Another tire thread?

[Steve W.]

So far I've got it narrowed down to the Vredestein Quatrac 5 in 205/60/15 or the General Altimax RT43 in 215/60/15. I welcome any comments about the longevity of these tires or any other brands/sizes you guys have experience with.

As mentioned earlier, we only have just over 3000 miles on ours, but please do consider going to a 205/65-15 tire. The extra height brings the speedo error to nearly zero and also helps the ride with a little more cushion. :thumbup:

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[Spin]

Both those tires are excellent, IF the Altimax is the H or V rated model - ONLY .... their reg. touring model isn't rated as high ..... Mike :thumbup:

The one on Tire Rack is a 94T. I don't see an H or V rating any where in the description.

 

[Spin]

As mentioned earlier, we only have just over 3000 miles on ours, but please do consider going to a 205/65-15 tire. The extra height brings the speedo error to nearly zero and also helps the ride with a little more cushion. :thumbup:

.

I will consider the 205/65 as the 205/60 isn't available from my supplier on Long Island. The only thing that worries me is this tire 1.62" bigger than stock. You have no clearance issues?

 

[Peter Aawen]

I will consider the 205/65 as the 205/60 isn't available from my supplier on Long Island. The only thing that worries me is this tire 1.62" bigger than stock. You have no clearance issues?

While those 'tire size comparison' tables & applications can be a help in getting an idea of what MIGHT fit, they are relying on the Nominal sizes for all tires (ie, what's printed on their sidewalls) as being their ACTUAL size - they rarely are!! :lecturef_smilie: Just about every tire varies somewhat from its Nominal size, some brands/tire models more than others!! The greatest disparity I've come across so far was a nominal 32 inch dia tire that actually measured a tad over 34 inches in diameter!! :shocked:

So, while you can certainly use those tables & comparison tools to narrow down your tire search, if you want to be sure about the difference in size between tires, you'll really need to look at the manufacturers ACTUAL dimensions for each tire you are comparing, checking things like the rolling radius or diameter, or maybe the 'revs per mile' figures - and even then, if the numbers contained in the manufacturers specs exactly match those shown in the tire comparison tables &/or tools, there's a very good chance that the manufacturer has taken the easy way out & simply copied the Nominal size info, and very little chance that the tire is ACTUALLY that size!! It might vary by just a little, but then again, what if it varies by a lot?! :gaah:

All that said, Kenda tires are, on the whole, a fairly small tire for their Nominal size..... but still, if you find people here recommending and successfully using a particular brand/size of tire, there's a pretty good chance that it'll fit on your Spyder if it's fitted on theirs. :thumbup:

And just to throw another hat into the ring, I'm currently running a Michelin 205/65R15 on the rear of my RT - fits & works admirably, even in toad drowning downpours; but I can't tell you too much about milage/tire life yet... it's only been on about a month/few thousand miles so far, but it is a niiice ride, & sticks to the road like the proverbial to a blanket! hyea:


Ps:

The one on Tire Rack is a 94T. I don't see an H or V rating any where in the description.

That V or H will be in the load/speed rating info, which usually follows the tire size - so that tire size info would probably read 205/60R15 94T and the 94T bit IS where there should be a V or an H - the T in the 94T tells us that tire is only speed rated to 118 mph, while a tire with an H speed rating is rated out to 130 mph & a V rated tire out to 149 mph. So based upon that 'go for the V or H rated tire' recommendation, I wouldn't be buying a tire rated at just 94T!! :shocked:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The one on Tire Rack is a 94T. I don't see an H or V rating any where in the description.

Well it was there yesterday, I had checked ..... because it's a higher rated tire it's listed in a different category .... Look under " Grand touring All season in the passenger tire section for General tires ... Mike

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I will consider the 205/65 as the 205/60 isn't available from my supplier on Long Island. The only thing that worries me is this tire 1.62" bigger than stock. You have no clearance issues?

Spin .... others here are using the 205/65-15 Q-5 tire .... they've said so .... and it's only a hair different from the 205/60-15 ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Papa103]

I gotta ask does anyones stock Spyder go over a 118 MPH?

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I gotta ask does anyones stock Spyder go over a 118 MPH?

Not really - and Peter mentioned the speed rating as an indication that the higher rating means it's a better quality tire ............. Mike :thumbup:

 

[Peter Aawen]

I gotta ask does anyones stock Spyder go over a 118 MPH?

As Mike mentioned, the higher rating is an indication that the tire is constructed juuust a little 'better', but there's also the concern about running a T rated tire out on the Freeways or highways where you may well be travelling at 70-80 mph for at least some of the time, and maybe even somewhat faster for short spurts as you try to overtake a semi as quickly as you can, or something similar... and doing so will mean that you are probably be going to be running that T rated tire well up towards it's maximum speed limit at least some of the time, even if you don't knowingly &/or willingly exceed 100 mph too often! :shocked: . But it's definitely easy enough to crack the throttle wide open to get out of the 'dangerous blind spot' alongside a truck as you're passing, or maybe just to squirt past that car/truck/whatever that's been holding you up for miles and that speeds up enough to stop you passing every time you try to over take, only to slow down and block you again as soon as that overtaking opportunity is past?! :banghead: I don't know about you, but for me & my pillion, I really like to know that there's still juust a bit of 'safety margin' between the maximum speed I'm ever likely to travel at and the maximum speed my tires are rated to work safely at, even if it is only ever rarely/in an emergency/for a short spurt... :lecturef_smilie:

And besides, I already KNOW that my Spyder will go somewhat faster than 118 mph, so if I ever do want/need to exceed that speed again, then I really don't want my tires to be the things that're likely to fail first because they've exceeded their maximum safe speed!! :shocked: Of course, YMMV, but for me, I LIKE having a fairly fat safety margin on anything that critical! hyea: :thumbup:

 

[Spin]

Well it was there yesterday, I had checked ..... because it's a higher rated tire it's listed in a different category .... Look under " Grand touring All season in the passenger tire section for General tires ... Mike

Its only available in 205/65 H or V rated. The 215/60 is T rated

 

[Papa103]

If the tire is rated at 118 MPH it has been tested to maintain a speed of 118, not just a spurt to 118. I am not trying to be argumentative just realistic. If your vehicle will only do 100 and the tire is rated for 118 your good. Higher speed vehicles that shut down at a certain speed, shut down at the speed rating of the tire the manufacture recommended.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Its only available in 205/65 H or V rated. The 215/60 is T rated

Spin, you made me curious .... soooooo I went back to T.R. and discovered they have a 225/60 - 15 H rated that according to listed specs is only slightly wider than the 205/65-15 H tire ..... remember the Kumho and the Kenda are already a 225 tire ..... Mike :thumbup: I did some more research and the 225 Kumho AST is .2 wider than the 225/60-15H Altimax ..... I sent this info to Peter, I want to know what He thinks .... stay tuned ....:clap:..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Spin]

Spin, you made me curious .... soooooo I went back to T.R. and discovered they have a 225/60 - 15 H rated that according to listed specs is only slightly wider than the 205/65-15 H tire ..... remember the Kumho and the Kenda are already a 225 tire ..... Mike :thumbup: I did some more research and the 225 Kumho AST is .2 wider than the 225/60-15H Altimax ..... I sent this info to Peter, I want to know what He thinks .... stay tuned ....:clap:..... Mike :thumbup:

The 225/60 is even taller than the 205/65. I haven't heard of anyone using that size.

 

[Peter Aawen]

The 225/60 is even taller than the 205/65. I haven't heard of anyone using that size.

You have now! hyea: I did a bit over 30,000 miles on each of the two Kumho 225/60R15's I've run, one after the other. :thumbup:

And like I said earlier, you really can't go by just the nominal sidewall sizes off some generic table, you need to compare the actual physical dimensions of each brand/tire type - the Michelin 205/65R15 that I've recently replaced the last Kumho with is juuust a little larger in rolling dia than the Kumhos were, even tho I generally run my rear tires at something between 14 & 18 psi, so they might be a tiny touch smaller in operational rolling dia than the manufacturer expects.

 

[Spin]

I think I am going with the 215/60 Altimax, even though it appears to only come T rated in that size. I am open to other suggestions if anyone has a rear tire they really like, otherwise I will order it Monday.

