Australian Ryders Only Please - What are you using for tyres on your Spyders?

[TheMariner]

Hi Everyone,

The OEM Kendas on the front are just about worn-out and I'd like to switch over to car tyres. I've searched the forum and done lots of reading, but while there are lots of discussions on brands/types of tyres other people are using, not a lot of those are available down here in Australia.

So, would Australian riders please let me know what brand/type, size, and pressure you are using, and how you rate them?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Peter Aawen]

I've got Kumho's up front; and a Michelin on the rear - here's my (updated today) info from the 'What tires are on YOUR Spyder' thread (linked further below):

Spyder: 2013 RT-L
Type of Riding: Spirited Twisty ryding; long/hot distance touring; occasional track/test work
Suspension: RonBar; Laser Alignment; ECU Upgrade with inlet tract & exhaust mods
Front Tires: Oz spec Kumho Solus 175/55/15, set to 14 PSI for winter riding, 15 or 16 PSI in summer/hot ambient conditions
Rear Tire: Oz spec Michelin XM2 205/65/15, set to 16 PSI for winter riding, 17 or 18 PSI in summer/hot ambient conditions
Current Mileage: Fronts - 'embarrassingly waaayy more than most' miles; Rear - 'embarrassingly waaayy more than most' miles. They still look very good with even wear & no heel/toe

Comments: If there are changes warrant it, I do adjust my tire pressures to suit any changes in load, ambient temps, road surfaces/conditions, &/or what I'm doing - generally weekly, sometimes daily, or if the changes in any of the variables are significant enough, even more often; and I occasionally swap these tires out to do maybe 1000 miles or so on others as I test/evaluate them, but those miles aren't included in my logged miles on my 'daily ride' tires. This set of tires has been the 'daily riding' set on my Spyder for a few years now, because I only average about 20k miles/35k kilometres a year these days, and they are all about 2/3rds worn, very evenly across the entire tread face; the lower winter pressures I run help to maintain their exemplary traction levels in the dry or wet; and they still particularly suit my need for Sport/Touring All Season/All Weather tires that see a lot of long distance travel and significant amounts of 'unsealed road' use. The Kumhos do tend to get harder as they age, so they need a little lower pressure now than they did earlier in their life in order to maintain their traction levels, especially in the wet; and they are probably a little closer to needing replacement than the rear Michelin is, altho they all still have more than 3mm of tread depth atm. I expect that I'll probably end up changing this full set of tires out before they're even close to 'fully worn out' (or at/below 2mm of tread depth) at some stage during the coming year, especially if we look like doing anything much in the way of long distance &/or hot weather travelling away from home; and when I do, I'm planning on going Michelin all round, with XM2's up front in a 175/50R15 (the Michelin's 'nominal size' is a little bit taller than most and that size is closer to the Kumho's 175/55R15. )

Here's that link to the 'Details' thread:

https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums...Tires-are-on-YOUR-Spyder-Details-Please-*****

 

[Peteoz]

Mariner, I used Kuhmo all round on my ‘16 F3-L, but I also use Kenda Kanines, and they work well, and last better than the OEM Kendas.

I am currently running a Kanine on the rear of my ‘21 RT, and Goodyear Duragrips 165/60 at 20psi on the front. This combo is working well for me. I chose the slightly taller aspect Goodyears to provide me with just that little bit more clearance on the front. The plus of the Kanine on the rear is that you can get your tyre changed at any dealer you trust, rather than doing it yourself, which can be difficult with bad knees.

Pete

 

[noboot]

I have Nankang all round on my 2015 RTS Special Series.

 

[TheMariner]

The plus of the Kanine on the rear is that you can get your tyre changed at any dealer you trust, rather than doing it yourself, which can be difficult with bad knees.Pete

Good point ! The PO already replaced the rear with a Kanine so hopefully it'll last a while yet & so far it feels fine. Time will tell!

I have Nankang all round on my 2015 RTS Special Series.

OK, thanks for the info. Reviews on Nankang tyres vary greatly from horrible to outstanding depending on the model, so would you please let me know what you are using?

 

[Peter Aawen]

.....

OK, thanks for the info. Reviews on Nankang tyres vary greatly from horrible to outstanding depending on the model, so would you please let me know what you are using?

Just note that here in Oz, unless you're riding up in the Victorian Alps or the Snowy Mountains, where temps are often hovering in the low single digits, most of the Nankangs we can get here tend to be pretty good performers in their specialities & have reasonable traction pretty much regardless of the ambient temps in the dry, but they do really need to be warmed up properly to work almost as well in the wet! :lecturef_smilie:

That's not to say that they can't be a great tire for many, maybe even most, it's just that if you do run them and are going to be riding in the rain or even just on damp roads, you probably won't get quite the same levels of traction from your Nankangs without dropping their 'cold start' pressures 1-2 psi! So if you go down the Nankang path, bear that in mind before you head out on a ride. And if it starts raining while you're already out on a ride and it's not realistically achievable just to slow down say 10-15kph (even if instead of just 5 kph ), then you might want to stop for as long as it takes to drop maybe as much as 2psi out of your warm Nankangs before riding on. I tend to feel that the small amount of time it would take to do that is very likely to have a lot less of an impact on their day/riding than doing something like sliding off a tight corner &/or failing to stop when they really needed to will! :shocked:

Kumho's tend to 'go off' in much the same way, only instead of doing it whenever the weather changes, they generally do it as their tread wears down - when they're run at the right pressures for the load they're carrying, for the first 10-15,000km of their life they'll grip like that sticky brown stuff does on a blanket in the dry or the wet; but after that, as the tread compound wears down a bit & gets harder, their wet traction tends to go off a tad unless you drop their pressure a bit (1-2psi) to help get them properly warmed up as you ride (still be extra careful for the first 10-15 minutes of your ride, tho! ) If you do drop your cold start pressures like that, and they do get warmed up properly, their 'worn traction in the wet or dry' can be just as good as it was when they were new! Did you notice the winter/summer difference in my Kumho front tire pressures?? Those Kumhos are well into the last third of their life, yet even now, I'm still able to turn in dry and wet track test times within 0.1 sec of the corresponding times I was setting when they were new! nojoke

Whatever tires you choose, you've just gotta look after your tires and their pressures so that they can look after you! hyea: