New Tires...Brand and Size

[glennm]

Mike

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

Thanks again

 

[Peter Aawen]

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! hyea:

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. hyea:

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! :thumbup:

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!! :shocked: 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!! :thumbup:

 

[glennm]

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.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

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

 

[glennm]

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.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

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.

I'm assuming ( :dontknow: ) you got on the Tire Rack website .... If you haven't looked at what they report for the Conti Pro Contact tire , it would be in your best interest to do so .... it made me want to puke ( ratings 7.0 to mid-7's :gaah:with a 5.9 for wear ) ...... Mike hyea:

 

[joekeys]

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 :thumbup:

I have the Contiinental Pro-contact on mine. Oversize corrects the speedo with GPS and seem to be long wearing. Also quieter.

 

[glennm]

I'm assuming ( :dontknow: ) you got on the Tire Rack website .... If you haven't looked at what they report for the Conti Pro Contact tire , it would be in your best interest to do so .... it made me want to puke ( ratings 7.0 to mid-7's :gaah:with a 5.9 for wear ) ...... Mike hyea:

Thanks Mike. I did look at the info on Tire Rack for the True Contact TOUR and they do indeed look great. As far as the Pro Contact as mentioned I am concerned at the variation in reviews on various sites. Always worries me when the comments/experiences are at complete odds with each other.

As Peter has had a good run with Kumho it is looking like those or the Hankook. As stated your experience, comments and advice is very much appreciated.

I have had good experiences with Hankook, less time with Kumho so indeed it might just be the flip of a coin or what is readily available.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks Mike. I did look at the info on Tire Rack for the True Contact TOUR and they do indeed look great. As far as the Pro Contact as mentioned I am concerned at the variation in reviews on various sites. Always worries me when the comments/experiences are at complete odds with each other.

As Peter has had a good run with Kumho it is looking like those or the Hankook. As stated your experience, comments and advice is very much appreciated.

I have had good experiences with Hankook, less time with Kumho so indeed it might just be the flip of a coin or what is readily available.

An issue with the Kumho Ecsta comes from many members here who report that at about 15,000 mi. it begins to lose the traction it had when new .... I got 30,000 + mi. from my Michelin Hydro-edge before it started losing traction ....big difference ........... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Peter Aawen]

There is that ^^ with the Kumhos, but because it's mainly related to the compounds used in the tread layers of the tire's construction getting harder as the tread wears down (to compensate for the tendency of tread to wear quicker as it gets older ) this 'loss of traction' is fairly easily managed simply by running a slightly lower pressure (tires get hotter quicker, and the result is better traction from the harder compounds) I generally comfortably get about 30,000 miles out of my rear Kumhos (& heaps better on the fronts!!) by starting them out at about 18 psi & then gradually dropping that down to about 16 psi as they get towards and beyond somewhere around half their life, or 15,000 miles-ish - but then I also do pay a lot more attention to my tire pressures than many, and vary them according to load, ambient temps, and the current conditions/ryding circumstances they are about to be subjected to, often on a daily or better basis! :thumbup:

However, that said, please be aware that any tire frequently used on hot roads/in higher temps (ambient temps consistenly 35°C or over) is likely to need to run slightly higher pressures from the start - the tires simply don't need to flex as much to reach their optimal operating temp because the road surface & ambient temps will impart more heat to them anyway. And Kumhos are prone to this just as much if not slightly more than most other similar 'Sport/Touring' tires - so if you regularly ryde/run in those hotter climes &/or on hotter road surfaces, then maybe you'll need to use 20 psi to start out with, and gradually lower your pressure to 18 psi or even lower as the tires reach & pass their half life milage?!? :dontknow:

Oh, the other thing is that just like we don't get many of the tire brands & sizes you all get in North America, often getting Michelin Hydroedge tires in a usable size for our Spyders in Oz can be quite difficult, if not completely impossible!! :gaah: Our smaller market place, with less over-all demand for tires in a usable size, so the importers frequently just won't even consider bringing them in!! :sour: Besides, I'm pretty sure that here in Oz we get a slightly different spec/compound Kumho Ecsta tires to what you get over there - ours are less suitable for 'cold' weather & use on smooth & sometimes lightly snow covered roads; instead being more suited to the generally higher temps we get here & the 'less smooth' & extremely rarely snow covered roads that we have heaps of! :thumbup:

 

[glennm]

Rode 150ks in the pouring rain with no dramas, all highway and 3 ks from my daughters house hit a section with smooth melted bitumen and a small amount of water over it.

Spydey danced quite a jig and it was definitely an undies soiling moment, well more than one as it then hit a 2nd patch and did the dance again. Very glad no other vehicles were close.

3 new tires ordered, Hankook Kinergy as I have had a really good run with Hankook in the past and research indicates these to be a pretty good option, and I can get them. At worst it will provide us with another tire review and potential option.

Thanks all for the input

 

[sandman53]

If your looking good all around tires, look at the Pirelli P-4 four season. 215/60/15. Nearing 40,000 and not down the wear bars yet! No complaints.

 

[justride]

kenda kanie 20 tires

I bought a pair of the new kenda tires for my 2016 rts spyder and had them installed and they feel
crappy at the vehicle specs of 18 to 22 psi. now the max psi on these tires is 44 vice the oem kenda which was 33 i believe. would that make a difference ? the new ones feel sluggish at 22 psi the oem didn't. i got them at 30 now but can feel all the bumps. any help would be appreciated.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Kenda tires

I bought a pair of the new kenda tires for my 2016 rts spyder and had them installed and they feel
crappy at the vehicle specs of 18 to 22 psi. now the max psi on these tires is 44 vice the oem kenda which was 33 i believe. would that make a difference ? the new ones feel sluggish at 22 psi the oem didn't. i got them at 30 now but can feel all the bumps. any help would be appreciated.

They just plain ....*UCK .... they have the worst record for " defective tires, that I have ever heard of ..... your new pair could be defective .... I see your new to the board ..... check out what Peter Aawen and myself have written about tires .... Mike :thumbup:

 

[nightcruiser]

so just the tread pattern is different?

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

so just the tread pattern is different?

The CASING specs are the same, so yes it appears they have Only changed the tread pattern ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[olddad64]

New Tires

I'm new to the forum so you will have to overlook me on this first post. Price and tire mileage on the tire aren't important to me. Not that I have a lot of money because I'm retired and don't have a lot of money. As with all my motorcycles I want a tire that will stick to the road period. So what brand is the one that will stick to the road ? I ride the twisties a lot. Up and down the mountains here.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I'm new to the forum so you will have to overlook me on this first post. Price and tire mileage on the tire aren't important to me. Not that I have a lot of money because I'm retired and don't have a lot of money. As with all my motorcycles I want a tire that will stick to the road period. So what brand is the one that will stick to the road ? I ride the twisties a lot. Up and down the mountains here.

I recommend the Vredestein Quatrac 5 ..... It's currently the highest rated tire .... that has sizes to fit any Spyder ...... Mike :thumbup:...PS :welcome:

 

[olddad64]

Thanks Blueknight911...That's what I'll buy.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks Blueknight911...That's what I'll buy.

The three on-line sources that I know of are Tire rack .... Vulcan tire ...& Simple tire .... 165/60-15 , front and 205/60 or 65-15 , rear ..... Mike :thumbup: