Oi, don't you answer yesterdays pm :cus:
Pretty sure I covered my thoughts in other threads. If threads are misunderstood as illustrated by some of the answers by others, that's not my problem. Hence this new thread Ron has started.
At the time this is what everyone out here was fitting and recommending:
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=683f9e50f3eabdd0JmltdHM9MTcwOTMzNzYwMCZpZ3VpZD0xZWQ0MTY5NC0zNTNkLTY2YjktMDQ0My0wMmIzMzQ0ZTY3MzcmaW5zaWQ9NTI0Nw&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=1ed41694-353d-66b9-0443-02b3344e6737&psq=nankang+xr611&u=a1aHR0cDovL25hbmthbmd0eXJlcy5jb20uYXUvdHlyZS94ci02MTEv&ntb=1
Main reasons being it was available, priced ok, and available in 225/50R15.
I removed and installed the wheel, tyre place tossed it in the corner, and then failed to notify me of lack of progress etc.
I've stuck with it because its downfalls don't bother me to the point of a 'dummy spit must remove immediately' scenario. No tyre is that bad bar a manufacturing defect that would be covered under warranty anyway. My history is drive anything (earthmoving), so adaptability is key in that game. I just spin the thing around for fun knowing the next choice will be better.
Just on the warranty thing, has anyone ever filled out the form described in the owners manual for tyre recalls when fitting replacement Kendas? Just noticed it for the first time today, apparently on road dealers have the forms??
I downloaded this data from
https://www.tire-reviews.com/. I'm posting it because it matches up with our experience with the Vredestein and Altimax. We've never fitted a Nankang, nor do I know of a customer who has. So we have no experience with that tire and all I can offer is the research below.
Unfortunately, this test site did not test the newer Altimax RT45 which is an improved version of the RT43 shown below. For the most part, the RT43 is no longer available. I included the RT43 results as a lower performing indication of what you can expect from the current RT45.
I discount noise and snow traction figures as not really valuable information for our Spyders. Even the noisiest tire in this category isn't going to break through the noise we already generate when we operate our Spyder/Rykers. And that's true even if you haven't modified your exhaust.
If you find the screenshot to be difficult reading. I've added the text of the findings below.
We do a lot of research on tires. It can be somewhat difficult to get reliable Apples to Apples, head to head data. But piecing a number of reviews together, you can usually get an informed idea of what works best. We try to do the work so our customers don't have to. Not to mention that we want to have some assurance that what we recommend is going to do the job.
Again, I do not recommend just throwing a car tire that fits on your machine. There is simply too much riding on tire performance to leave the results to chance. I know there are those who believe that oil is oil and tires are tires. I can assure you that this has not been our experience. Most tires are pretty good in the dry. But even here, there can be significant differences. Differences become even more pronounced in the wet, tire to tire. That is an area where you need to pay attention. I know you may never ride in the rain. But sometimes it just happens. When it does, you want a good, wet tire on your ride.
Another area where I personally do not give a lot of weight is tire wear. You're going to get more mileage out of a car tire than OEM. Traction is more important to me than how long the tire lasts. When you need the traction, in that moment, I doubt you're going to be thinking about longevity.
Tires are changing all the time. Sometimes a 'New and Improved' product simply isn't. But in the case of the Altimax and the Vredestein, improvements are real in the newer versions. This is significant because the versions they replaced were quite respectable.
We don't have the resources to test a lot of tires. I'd love to have various tires fitted to similar Spyders and a track to test them on. But that isn't a realistic option for us. So, research has been our go to solution. I'm not into hype. I have no other loyalty to a product, oil, tires, etc., beyond performance and value. It's what we do for ourselves. Why would we do any different for our fellow riders?
I hope this helps.
Vredestein Quatrac
The Vredestein Quatrac has improved handling across dry, wet and snow covered surfaces, 20% improvement in tread life and 10% improvement in aquaplaning resistance when compared to the predecessor Quatrac 5.
This tire replaced the Vredestein Quatrac 5.
Dry Grip 86%
Wet Grip 91%
Road Feedback 79%
Handling 86%
Wear 92%
Comfort 82%
Buy again 91%
Snow Grip 89%
Nankang XR611
The Nankang XR611 is a Touring Summer tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.
Dry Grip 64%
Wet Grip 41%
Road Feedback 55%
Handling 54%
Wear 69%
Comfort 59%
Buy again 52%
General Altimax RT43
The General Altimax RT43 is a Premium Touring All Season tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.
Dry Grip 81%
Wet Grip 78%
Road Feedback 71%
Handling 71%
Wear 79%
Comfort 72%
Buy again 62%
Snow Grip 65%
Note: There are, what I believe to be, even better tires out there. But they are not available in sizes useable on the Spyder or Ryker. Basically, they do not come in 15" wheel sizes. So, I did not include these.
) they can provide reasonable traction & last pretty well for many riders here in Oz, certainly if the rider isn't pushing the limits of adhesion all the time! :thumbup: 
) cornering both ways to even START to warm their tread up properly! They NEED to get up near that 4psi increase in pressure from their cold start pressure, or their tread will still be too cold to grip at its best! And it'll take longer than that to warm up properly on colder &/or wet days, especially if it's one of the larger sized tires that'll fit our Spyders, &/or if the tire's cold start pressure is too high to let it flex enough to generate much heat and get little if any air pressure increase!! :lecturef_smilie:
