Hey guys, word of warning!!
RUNNING LOWER THAN RECOMMENDED PRESSURES IN SPYDER/RYKER SPEC KENDA TIRES MAY NOT BE SAFE!! :lecturef_smilie:
It's pretty safe in car tires that have been built to carry much heavier loads because they are made strongly enough to handle it; but the Spyder/Ryker spec Kendas run sidewall & tread thread plies that are about 1/3rd thinner (& therefore weaker!) than the thread plies in most car tires,
AND the steel belts in the tires use wires that are thinner/weaker too;
PLUS the 'rubber' itself is thinner, more pliable, & less sturdy than the 'rubber' normally used in a car tire!! :shocked:
All of which adds up to the Kenda Tires that are touted as being spec'ced for Spyders/Rykers ACTUALLY NEEDING to run at pressures that are fairly close to those recommended on the tire placard/in the manual or you risk a catastrophic failure!! :banghead:
Sadly, that means that the wide & pliable rear tire
WILL wear out in the centre of the tire tread more quickly than on the edges, simply because as the revs increase the sidewall plies & the tread plies/belts aren't strong enough to stop the tread from 'bagging' or 'throwing out' in the middle of the tread due to the centrifugal forces. This means that if you're travelling any faster than about 20 mph then you're onky running on the 2 or so inch wide strip in the middle; but because the tire is so lightly constructed, that's gonna happen regardless of the pressure you run it at! In fact, running it at just 'a little' lower pressure than that recommended may even increase the throw out & therefore the wear in the centre strip; while running it at anything much more than 10-15% less than the recommended pressure is likely to allow the sidewalls to flex even more, causing over-heating in the carcass as you ride, and eventually destroying the tire's internal construction - and you really don't want
THAT to occur while you're ryding at speed!! :yikes:
So if you are running Kenda tires on your Spyder or Ryker,
I'd STRONGLY SUGGEST that you ALWAYS run pressures that are at or close too those recommended for the tire! Because of their lightweight construction, they
REALLY NEED that much air in them to allow them to work properly & carry the load, and that 'centre of tread wear' is simply another unavoidable consequence of the tire's construction! :gaah: . That's why so many of us run stronger & heavier car tires, where the lower pressures we suggest are appropriate for the load but aren't likely to be a concern due to thor heavier tire's stronger & more robust construction! :thumbup:
Still, it's your Spyder/Ryker, your tires, so you can do what you like - I'm just saying that running lower than recommended pressures in a lightly constructed Kenda tire is
NOT a great idea, and could potentially cause a catastrophic failure in a tire built that lightly!