New look for my old bike!

[blacklightning]

Well, with all this hype about the new F3T, I figured I had better add some more farkles to my 2014 Rt before I go and do something foolish like buy another bike. So I picked up a set of used F3S rims on ebay and added them to my base model RT. I like the looks, but what I really like is the way I will be able to clean them with ease. I have nearly 17k miles on my original tires and rims, but they rims look like new, and the tires have at least 1/2 the tread left. But, I figured why put old tires on the new rims. So I picked up a set of Federals and had them mounted. My question is, what psi are most running in their fronts when using a car tire?

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[Ron2andia]

Nice!

[Bob Denman]

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[ARtraveler]

Looks great, and a heckuva lot less expensive than an upgrade.

[Buckeye Bleau]

I love t, them be some nifty upgrades.

Joe

[Pirate looks at --]

Really looks great!

[irvin48]

they look real good with a dark bike. i ended up with the silver F3's on mine.
they go with the slver accents of the "s" model. and yes the inside and outside
are easy to wax and see your pretty calipers. i hated the black wheels. lasted
less than 300 miles. your accenents on the wheels go very well with the whole
bike. very sharp. irv

[robmorg]

I like the looks of those rims.

[Bobleach45]

Well, with all this hype about the new F3T, I figured I had better add some more farkles to my 2014 Rt before I go and do something foolish like buy another bike. So I picked up a set of used F3S rims on ebay and added them to my base model RT. I like the looks, but what I really like is the way I will be able to clean them with ease. I have nearly 17k miles on my original tires and rims, but they rims look like new, and the tires have at least 1/2 the tread left. But, I figured why put old tires on the new rims. So I picked up a set of Federals and had them mounted. My question is, what psi are most running in their fronts when using a car tire?

IMG_20160824_142621558.jpg

IMG_20160824_142557969.jpg

Justdid the the same thing for same reason. Bike is at dealer for all new car tires. Bought a pair of 2015 F3 wheels here on this site. Hated trying to keep the others clean. Have not seen mine on yet. New throttle body has to go on so won't be ready until they get the part next week out of Canada.

[Peter Aawen]

....... My question is, what psi are most running in their fronts when using a car tire?....

I'm running 175/60R15 Kumho KH17's, so they are car tires that are also a little bigger than the OE size, & I run them at 16psi. That pressure gives me great traction, ride, handling, wet weather grip, etc; all waaaay better than the OE crap in every respect; & so far, they've given me more than 4 times the barely better than 5,000 miles I got before the Kenda's had worn to the canvas (despite a laser alignment when they had done just on 1000 miles!) and yet the Kumho's still look like new, & will certainly do at least a further 20,000 miles without any worries!

What size tire & pressure are you running now?

[blacklightning]

I'm running 175/60R15 Kumho KH17's, so they are car tires that are also a little bigger than the OE size, & I run them at 16psi. That pressure gives me great traction, ride, handling, wet weather grip, etc; all waaaay better than the OE crap in every respect; & so far, they've given me more than 4 times the barely better than 5,000 miles I got before the Kenda's had worn to the canvas (despite a laser alignment when they had done just on 1000 miles!) and yet the Kumho's still look like new, & will certainly do at least a further 20,000 miles without any worries!

What size tire & pressure are you running now?

I am running a Federal OEM size (165-55-15). Right now, I am running a whooping 32 psi. Yes, I know that is way too high, and will be adjusting it very shortly. I have heard that 25 psi is a great pressure to run on these tires on a RT.

[Deanna777]

I am running Continental Contiprocontact Size: 165/60 R15 on the fronts @ 19PSI.

I like the new rims!
Deanna

[Peter Aawen]

Blacklightning, I'd be surprised if you need anything near 25 psi in those tires on the front of your Spyder, possibly 20 psi but very likely even a little lower would be much safer! Check the Max Load/Max Pressure info on the sidewall, & work out what fraction of that max load your Spyder actually puts on the front tires, then apply the same fraction to the max pressure listed to get a guide 'start pressure'; or better yet, find the manufacturers published tire load/pressure info, it should be available somewhere & tell you what pressure those tires need to carry the load on them from the Spyder - but I'm pretty positive that the pair of tires up front won't need anywhere like 25psi in them to do the job at their best! And it seems most are running somewhat less too!!

