Michelin front tires

[Dmpsam]

I was at my dealer yesterday getting an oil change.
There was a letter from Michelin about front tires for the spyder.
Apparently there have been plenty of issues with Michelin tires used in the front.
I know people that run car tires on the front, but not sure of the brands used.
Curious if anyone has michelins on the front, and if so......any issues?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I was at my dealer yesterday getting an oil change.
There was a letter from Michelin about front tires for the spyder.
Apparently there have been plenty of issues with Michelin tires used in the front.
I know people that run car tires on the front, but not sure of the brands used.
Curious if anyone has michelins on the front, and if so......any issues?

......DEALER !!!! ..... a Spyder dealer !!! .... I have been using car tires on various Spyders since 09 and NEVER had any issue ( no Michelins on front but a Hydro-edge on the rear )....... I can't even imagine " Michelin " saying anything about using their tires on a Spyder .... since they DON'T make MTC tires for the Spyder ....... more and better info needed on this Topic ......... Mike

[Dmpsam]

......DEALER !!!! ..... a Spyder dealer !!! .... I have been using car tires on various Spyders since 09 and NEVER had any issue ( no Michelins on front but a Hydro-edge on the rear )....... I can't even imagine " Michelin " saying anything about using their tires on a Spyder .... since they DON'T make MTC tires for the Spyder ....... more and better info needed on this Topic ......... Mike

That's why I was so confused.....They stated in the letter that they DO NOT make any tires for the spyder......I didn't think they did.
Being female, I don't know a whole lot about tires, Kind of under the assumption that if the sizes are the same, the tire should be ok.
Maybe they had some sort of lawsuit of something and had to issue a letter to cover their butts.
i just put a car tire on the rear, but have TONS of tire left up front still.

[Chupaca]

Have seen other letters where the question of using specific tires have been posed to the manufacturer and some sales locations. Most will not recommend their use because they were not made to be used (maybe just not tested to thier satisfaction) on three wheelers. But here is something to ponder on....what is their position on the autocyle catagory...?? when they come to the leaners they will have a stronger point.....

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

That's why I was so confused.....They stated in the letter that they DO NOT make any tires for the spyder......I didn't think they did.
Being female, I don't know a whole lot about tires, Kind of under the assumption that if the sizes are the same, the tire should be ok.
Maybe they had some sort of lawsuit of something and had to issue a letter to cover their butts.
i just put a car tire on the rear, but have TONS of tire left up front still.

You are somewhat new and maybe haven't read the 23,791 posts about tires - YET ..... But basically it has been proven that the wheels of the Spyders are in fact exactly the same as your CAR wheels in shape and design..... So the CAR tires you choose are really only required to FIT - #1- this size of the wheel #2. inside the fender of the Spyder ..... This does limit your choice somewhat, but still realize that the CAR tire bead will work on the Spyder wheel ........ Mike .........PS, if you find a Michelin tire that fits the front ..... I wouldn't have any concerns about using it .

[Dmpsam]

Have seen other letters where the question of using specific tires have been posed to the manufacturer and some sales locations. Most will not recommend their use because they were not made to be used (maybe just not tested to thier satisfaction) on three wheelers. But here is something to ponder on....what is their position on the autocyle catagory...?? when they come to the leaners they will have a stronger point.....

Thats a good point!
My dealer has no problem with car tires on the bike, of course they want to sell you a kenda, but understands the frustrations of the short life of that tire.
I know people that run car tires on the rear of their "leaners"......kinda sketchy in my opinion, but they swear by them.
Its ridiculous that people want to "sue" others for anything and everything...I'm sure it's a "cover your butt" type letter.

[Peter Aawen]

........ Mike .........PS, if you find a Michelin tire that fits the front ..... I wouldn't have any concerns about using it .

I agree with all of Mike's post, but in particular the bit above - altho you really don't want to run a car tire on your Spyder at the same pressure that you'd run in it under a car weighing somewhat more than your Spyder!! The tire is there to carry the tread/traction and let it grip the road, & to contain the air that has to carry the load placed on the tire!! A car tire is generally made to contain 1500 plus pounds when it's safely carrying the load of a car... maybe as much as about 1000lbs or more per tire. The Kenda crap tires can carry about 500 or so lbs if you are bloody careful & pump them up to 28-30psi, & even then they are dodgy performers that wear out relatively quickly & provide poor traction too! So a 'real' tire under a Spyder is not likely to need much more than low 20's psi in the rear & maybe high teens psi in the fronts - the tire manufacturers generally publish load/pressure required tables or a formula to tell you what pressure you need in them to carry a given load, & Spyders really aren't gonna be massively heavy on any one tire.

So don't pump a car tire on your Spyder up as high as you'd pump up a weak as p*!ss Kenda!! Go too high with your car tire pressures (mid 20's probably is the max pressure you'd ever need for real tires under a Spyder!) & you'll risk punctures &/or internal tire damage from hitting road debris & pot-holes etc; you might get remarkably direct steering but it'll come at a cost of poor traction, harsh ride, & excessive wear, probably in the middle of the tread; & you'll get poor road holding & little hydro-plane resistance in the wet, simply cos only the middle couple of inches of tread will be touching the road, the tread hasn't heated up enough to let the compound get sticky the way it should, and cos the tire won't flex much, the tread grooves & sipes won't open & shut as the tire flexes in order for them to pump water out of the way & to let the tread blocks 'grip' the road like sticky rubber fingers!!

Real car tires under a Spyder will probably only be carrying a max of about 2/3rds what they'd need to carry when fitted on a car, so they won't need to be up at 28-32 psi at all!! Search & spending time reading here will (eventually) reveal all!

[Dmpsam]

Thanks for all the good info!
Im gonna search those plentiful threads on tires!