Just got back from the Adirondack Rally. I walked around to check out lots of rear tires and wear patterns. All of the tires I saw except for 2 were worn in the center more then the sides. That to me means to much air pressure. My RT has always had 28 psi with two up riding and my rear tire at 11,000 miles is right down in the center but only half way down on the sides. Now, the 2 that were not wore in the center were of interest so I talked to the owners, a father and son. The son's RS was running 18 psi solo with 8000 miles and the father was running 23 psi two up with more miles on a GS. Looks like the factory are asking us to put to much air in our rear tires? Any others with lower pressures and even wear? I did talk to one with an auto tire and he was the other way with pressure, very high. His tires have worn even and his first went 38,000 miles, wow! Just wondering why a car tire can wear even with higher pressures and our OEM tire can't? Design flaw?
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Rear tire wear
- Thread starter Tonga
- Start date
ulflyer
Active member
Fast wear on OEM's are likely due to soft rubber compound for better traction. Don't really know what the Kenda's are rated for, but most car tires are probably a harder compound and thats why they advertise 50-70K mile wear. When my time comes, I will definitely put a car tire on.
BikerDoc
New member
My first rear tire wore through to the center in less than 12000 miles (I mean dangerously worn). After reducing tire pressure at that point from 28 to 25 the next 6000 miles show no sign of wear that I can see at this point. Clearly the motorcycle tire designed for traction is softer than car tires. I don't see this as a design flaw but just a fact of life.. I think I will investigate a car tire next time out unless the reduced wear continues to a reasonable mileage replacement..
sinkhole
New member
rear tire wear...
My rear tire wore down to the center bars at around 8,500 miles. By 10,000 miles, it was into the outer bars. I had been running at 30psi in the rear because the handling was much better than the lower pressure. With the tire at 30psi, and in a static state, the tire was concave. But I suspect that at highway speeds with the softer compound, the tire would balloon and cause the center to wear faster.
I just replaced mine with the Kuhmo and am hoping for better mileage.
My rear tire wore down to the center bars at around 8,500 miles. By 10,000 miles, it was into the outer bars. I had been running at 30psi in the rear because the handling was much better than the lower pressure. With the tire at 30psi, and in a static state, the tire was concave. But I suspect that at highway speeds with the softer compound, the tire would balloon and cause the center to wear faster.
I just replaced mine with the Kuhmo and am hoping for better mileage.
NancysToy
Motorbike Professor
Pressure can certainly influence this. It is my opinion that the relatively flimsy motorcycle tire construction in the wide car-like tire width also plays a role. The center of the tire tends to balloon at speed, and the belt is not stiff enough to hold it flat. The belt is also not stiff enough to resist excess pressure. You will usually find that those that ride the fastest have the most differential wear.
BikerDoc
New member
Ok Ok.. I admit that I like to go fast.....
Bob Denman
New member
Well I ride slow... 30 psi out back and my center is pretty much shot at 6000 miles... :gaah: I was attributing it to excessive air pressure in the rear, but what Scotty said makes sense too! :dontknow:
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
I have replaced rear tires 3 times now--one on each :spyder2: owned. The same issue on each--tire wear in the center past the wear bars.
It sounds like Scotty is on to something with the balooning. I run 28 psi in the tires.
I am now riding with a passenger 3/4 of the time--so we will see how this works out at replacement time--maybe next summer. I recently put a new rear tire on the RTS at about 15,000 miles. Fronts still look good at 18,000 miles this time around.
It sounds like Scotty is on to something with the balooning. I run 28 psi in the tires.
I am now riding with a passenger 3/4 of the time--so we will see how this works out at replacement time--maybe next summer. I recently put a new rear tire on the RTS at about 15,000 miles. Fronts still look good at 18,000 miles this time around.
MouthPiece
Banged Up Member
Sounds like Scotty got it right, (ballooning). I am in-between on putting a car tire or another OEM tire. I guess lowering the pressure won't help much. I will try at 26 psi on my next tire though. More pressure and better handling? I can see it in the front but can't get my mind around higher rear pressure making things better. I now have 24 psi and have tried it and found nothing bothering me in corners or straight line stability one up. I never took it over 65 though but will and have two up as well. As I have said, I will try 26 psi in my next tire. I guess a better tire from BRP is now on my wish list along with a 1500 V4 engine!!!
