Tire Wear

[bonessix]

I have an 09 GS that eats front tires. I have to replace them every 5000 miles. The dealer says everything is fine and that is normal. doesn't seem right to me. Any ideas from anyone? Thanks.

[NancysToy]

Dealer is full of hooey! I'm assuming you have uneven wear of some sort. Uneven wear to the inside of both fronts is caused by inadequate toe-in. A proper alignment and proper front suspension preload settings should counteract it. If you are very heavy, aftermarket shocks may also be needed. Uneven wear of one side is generally due to suspension component wear or damage. A-frame bushings, shock bushings, ball joints, or tie-rods could be involved. There are other types of uneven wear, but they are usually not common in Spyders. Find a shop that has done and understands suspension inspections and alignment. Ideally, a laser alignment would be best, but those shops are pretty scarce. Best of luck in your quest.

[bonessix]

Thanks. I weigh 165. Shocks are set on second notch. The tires wear on the inside. I replaced at 5 K and am going to need another set at 10K. Any idea what the toe in/out is supposed to be? Rides great, but doesn;t seem right to me.

[ARtraveler]

Like Scotty said: You most likely have other issues than bad tires. I got 23,000 miles out of my last set of fronts.

[wyliec]

Find another dealer.

[happyspyder2039]

I have an 09 GS that eats front tires. I have to replace them every 5000 miles. The dealer says everything is fine and that is normal. doesn't seem right to me. Any ideas from anyone? Thanks.

Tire pressure ????

[NancysToy]

Thanks. I weigh 165. Shocks are set on second notch. The tires wear on the inside. I replaced at 5 K and am going to need another set at 10K. Any idea what the toe in/out is supposed to be? Rides great, but doesn;t seem right to me.

Crank the preload up a couple of notches, have the front end inspected, and find someone who can do an alignment for you. Bring the toe-in up to the later 2011/2012 specs...not the 2009 specs. Try running about 20 psi in the tires if you are not already. You still haven't said what kind of tire wear problems you are having. Hard to diagnose when you just say "They have to be replaced."

[NexVision]

Shock relocators....

Sent from my C6606 using Tapatalk 4

[BajaRon]

Why tell the customer the truth when miss-information works nearly every time! I got almost 30k out of my front tires. Bad A-Arm bushings killed them.

[boomboom1]

I have 23,000 miles on my front tires and the dealer says they are still good.

[bonessix]

Crank the preload up a couple of notches, have the front end inspected, and find someone who can do an alignment for you. Bring the toe-in up to the later 2011/2012 specs...not the 2009 specs. Try running about 20 psi in the tires if you are not already. You still haven't said what kind of tire wear problems you are having. Hard to diagnose when you just say "They have to be replaced."

They wear on the inside. I am running 18 lbs of pressure. I weigh 165, and shocks were set on middle notch. Book says lighter for my weight so I moved to second notch when I put these tires on at 5K. They are wearing the same as the first set. The dealer checked the front end and says all is fine. I can check toe in myself, but I can't find what it is supposed to be. I think it is a front end issue, but what? I still have just under 10K miles and almost ready for my second set of front tires. Other than that,I love it.

[Bob Denman]

Something's just not quite right up under the front end of your bike...
Follow what Scotty said; he's the guru in here...
... And Wylie's right; find another dealer; this one lies!

[NancysToy]

They wear on the inside. I am running 18 lbs of pressure. I weigh 165, and shocks were set on middle notch. Book says lighter for my weight so I moved to second notch when I put these tires on at 5K. They are wearing the same as the first set. The dealer checked the front end and says all is fine. I can check toe in myself, but I can't find what it is supposed to be. I think it is a front end issue, but what? I still have just under 10K miles and almost ready for my second set of front tires. Other than that,I love it.

Your toe-in is inadequate. ...,and your dealer is a flake! The procedure for toe-in on a Spyder is not what you maybe familiar with. Best to go by the shop manual procedure. You cannot really do the job correctly by yourself because the steering sensors have to be rezeroed on BUDS following alignment. Also, there is a special tool required to center the steering. If you do decide to adjust by guess and by gosh (not recommended) at least have your dealer rezero the sensors. I'd check the A-frame bushings for play before adjustment. If they have not been properly lubed they are almost certainly worn out. Don't take the word of a dealer who says "They all do it," that everything else up there is fine. You can get 30k-40k out of front tires on a properly aligned Spyder with sound suspension.

[fispyder]

I got 33,000 miles out of the first set of front tires. At bout 5 ,000 miles I notice wear on the inside right tire. Had my dealer aligned the front end put another 28,000 on them before I changed them.

[FLAlaserman]

They wear on the inside. I am running 18 lbs of pressure. I weigh 165, and shocks were set on middle notch. Book says lighter for my weight so I moved to second notch when I put these tires on at 5K. They are wearing the same as the first set. The dealer checked the front end and says all is fine. I can check toe in myself, but I can't find what it is supposed to be. I think it is a front end issue, but what? I still have just under 10K miles and almost ready for my second set of front tires. Other than that,I love it.

Bonessix....i feel your pain thats why I invented adapters to laser align my wife's Spyder. The biggest problem is the rear wheel is NOT aligned with the front wheels, it is all about contact patch that is all that Spyder feels, how the tires hit the road surface and your scrubbing those tires every mile you ride.The dealer can check all they want unless they have this laser system they CANNOT find the problem...and there is a problem.

check out our website I know we can help you...www.spydercomfort.com

[bonessix]

Your toe-in is inadequate. ...,and your dealer is a flake! The procedure for toe-in on a Spyder is not what you maybe familiar with. Best to go by the shop manual procedure. You cannot really do the job correctly by yourself because the steering sensors have to be rezeroed on BUDS following alignmenet. Also, there is a special tool required to center the steering. If you do decide to adjust by guess and by gosh (not recommended) at least have your dealer rezero the sensors. I'd check the A-frame bushings for play before adjustment. If they have not been properly lubed they are almost certainly worn out. Don't take the word of a dealer who says "They all do it," that everything else up there is fine. You can get 30k-40k out of front tires on a properly aligned Spyder with sound suspension.

Thanks for your help. The next closest dealer is 200 miles, but I think it is worth a try. and a ride. It is clear that the local dealer is all wet. Glad you told me about the sensors. I was going to take it to a laser alignment frame shop, but that would only solve half the problem. I will need to try to find a dealer that knows how to align it. Thanks again. The only good advice my dealer has given me is this web site.

[Bob Denman]

At least he got something right!

[bonessix]

Called two dealers today, both well over 200 miles away. One said he had the equipment to align the front end. However, they both told me not to bother, that 5000 miles on front tires was not out of the norm. One said I just need to rotate them ever 2000 miles. It would be cheaper to just buy new ones. Oh well, it rides good and is fun.

[myronmathis]

That's not normal I have 26k on my original front tires and they are just starting to show wear. Of course I replaced the rear tire at 18k due to the occasional spin out.

[NancysToy]

Called two dealers today, both well over 200 miles away. One said he had the equipment to align the front end. However, they both told me not to bother, that 5000 miles on front tires was not out of the norm. One said I just need to rotate them ever 2000 miles. It would be cheaper to just buy new ones. Oh well, it rides good and is fun.

Those dealers are wrong...although they are passing on BRP's standard advice. I am not saying that the problem is not common on Spyders, but that does not make it "normal" or right. It does not have to be that way! My tires have 25K on them right now and are barely over half worn to the wear indicators. They are worn evenly. Nancy has 7K on her GS and the tires are even and have over 3/4 of the tread left. An alignment to the latter spec for the 2008-2012 Spyders would do you good. Rotation is futile...it merely swaps the improper wear to the other side of each tire, and buys you some time before replacement. Many times the Spyder tires won't balance well after the rotation, and then they wobble and vibrate. In addition, rotation requires dismounting and remounting the tires, then rebalancing them, so you will spend at least half as much as the alignment would cost. You can't save the tires you already have, but it would pay for you to have the Spyder realigned to the tight side of the proper spec, then install new tires.

[bonessix]

Those dealers are wrong...although they are passing on BRP's standard advice. I am not saying that the problem is not common on Spyders, but that does not make it "normal" or right. It does not have to be that way! My tires have 25K on them right now and are barely over half worn to the wear indicators. They are worn evenly. Nancy has 7K on her GS and the tires are even and have over 3/4 of the tread left. An alignment to the latter spec for the 2008-2012 Spyders would do you good. Rotation is futile...it merely swaps the improper wear to the other side of each tire, and buys you some time before replacement. Many times the Spyder tires won't balance well after the rotation, and then they wobble and vibrate. In addition, rotation requires dismounting and remounting the tires, then rebalancing them, so you will spend at least half as much as the alignment would cost. You can't save the tires you already have, but it would pay for you to have the Spyder realigned to the tight side of the proper spec, then install new tires.

Thanks again. I think I will just run these into the ground, then go to a different dealer, get the alignment and new tires. I agree that rotation is a waste of time and money, and could create other problems. At least the tires aren't very spendy. That helps. It's hard to put a price tag on good fun.

[NancysToy]

Thanks again. I think I will just run these into the ground, then go to a different dealer, get the alignment and new tires. I agree that rotation is a waste of time and money, and could create other problems. At least the tires aren't very spendy. That helps. It's hard to put a price tag on good fun.

Good attitude! You are right about the tires...at least compared to sport touring motorcycle tires they have longer life and are as cheap or cheaper. Good reports about the Bridgestone Potenza automotive tires, too, as a slightly cheaper and smooter alternative. Keep them in mind when tire time comes around.

[Bob Denman]

. It's hard to put a price tag on good fun.

But it's easy to put a price tag on good friends: Priceless!

[bonessix]

Bonessix....i feel your pain thats why I invented adapters to laser align my wife's Spyder. The biggest problem is the rear wheel is NOT aligned with the front wheels, it is all about contact patch that is all that Spyder feels, how the tires hit the road surface and your scrubbing those tires every mile you ride.The dealer can check all they want unless they have this laser system they CANNOT find the problem...and there is a problem.

check out our website I know we can help you...www.spydercomfort.com

I would love to try it but your dealers are so far away I would have to stop and buy tires to get there. I am convinced it is toe in,out. Both new tires are wearing on inside. They are half gone at 3K.

[jtpollock]

I have an 09 GS that eats front tires. I have to replace them every 5000 miles. The dealer says everything is fine and that is normal. doesn't seem right to me. Any ideas from anyone? Thanks.

I have a 2012 RS S I got 18,000 on the rear and 25,000 from the front. I ride hard and had I watched the tire pressure on the front I may have gotten 30,000 there must be something wrong with the Spyder and the Dealer Hope you can get it figured out good luck. jt