain Lucy!

    https://youtu.be/OLF5uuszcpY

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    Active Member BearX16's Avatar
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    Thanks BLUEKNIGHT, glad this was a recent post so I didn't have to wear my eyes out.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911 View Post
    Currently the best all-around tire sold today is the Vredestein Quatrac - 5 ..... 165/60-15 for the front ( on your year Spyder ) and 205/60 or 215/60-15 for the rear ..... look for them on-line at Tirerack.com or Vulcan tire or Simple tire .... other REAR tires are General Altimax RT43 & Michelin Defender " T&H " model in a similar size ...... another FRONT tire is the Conti- Pro Contact similar size ...... good luck ..... if you use AUTO tires 17-18 psi front and 18-19 psi rear works really well ...... Mike
    Mike, Some have used the 175/55-15 Vredestein Quatrac 5. Would that fit as well as the 165/60-15, is it taller?
    Bob

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    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RNBOB View Post
    Mike, Some have used the 175/55-15 Vredestein Quatrac 5. Would that fit as well as the 165/60-15, is it taller?
    Bob
    I have read a couple of posts that said they found a couple of very, very slight contact points ..... for many technical reasons the larger size has no performance differences from the 165/60-15 size...... The " Nanny " prevents Ultimate Lateral traction ..... so why spend more money to achieve something that's NOT achievable ..... Mike

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    Quote Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911 View Post
    I have read a couple of posts that said they found a couple of very, very slight contact points ..... for many technical reasons the larger size has no performance differences from the 165/60-15 size...... The " Nanny " prevents Ultimate Lateral traction ..... so why spend more money to achieve something that's NOT achievable ..... Mike
    Thanks Mike,
    Bob

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    Quote Originally Posted by RNBOB View Post
    Mike, Some have used the 175/55-15 Vredestein Quatrac 5. Would that fit as well as the 165/60-15, is it taller?
    Bob
    Just installed 175/55-15s on the front of our (HER) '17 RT-S a couple of weeks ago.

    They fit. Quite well. I did not check every possible contact point, but there is apparently no problem.

    Are they taller than any other tire? No idea. Took off the Kendas (please pardon the foul word) without measuring them, I only knew they were going to leave, and not soon enough.

    .

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    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve W. View Post
    Just installed 175/55-15s on the front of our (HER) '17 RT-S a couple of weeks ago.

    They fit. Quite well. I did not check every possible contact point, but there is apparently no problem.

    Are they taller than any other tire? No idea. Took off the Kendas (please pardon the foul word) without measuring them, I only knew they were going to leave, and not soon enough.

    .
    Taller ??? ... The manufacturers state the nominal or mathematical sizes, however over many years of checking tire sizes I have learned those listed sizes don't always actually measure the physical size of each nominal size ..... and this applies to each specific Model of the same manufacturer ... to get an idea of what I'm saying go to the TireRack site ... pick a tire ... go to the spec sheet for that tire .... look at the REVS per mile column ( most give this info, but not all ) ..... the revs will tell you the EXACT rolling circumference, if you look at many different tirers of the same ( nominal ) size, it becomes apparent that there can be quite a range of Actual physical sizing .... for a Q-5 in 165/60-15 one Rev = 6 ft. +/- a few mm. ..... hope this helps to understand REAL tire size ..... Mike

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    I have continental pro contact 175/55/15 on my Spyder 38000miles so far 15to16 psi (as per Mike)��

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    About to pull the trigger for new front tires on the ST-S, options are Nankang AS1 in 165x55x15, Hankook Kinergy eco K425 175x50x15 or as mentioned above the Continental Pro Contact 175x55x15. The tire place asked me if they would fit and I have read good reports about them in the wet especially their resistance to aquaplaning.
    Unfortunately can't source Vredestein. Askitee has the Nankangs and is happy with them but no stock around here.
    Of course the sensible thing was to do a search here and low and behold the 175x15x15 Continental is mentioned.
    Question time now though - are the front guards the same on RudyB's RT and my ST? The Contis sound like a great tire but only if I they fit without scrubbing.
    I know tyres of the same branded size can differ by some mms but very few of the manufacturers give the overall diameter so the only way to know for sure is to ask those that either have them or know about them.
    Thanks
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    Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie Peter Aawen's Avatar
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    Glenm, do your fenders have the smooth top outside, or the raised rib down the middle that has reflectors on it? Regardless, if your Spyder has 15" rims, then it'll almost certainly have fenders/guards that will fit the same size tires as Rudy's 2014 RT!

    And for what it's worth, when it comes to comparing tire circumferences/rolling dia, if you can't get an 'actual' rolling dia/radius, you can always look at the 'revs per mile' number (or for those of us living in the 'ciivilized' world, revs per km! ) However, that can still be a trap - if the numbers are identical, there's a pretty good chance that the manufacturers have taken the easy/lazy way out & provided specs based upon the 'nominal' tire size rather than the 'actual' tire size!

    All that said, I've run Continental ContiproContact tires up front, and Kumho KH17's, Ecstas, & Ecowings et al, all in 175/55R15 without any issues, altho I did remove the hex head fixing screws from the inside of the mudguard & replace them with pan head fixing screws waaay back over 100,000 km ago, cos the hex heads projected 10mm into the wheel space & under extreme cornering loads/tire flexion they'd sometimes juuuuust skim polish the screw tops!! Swapped the hex head screws to pan heads that were lower/flatter; problem solvered and I'm still running 175/55R15's up front without any concerns!

    Over to you! Enjoy your new tires.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Aawen View Post
    Glenm, do your fenders have the smooth top outside, or the raised rib down the middle that has reflectors on it? Regardless, if your Spyder has 15" rims, then it'll almost certainly have fenders/guards that will fit the same size tires as Rudy's 2014 RT!

    And for what it's worth, when it comes to comparing tire circumferences/rolling dia, if you can't get an 'actual' rolling dia/radius, you can always look at the 'revs per mile' number (or for those of us living in the 'ciivilized' world, revs per km! ) However, that can still be a trap - if the numbers are identical, there's a pretty good chance that the manufacturers have taken the easy/lazy way out & provided specs based upon the 'nominal' tire size rather than the 'actual' tire size!

    All that said, I've run Continental ContiproContact tires up front, and Kumho KH17's, Ecstas, & Ecowings et al, all in 175/55R15 without any issues, altho I did remove the hex head fixing screws from the inside of the mudguard & replace them with pan head fixing screws waaay back over 100,000 km ago, cos the hex heads projected 10mm into the wheel space & under extreme cornering loads/tire flexion they'd sometimes juuuuust skim polish the screw tops!! Swapped the hex head screws to pan heads that were lower/flatter; problem solvered and I'm still running 175/55R15's up front without any concerns!

    Over to you! Enjoy your new tires.
    Not just civilised we are also awake! I was hoping you (and Mike) would chime in Peter. Mine has the raised middle. See picture if I have got your comments correct. Absolutely 15s on it as it is a 2014. Excellent info so it looks like Contis then. Are you able to say why and what you are running now? or is it a state secret, after all your borders and ours for that matter are closed with the state who shall not be named.
    Thanks for all the info.
    STS2.jpg
    2014 ST-S SE5 Cognac
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gigi2 View Post
    I just bought my first Spyder, 2014 RT-S and I need new tires. I've already seen posts that say don't buy the Kenda's. So what brand and size do I buy?
    Have you managed to figure out which tire to purchase? I just bought another set of Kumho Ecsta, the last one lasted for more than 20,000 miles without major problems.

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    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by glennm View Post
    Not just civilised we are also awake! I was hoping you (and Mike) would chime in Peter. Mine has the raised middle. See picture if I have got your comments correct. Absolutely 15s on it as it is a 2014. Excellent info so it looks like Contis then. Are you able to say why and what you are running now? or is it a state secret, after all your borders and ours for that matter are closed with the state who shall not be named.
    Thanks for all the info.
    STS2.jpg
    I discovered the Vredestein Quatrac 5 and still recommend them .... IF YOU CAN GET THEM .... you folks apparently can't ..... In the past I wasn't satisfied with what Continental offered in sizes that would fit our Spyders, but your reaching out caused me to go back and try and find something that you can probably get .... after an hour or so of searching Continental tires I found the Conti- True Contact TOUR model, I was very, very surprised to learn it has rating in W - D & Wear in the 9.2 = excellent category ..... but I only found it in 175/65-15 for the front ..... I matched it up with my General Altimax RT 43 ( also excellent ) and this Conti is slightly smaller then my RT43, which ids good because for my 14 RT I had the shim ( washers ) under the fender brackets to move them a bit further from the tire sidewall ..... folks think the Height of the tire is the critical issue ... I dis-agree .... it's the sidewall Section width that matters most. Do what Peter did and get the Pan Head bolts. If you want to see what the Tire Rack testing said go to their web site and enter the Conti tire above in 175/65-15 size. I think it's a winner ...... Mike

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    Thanks Mike your efforts and advice are very much appreciated.
    2014 ST-S SE5 Cognac
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    Quote Originally Posted by mrgrtt123 View Post
    Have you managed to figure out which tire to purchase? I just bought another set of Kumho Ecsta, the last one lasted for more than 20,000 miles without major problems.
    Not yet. Thanks for posting up your experience.
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    Mike

    Really good reviews but the Conti- True Contact TOUR model not available here. Bummer!