 

[Spin]

You have now! hyea: I did a bit over 30,000 miles on each of the two Kumho 225/60R15's I've run, one after the other. :thumbup:

And like I said earlier, you really can't go by just the nominal sidewall sizes off some generic table, you need to compare the actual physical dimensions of each brand/tire type - the Michelin 205/65R15 that I've recently replaced the last Kumho with is juuust a little larger in rolling dia than the Kumhos were, even tho I generally run my rear tires at something between 14 & 18 psi, so they might be a tiny touch smaller in operational rolling dia than the manufacturer expects.

I just saw this after I posted!!! Back to the Drawing board!!! What do you think of the Michelins?

 

[Mikey]

Spin, have you ever tried the search engine at the top right hand corner of the page? This is a subject that has LONG been hashed out thousands of times with pretty much the same results! You could easily drink a whole POT of coffee and and loose yourself in there. Go with your gut feelings, trust me they will be better than what you have now!! Good Luck!!!:cheers:

 

[Peter Aawen]

Yup :agree: What Mikey said!!

There's no need to go back to the drawing board, except maybe to throw a dart at it to make a random choice - there's a bunch of suitable tire options that've already been mentioned here on this Forum; so it's really just a matter of you choosing which tire you think will best suit your driving needs/wants & the ambient conditions you usually ride in, and then go for it! hyea: And remember, whatever you choose, just about any auto tire that you select from those already mentioned that you could put on your Spyder (or Ryker) will be very likely to work better & last somewhat longer than the OE Spec Kendas! :yes:

Vredsteins are pretty highly recommended for North American conditions, and they come in either 205/65R15 or 215/60R15; the General Altimax's do as well, altho if you go that way you probably should try to get one of the better load/speed ratings; Toyo & Yokohama both do some pretty good 'sticky' tires that work well & generally last better than the Kendas; Kumho come in a couple of workable types & sizes that certainly work pretty well in our Aussie heat, droughts, & flooding rains, especially if you manage their pressures to suit the ambient temps as they harden with age (all tires do, Kumhos just a bit more than most! ) Then there's Michelin, in your choice of soft & sticky tread from the word go, but at the cost of slightly shorter tread life (but likely still better than the Kendas!) - or you could go for longer tread life from a harder compound Michelin tire that might take a little bit longer to warm up to achieve optimal traction, but they should handle the heat &/or hot roads better; or Bridgestones in a variety of compounds, sizes, and grip - altho their sticky tires generally cost a bit more than some; Continental - just about any of their Conti ranges, Contact, Touring, or Pro etc come in some sizes that work, pretty similar to Michelin really; or Coopers in a few different tread types/special use patterns; and even BFG's in 205/65R15 & possibly other sizes too - all of which have been used fairly successfully by some and in sizes that are pretty close in size to the OE spec Kenda 225/50R15's except that the majority of the sizes mentioned on the Forum as working on our Spyders are slightly taller (which is good for a more accurate speedo!) and some are slightly different in width.... remember, the difference between most 225, 205, or 215 tires is going to be fairly small, and the differences between 50 , 60, or 65 profile is probably going to be smaller - altho you might find a 205/50 that's bigger in rolling diameter than a 225/50, or a 205/65 that's just a tad bigger'n an OE Kenda 225/50! But if someone else has already run them, there's a good chance they'll still all fit! :thumbup:

So really, all you've gotta do is see what's available locally and pick a tire, any tire - or if you really WANT to go back tyo the Drawing board, you could pin all the names onto said drawing board, blindfold yourself, and throw a dart. There's a better'n good chance that whatever you get, it's STILL gonna be better than the OE Spec Kendas! :thumbup:

 

[Spin]

Spin, have you ever tried the search engine at the top right hand corner of the page? This is a subject that has LONG been hashed out thousands of times with pretty much the same results! You could easily drink a whole POT of coffee and and loose yourself in there. Go with your gut feelings, trust me they will be better than what you have now!! Good Luck!!!:cheers:

Thanks Mikey. I have searched and while some threads are recent, most are over a year old. I started this thread so I could find the latest info available, but you are correct, not much has changed!!

 

[Spin]

Thanks for all your help Peter. It is much appreciated!! I have not been able to find the Vredesteins in 215/60 on TR or DT. Do you know where I could find them?