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Help me decide on Directional vs Regular Tread Tires?

fredgal said:
Directional vs Regular tread? I want to replace my OEM tires soon, only 3000 miles on them, but I think they are crap!


https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=66HR5QT&tab=Sizes


https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=56TR5QT5&tab=Sizes
Click to expand...

I've done a bit of research on this topic, and any gains from " directional " tires are minimal at best. To me, in reality it's more of an advertising gimmick than an actual improvement in tire performance..... Personally I like the Vredestein Brand, From my research on tires , they consistently produce a great product .... even in tires that don't come in sizes that we can use ...... JMHO ..... Mike :thumbup:
 
I agree with the 1st option (Quadtrac). They stick better than the General Altmax - especially in the colder temps.
 
Either tire is going to give you excellent service. Especially compared to the OEM tires.

Though the 155/60r15 is the same diameter as the OEM 165/55r15. It is a fair amount narrower. How much difference this will make is hard to say. But I would not be in favor of going with a narrower tire. That would be my deciding factor between these 2 tires.
 
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BajaRon said:
Either tire is going to give you excellent service. Especially compared to the OEM tires.

Though the 155/60r15 is the same diameter as the OEM 165/55r15. It is a fair amount narrower. How much difference this will make is hard to say. But I would not be in favor of going with a narrower tire. That would my deciding factor between these 2 tires.
Click to expand...

whats the better option. 2020 F3L..thanks.. would like a slightly larger tire. ? but with no rubbing,,
 
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BK and Ron will give you the best advice you can find. As far as directional goes, most of us don't don't weigh that much or go that fast in the rain to make that much of a difference. Driving safely to begin with give you the best traction.
 
fredgal said:
whats the better option. 2020 F3L..thanks.. would like a slightly larger tire. ? but with no rubbing,,
Click to expand...

fredgal, that 155/50R15 QUATRAC 5 you show as your 2nd option is narrower than the 165 wide OEM tire; so while a QUATRAC 5 might be a good choice for you, choosing a 155 wide tire instead of the standard OEM width of 165 or even a slightly wider tire of 175 is very likely NOT really such a great idea! :lecturef_smilie:

Sure, there might not be much in it, but I think you'd be quite surprised at the difference that little bit of lesser tread contact patch could make to your Spyder's ride & handling - and I doubt very much that anything about it would be seen/felt as an improvement too! :p Well, not unless maybe you only ever ride on slick &/or icy surfaces at such a slow speed that the increased harshness in the ride wouldn't negate any small gains that you might get in traction from a narrower tire tread possibly cutting into the surface more in those conditions?! :dontknow:

Me personally, I'd never willingly opt to put a tire ONLY 155 wide on the front of my Spyder, but I have found that going a little wider than the OEM 165 size & choosing a 175 wide front tire can provide some additional handling, wear, and ride comfort benefits on our (fairly rough & broken atm :sour: ) Ozzie roads & highways; maybe you would find similar over there?? :dontknow: So while I'd generally agree with everyone else in saying that either a Directional or Standard tread tire Type should be suitable for your use, I'd strongly agree with those who suggest that you DO NOT choose a tire size that's any narrower than the OEM 165 tires! :lecturef_smilie:

Given that caveat, I'd reckon that either of those tires would work well for you, and I'd expect that they'd both certainly work better than those OEM 'barely an excuse' for tires! :ohyea:

Over to you! :cheers:
 
fredgal said:
whats the better option. 2020 F3L..thanks.. would like a slightly larger tire. ? but with no rubbing,,
Click to expand...

We have been installing 175/55r15. They are a tighter fit but they will clear the fender. They look very mean as they fill up the void nicely. But the 165/55r15 is also a good choice.
 
View attachment 201010
175/55/15
These wheels are 1/4 wider than stock and with 175/55/15’s mounted there is no rubbing.
 

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I am assuming you are talking of fitting directional tyres to the front. The rear is not a good idea - remember your high-school physics.
 
askitee said:
I am assuming you are talking of fitting directional tyres to the front. The rear is not a good idea - remember your high-school physics.
Click to expand...

Help me out ..... what exactly do think will happen if you mount a directional tire on the rear of a Spyder ??????? ... Thanks .... Mike :thumbup:
 
I live where the annual rainfall is about 100 days per year. The first thing I look at with tires is will they throw water out the sides. Any of them work when it is dry. For where I live the tires that help with hydroplaning are the first consideration.

Not everybody lives in the wet zones. Choose the tires for the area you will do most of the riding in. Different tires for different conditions.
 
askitee said:
I am assuming you are talking of fitting directional tyres to the front. The rear is not a good idea - remember your high-school physics.
Click to expand...

Directional tires work great on the rear of the Spyder. The OEM tire is directional. It's junk, but not because of the tread pattern. What did they teach us in high-school physics that would indicate otherwise? I must have missed that class! Probably, I missed a lot in high school... :rolleyes:

Gwolf said:
I live where the annual rainfall is about 100 days per year. The first thing I look at with tires is will they throw water out the sides. Any of them work when it is dry. For where I live the tires that help with hydroplaning are the first consideration.

Not everybody lives in the wet zones. Choose the tires for the area you will do most of the riding in. Different tires for different conditions.
Click to expand...

I agree, to a point. I have customers who tell me they never ride in the rain. My feeling is, never is a very long time. There are few riders who have never been caught out in the rain at one time or another. Most any decent tire will do well in the dry, including a good, wet capable tire. If you only need protection from hydroplaning once in your life. I'd say it would be well worth having that ability. Even if you never needed it. How often do you pay for insurance that you never used?

You don't have to get a directional tire to get good wet traction. There are a few non-directional tires that come close to equal wet performance.

Just putting my 2 cents in for a rain worthy tire. It won't cost you any more. And it's always there if needed.
 
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Just MY opinion, have ridden through over a dozen states in all kinds of weather, road conditions, speed etc., in last two years with OEM tires. I ride in all weather and conditions including heavy rain conditions( followed snow plow across Rockies one time). Have not had any issues with bike tires.
 
Having run many miles on both the Quatrac and Quatrac 5 on the back and Quatrac 5's on the front I can say without a doubt they work well in the rain. And we get plenty of opportunities to try them out here in Mississippi.
 
baxter said:
Just MY opinion, have ridden through over a dozen states in all kinds of weather, road conditions, speed etc., in last two years with OEM tires. I ride in all weather and conditions including heavy rain conditions( followed snow plow across Rockies one time). Have not had any issues with bike tires.
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with the tread pattern or rubber compound on the OEM tires. If the tire is round (which they often are not) they will run fine. At highway speeds, you only have about 3" of contact patch at the rear wheel because the OEM tire is built too weak to hold shape and balloons out in the middle. Harder to hydroplane on that narrow a surface. With a car tire, you're going to get 100% tire width contact all the time. So, more important to get a wet capable tire.
 
well i can safely say, i never ride in the rain, dont ride at night, 12 yrs on my 1500 vulcan, only got caught once in the rain, this is 3rd yr. with my spyder. no rain yet.. i am fair weather rider,, what non directional tire would you recommend.. BAJA Ron..thanks all.......
 
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