    Thanks again
    2014 ST-S SE5 Cognac
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    Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie Peter Aawen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by glennm View Post
    Not just civilised we are also awake! I was hoping you (and Mike) would chime in Peter. Mine has the raised middle. See picture if I have got your comments correct. Absolutely 15s on it as it is a 2014. Excellent info so it looks like Contis then. Are you able to say why and what you are running now? or is it a state secret, after all your borders and ours for that matter are closed with the state who shall not be named.
    Thanks for all the info.....
    That's definitely the 'New style' fenders, so you should be fine with the 175/55's!

    As to what & why re my tires now, I'm actually running Kumho's up front, cos they are a pretty reasonable 'Sport/Touring' tire that grips pretty well for a sporty tire with a fairly long lasting tread compound that works well in the extremes of hot or cold and wet or dry roads that we get here - so I generally get better'n 30,000 km of tire life & the Kumhos (at the right pressure) stick like the proverbial to a blanket across the fairly broad range of conditions that we often encounter here in Oz too.

    Up the back right now, I'm running a 205/65R15 Michelin for much the same reasons.... but don't let whatever tire/s I'm running up front or on the back at any given instant put you off anything else too much; cos due to my rather broad ranging background & employment history, I often get asked/invited to test various tires &/or vehicles, and sometimes I even get paid for providing my 'expert opinion' on them; 'x' being an unknown quantity & 'spurt' being a.... well, I'm sure you get the picture anyway! So I frequently get to run a set of 'evaluation tires' for maybe 1,000 km up to as much as 5,000 km or so; which means my Kumhos have stretched their current 'more'n 30,000 km' out over a few years, cos they've had regular rests & breaks while I've run something else for a bit & worn out a set of someone else's tires at someone else's expense!

    Seriously tho, just about anything from a reputable & well know tire manufacturer in a size that fits your Spyder & that has load & speed ratings that meet or exceed those specified on your tire placard is very likely to work better than some of the OE Spec Kendas, especially if your OE tires are more than just a couple of years old, cos they have been doing a little better of late. But almost anything else will likely be cheaper, more readily available, and far more forgiving on you, your machine, and its suspension, if you run them at or near the right pressure for the (fairly light) load your Spyder places on them!! So I reckon it's fairly safe to choose your a/mkt tires based upon their stated performance characteristics & whatever your 'identified needs & wants' may be!! Altho I absolutely loved some of the 'sporty' or 'hi-performance' tires I've tested cos of their phenomenal traction, I'm not running them as my 'daily tires' cos I really don't enjoy forking out my hard earned for even the stickiest of tires every 5,000 km or so/3 or 4 times a year!! Especially since, just like the Kumhos & now the Michelin on the rear, the Continentals I tested worked almost as well as the much more expensive/sticky tires but because they're a bit harder compound & take maybe a minute or two longer to warm up properly, the lot of them work very well for my 'on-road' ryding and last a helluva lot longer to boot!!
    Last edited by Peter Aawen; 08-04-2020 at 04:03 AM.
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    Thanks Peter. You are right of course it comes down to personal choice and what I want from a tire. I take your point about longevity too as I am retiring soon so don't want to be forking out for tires on a regular basis as I want to be using Spydey more and as my main transport. Yep the tires I expect are original so they are definitely due for replacement based on age.

    Thanks all once again. I will post what I finally get and provide updates.
    2014 ST-S SE5 Cognac
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    Very Active Member BLUEKNIGHT911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by glennm View Post
    Mike

    Really good reviews but the Conti- True Contact TOUR model not available here. Bummer!

    Thanks again
    " not available " ... interesting, I would think a tire seller could have THAT specific tire added to their normal order for Continentals. Too bad, the True Contact Tour model was one of the few that I recommend over other Conti models..... Mike

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    Yep comes with the territory, small country and all that....and of course we are an island!

    The Conti Pro Contact gets somewhat mixed reviews so still tossing up......which is exactly what I might do....toss a coin. Difference in price is about $20 Aus per tire.

    The Vredesteins we can get out her are for ag machinery, tractors, harvesters etc. I would be a very happy chappy if they would bring in the rest of their range. Many years ago they did so I don't know what happened.

    Will be checking the clearances this weekend as the extra height (although small) definitely wouldn't hurt.

    Looks like I will be moving to a different state as they are effectively shutting down the border for all but essential workers and on compassionate grounds. Have to decide tonight (and move Firday) so I can exit before the new closures.
    2014 ST-S SE5 Cognac
    2014 ST-S , Cognac

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