The risks of running too high a pressure in any tire includes a greater tendency towards road damage & punctures etc, but more importantly, tires that are running too high a pressure will never get to their optimal temperature so the compound always remains 'cold & hard' rather than getting 'warm & sticky', which means they can't grip the road as well as they should - and of course the tire will balloon so that you are only touching the road surface with a tiny strip of tread down the middle, which will wear that bit out quickly but also stop the tire from being able to use the tread pattern to 'pump out' any water or even air that gets between the rubber & the road, reducing grip even more!! And the sidewalls of car tires are going to be more heavily constructed to start with, then pumping them up high enough to carry 1000lbs instead of 400lbs is gonna make them ride like steel rings instead of absorbing some of the road shock!! And the 'too hard' tires will also tend to bounce over minor imperfections in the road too, actually letting them leave the road momentarily & lessening the grip from the tires even more!! If your tire pressure isn't increasing by about 4psi after riding for an hour, the tires are simply not warming up properly & are never going to be working for you in the way pneumatic tires are meant to!!

25 psi in a passenger construction tire of that size running under something as light as our Spyders is likely to be WAAAAAY TOO HIGH!!

[blacklightning]

Blacklightning, I'd be surprised if you need anything near 25 psi in those tires on the front of your Spyder, possibly 20 psi but very likely even a little lower would be much safer! Check the Max Load/Max Pressure info on the sidewall, & work out what fraction of that max load your Spyder actually puts on the front tires, then apply the same fraction to the max pressure listed to get a guide 'start pressure'; or better yet, find the manufacturers published tire load/pressure info, it should be available somewhere & tell you what pressure those tires need to carry the load on them from the Spyder - but I'm pretty positive that the pair of tires up front won't need anywhere like 25psi in them to do the job at their best! And it seems most are running somewhat less too!!

The risks of running too high a pressure in any tire includes a greater tendency towards road damage & punctures etc, but more importantly, tires that are running too high a pressure will never get to their optimal temperature so the compound always remains 'cold & hard' rather than getting 'warm & sticky', which means they can't grip the road as well as they should - and of course the tire will balloon so that you are only touching the road surface with a tiny strip of tread down the middle, which will wear that bit out quickly but also stop the tire from being able to use the tread pattern to 'pump out' any water or even air that gets between the rubber & the road, reducing grip even more!! And the sidewalls of car tires are going to be more heavily constructed to start with, then pumping them up high enough to carry 1000lbs instead of 400lbs is gonna make them ride like steel rings instead of absorbing some of the road shock!! And the 'too hard' tires will also tend to bounce over minor imperfections in the road too, actually letting them leave the road momentarily & lessening the grip from the tires even more!! If your tire pressure isn't increasing by about 4psi after riding for an hour, the tires are simply not warming up properly & are never going to be working for you in the way pneumatic tires are meant to!!

25 psi in a passenger construction tire of that size running under something as light as our Spyders is likely to be WAAAAAY TOO HIGH!!

Thanks for the information. It really gives me something to think about. All of what you stated makes very good sense. I will probably be lowering the pressure down to around 20 and giving that a try. Then we will go from there. So far I have only taken it around the neighborhood and run it up to around 35 mph. I must say, it actually rode pretty good, but I will be taking your advice and lowering the pressure.
Thanks,

[Chupaca]

congrats on warding off the demons within...great new look and they do look easier to maintain....

[blacklightning]

Well, I took the bike out for about a 25 mile ride today, after lowering the pressure to 20 psi. This bike has never driven or ridden so smooth. These federal tires are far above and beyond what came on this bike from the factory. I took the bike up to 80 mph and it was so stable and smooth. I also took it on a curvy road going home, and it handled great. In short, I would recommend the federal tires for anyone needing new front rubber. They ran about $65 per tire and are great.

[ricford]

Haven't seen these yet but they do look bad A.... talk about easy to clean... but, $600 a pop..

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