Why wouldn't lowering the pressure help? You said yourself that the father and son had even wear with lower pressure. I also posted having even wear with lower pressure. I'll add as well that I haven't experienced any handling issues, have had less wheel hop and no worries about rear fender brackets cracking (a G/S, R/S problem) with the lower pressures.
NancysToy
Motorbike Professor
If excess pressure is causing the center to bulge out, lowering the pressure will help. If centrifugal force is the culprit, it will not. I suspect both things happen...not one or the other. Which has more effect depends on the rider, roads, and climate, among other things.
Neither situation would cause the center to bulge out if the belt was stiffer. Unfortunately, a sturdier belt means a heavier tire, and can also affect ride, traction, and other characteristics. The manufacturer always has to make a few compromises in order to meet the as many of the design features as possible. These tires still last longer than any motorcycle tire I have ever owned...and they are cheaper than the touring tires on my BMW.
Bob Denman
New member
Thanks Scotty! It sounds as if there MIGHT be a magic pressure that works within a very limited range:gaah: (28.4537901psi...?) I'm popping for the Falken ZE 912 to see if a real tire works any better...
Ballooning vs too much air... :gaah::dontknow::gaah:
Ballooning vs too much air... :gaah::dontknow::gaah:
NancysToy
Motorbike Professor
My theory is that there is no such thing as a "magic" pressure...at least not one that can be maintained. Every ride is different, at different points in the ride, and under different weather and road conditions. There is a reason race drivers check tire pressures before every single run...to the 1/4 pound. There is a reason racers use tire warmers, to keep tire temperatures uniform (for maximum traction). On the street, you cannot control tire temperature that well. Although we both may set our tires to 18 psi "cold", the "cold" temp may vary, and at the end of my ride down a sunny, twisty road at speed, my tires may be a lot warmer (and at higher pressures) than yours were if you rode down the block at 35 mph for ice cream. Tire pressures, like tire compounds and tread patterns, are a compromise. Personally, I can't be bothered fine tuning things to ride on the street, just to save twenty bucks a year on tires over the life of the vehicle.
liketoride2
New member
A few days ago I had a discussion with a friend who is very knowledgable about tires regarding the rapid tire wear I had experienced with the stock Kenda. He commented that although we are accustomed to attributing excessive center tread wear to high tire pressures and excessive peripheral wear to low tire pressures, with many modern, wide, low profile tires the opposite is true. His explanation for this was very complicated and I did not fully understand it, but I suspect it was similar to Scotty's ballooning explanation. I had reduced the pressure in the Kenda to 25 during the later stages of it's life in an attempt to reduce the center wear it was showing, with no apparent improvement.
I'm currently running an automobile tire on my RT but plan to try somewhat higher pressures (currently 32) and see how it wears - having been run at 28 - 29 lb it is showing a bit of center wear at 4K miles, although nowhere near what the Kenda did.
I'm certainly no tire expert but thought I would pass along my friends comments.
Mike
I'm currently running an automobile tire on my RT but plan to try somewhat higher pressures (currently 32) and see how it wears - having been run at 28 - 29 lb it is showing a bit of center wear at 4K miles, although nowhere near what the Kenda did.
I'm certainly no tire expert but thought I would pass along my friends comments.
Mike
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Bob Denman
New member
NancysToy
Motorbike Professor
Kenda
I still am not sure about a car tire on my RT so will just bite the bullet and stay with the Kenda. I will try to be easier on the throttle to get a few more miles on my rear tire. At 11000 miles I think I can get to 12,000 miles. I do think that the bearings will need to be changed after the next tire anyway so to good a tire and I could lose a bearing on the road somewhere. I wonder why bearings don't last to long in the Spyder?
I still am not sure about a car tire on my RT so will just bite the bullet and stay with the Kenda. I will try to be easier on the throttle to get a few more miles on my rear tire. At 11000 miles I think I can get to 12,000 miles. I do think that the bearings will need to be changed after the next tire anyway so to good a tire and I could lose a bearing on the road somewhere. I wonder why bearings don't last to long in the Spyder?
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