Tire Size

[sandeejs]

I'm about to pull the plug and order a General Altimax tire. The forum's recommended size seems to be 215/60/15. I'm just so nervous that is its not the same as the standard size in the manual. Will this really work? Am I overly anxious?

Thanks in advance!

~Sandee~

[YumaGary]

That tire performs well on my 2015 RTL using 16 psi.

[Steve W.]

There are many (slightly) different sizes that are oh-so-close to the stock size, but are actually BETTER.

Go for it, you will not be disappointed.

I just installed Vredestein Q5s on our '17 RT-S. Front was 175/55, rear is 205/65. Speedo is dead-on accurate.

.

[larryd]

That is the size I have on my 2014 RTS since 2015 and I'll be using that same size next year when I replace my Michelin Hydo edge with 30,000 plus miles on it...larryd

[sandeejs]

Thanks so much!
~Sandee~

[RudyB]

Just go with the suggested tire the General Altimax RT43 it’s a great tire I am on my second one

[Lew L]

Just go with the suggested tire the General Altimax RT43 it’s a great tire I am on my second one

+1

Lew L

[VaCruiser]

My wife has a 2011 rt-s that needs all three tires. What is the recommended size for front and back? I wasn't sure if all years were the same.

[Steve W.]

Recommended sizes will vary a bit by manufacturer.
One maker's size designation might be just a little bit different than another.

We just recently changed the tires on my wife's '17 RT-S. Installed Vredestein Q5s.
175/55 up front and 205/65 in the rear. Very happy with the choice.

.

[sandeejs]

Had to give it more thought and remembered when I had a 2 wheel. I got a slightly different size for new tires. Worked out well. So I ordered tonight.
Thanks, y'all!

~Sandee~

[VaCruiser]

I ordered General Altimax rt43 215/60/15 for the rear. For the front I got Quatrac 5 175/55/ 15. Are these tires okay to run together front and back? Or are there three tires all from the same manufacturer that I should be running?

[CopperSpyder]

I ordered General Altimax rt43 215/60/15 for the rear. For the front I got Quatrac 5 175/55/ 15. Are these tires okay to run together front and back? Or are there three tires all from the same manufacturer that I should be running?

VaCruiser if you have OEM wheels on the front they are 14 inch. the OEM tire is 165/65/14 for the 2011 Spyder RT

[Mazo EMS2]

I'm about to pull the plug and order a General Altimax tire. The forum's recommended size seems to be 215/60/15. I'm just so nervous that is its not the same as the standard size in the manual. Will this really work? Am I overly anxious?

Thanks in advance!

~Sandee~

Worked great on our previous 2010 RT, and works great on our current 2016 RT.

[Steve W.]

... if you have OEM wheels on the front they are 14 inch. the OEM tire is 165/65/14 for the 2011 Spyder RT

I learn something every day here.

I was not aware that they had changed.

What year did they make the change?

.

[Peter Aawen]

......What year did they make the change?

.

From 14 inch front rims & tyres to 15 inch fronts?!

The 15's came with all the rest of the frame 'upgrades for the new 1330 motors' in 2013, only then the motors weren't ready in time, so the 2013 Spyders still hit the streets with the V-twins - so they got the best of both worlds! The frame & suspension upgrades; the bigger tires; and the peppier, more exciting, revvier motor!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I learn something every day here.

I was not aware that they had changed.

What year did they make the change?

.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd great 14inch tires are hard to come by .... but you are in luck .... the best tire available today is the Vredestein Quatrac 5 ..... and comes in few 14inch sizes that fit your Spyder ..... Mike

[ulflyer]

I've had the Altimax's on my truck for several years now (it is not driven much) and like them a lot for year round use. My only complaint, and its a big one, is the tread pattern gets a lot of small embedded gravel from my long driveway.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Had to give it more thought and remembered when I had a 2 wheel. I got a slightly different size for new tires. Worked out well. So I ordered tonight.
Thanks, y'all!

~Sandee~

Good move. But, really you had no choice but to go with a non-OEM size. Nobody above seems to have mentioned it but there are almost no car tires the same size as the Kenda stock tire, so to go with a car tire you have to go non-stock size.

[mrwog]

I'm about to pull the plug and order a General Altimax tire. The forum's recommended size seems to be 215/60/15. I'm just so nervous that is its not the same as the standard size in the manual. Will this really work? Am I overly anxious?

Thanks in advance!

~Sandee~

Very close to stock front size 165/55-15 155/60-15 Difference
Diameter inches (mm) 22.15 (562.5) 22.32 (567) 0.18 (4.5) 0.8%
Width inches (mm) 6.5 (165) 6.1 (155) -0.39 (-10) -6.1%
Circum. inches (mm) 69.57 (1767.15) 70.13 (1781.28) 0.56 (14.14) 0.8%
Sidewall Height inches (mm) 3.57 (90.75) 3.66 (93) 0.09 (2.25) 2.5%
Revolutions per mile (km) 910.7 (565.88) 903.47 (561.39) -7.23 (-4.49) -0.8%
Forum embed code:


Speedometer Difference
Speedo Reading Actual Speed
20 mph (32.19 km/h) 20.16 mph (32.44 km/h)
25 mph (40.23 km/h) 25.2 mph (40.56 km/h)
30 mph (48.28 km/h) 30.24 mph (48.67 km/h)
35 mph (56.33 km/h) 35.28 mph (56.78 km/h)
40 mph (64.37 km/h) 40.32 mph (64.89 km/h)
45 mph (72.42 km/h) 45.36 mph (73 km/h)
50 mph (80.47 km/h) 50.4 mph (81.11 km/h)
55 mph (88.51 km/h) 55.44 mph (89.22 km/h)
60 mph (96.56 km/h) 60.48 mph (97.33 km/h)
65 mph (104.61 km/h) 65.52 mph (105.44 km/h)
Speedometer forum embed code

[Peter Aawen]

Just remember that while all that info is nice mrwog (& anyone else who may not realise!) it doesn't necessarily reflect the ACTUAL TIRE SIZES!!

It's only info based upon the NOMINAL Tire Size, ie the info printed on the sidewall and the sizes you entered into the table.... They are just a size chosen from a convenient 'Standardised Labelling Convention' agreement used across the International Tire Industry; they have little real relationship to the products that roll out of the tire factories, excpt that the size printed on the tire sidewalls is probably something CLOSE to that size...... But ACTUAL physical dimensions of most tires are often (usually! ) somewhat different, usually because the various manufacturers use different methods for choosing which Nominal size they are going to print on the sidewall. Some use the naked carcass size, before they even start to add/form the tread layers; some use the 'full depth tread' size, taken after the tire has been fully assembled; others seem to just pick something that looks like it might be 'pretty close'; and there's probably a whole 'nuther set of different methods used too, including 'just an educated guess', and often even for different spec tires made by the same manufacturer!!

So while those 'Generic Size Comparison' tables are handy tools to use as a GENERAL Guide with APPROXIMATE size comparisons & approx information re speedo differences etc to help you start your tire choice, if you are that concerned about tire sizes (& sometimes you need to be!) then you really need to look at the ACTUAL Specifications of each tire you're considering and compare measurable things, like the Rolling Diameter, or the Revs per Mile - only if they happen to match EXACTLY for different tire brands/spec tires even tho they are labelled with the same Nominal size, that probably means that the manufacturer/s has been even lazier than usual/most & is only publishing the Nominal Data instead of the Actual measured Tire Size!

Oh, and BTW, while the info you posted is certainly worth noting, with the above caveats Sandee actually went ahead & ordered/bought tires a while back , and told us that at post #10 on the 8th of July.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Just remember that while all that info is nice mrwog (& anyone else who may not realise!) it doesn't necessarily reflect the ACTUAL TIRE SIZES!!

It's only info based upon the NOMINAL Tire Size, ie the info printed on the sidewall and the sizes you entered into the table.... They are just a size chosen from a convenient 'Standardised Labelling Convention' agreement used across the International Tire Industry; they have little real relationship to the products that roll out of the tire factories, excpt that the size printed on the tire sidewalls is probably something CLOSE to that size...... But ACTUAL physical dimensions of most tires are often (usually! ) somewhat different, usually because the various manufacturers use different methods for choosing which Nominal size they are going to print on the sidewall. Some use the naked carcass size, before they even start to add/form the tread layers; some use the 'full depth tread' size, taken after the tire has been fully assembled; others seem to just pick something that looks like it might be 'pretty close'; and there's probably a whole 'nuther set of different methods used too, including 'just an educated guess', and often even for different spec tires made by the same manufacturer!!

So while those 'Generic Size Comparison' tables are handy tools to use as a GENERAL Guide with APPROXIMATE size comparisons & approx information re speedo differences etc to help you start your tire choice, if you are that concerned about tire sizes (& sometimes you need to be!) then you really need to look at the ACTUAL Specifications of each tire you're considering and compare measurable things, like the Rolling Diameter, or the Revs per Mile - only if they happen to match EXACTLY for different tire brands/spec tires even tho they are labelled with the same Nominal size, that probably means that the manufacturer/s has been even lazier than usual/most & is only publishing the Nominal Data instead of the Actual measured Tire Size!

Oh, and BTW, while the info you posted is certainly worth noting, with the above caveats Sandee actually went ahead & ordered/bought tires a while back , and told us that at post #10 on the 8th of July.

...... The most accurate " actual tire size " measurement is the " revs per mile " ( if provided by the tire maker ) .... the other is the actual circumference measurement of any given tire ..... Mike