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Need new Tires for 2015 F3-S - what's everyone running?
- Thread starter Dave7691
- Start date
BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
Well currently the Vredestein " Quatrac " 165/60-15 is the highest rated tire that will fit .....I have the older version the " Quatrac-5 " and love it .....For the rear the Altimax RT 45 in 215/60-15 or 225/60-15 are still great , however I found the Riken RAPTOR HR to be it's equal .... and the Raptor is $ 50.00 less and shipped free. All of them are at Tire Rack.com .... if you order from them DECLINE to tell them they are for a Spyder, they may not sell them to you .....good luck ....Mike :thumbup:
BajaRon
Well-known member
Never Ending Search for the Perfect Tire!
Here is a tire ranking chart from Tire Rack. I removed tires from their chart that don't come in sizes that we can use on the Spyder. And I apologize for the picture size. Not sure how to make them larger. The actual size is 800 x 279 pixels. But you can see the full chart using the link below.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS
This chart is not the end all, but gives a good idea of the relative attributes of each tire. I like Tire Rack because they test tons of tires on the same vehicles with the same drivers in the same conditions back to back. Customer reviews are very subjective. What they rave about may be better than the worn out tires they replaced. But not necessarily a good data point. So, this chart is only for reference. We all have our preferences and I'm not trying to target anyone or any specific tire. Though there are tires I would avoid.
It's too bad the Kuhmo ECSTA AST and YOKOHAMA AVID TOURING-S are not listed as these are also popular tires with the Spyder community. What the Kuhmo has going for it is the OEM tire size. Which I personally think should be a few notches down on the list of importance. A slightly larger diameter tire is actually a better choice for a few reasons. And I'm not thrilled with the Kuhmo in the rain, though it is a decent tire and we carry it because some customers feel better about an OEM size tire. If I had to rate the Kuhmo, I'd put it in a category with the LAUFENN G FIT AS. And the YOKOHAMA as a bit lower. Both are fine in the dry but less than stellar performance in the wet that drives my opinion. I also rate traction over longevity. Just so you understand my bias with tires (no pun intended).
If you don't care about wet traction and you want a longer lasting tire, yours may be different choice.
Here is a tire ranking chart from Tire Rack. I removed tires from their chart that don't come in sizes that we can use on the Spyder. And I apologize for the picture size. Not sure how to make them larger. The actual size is 800 x 279 pixels. But you can see the full chart using the link below.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS
This chart is not the end all, but gives a good idea of the relative attributes of each tire. I like Tire Rack because they test tons of tires on the same vehicles with the same drivers in the same conditions back to back. Customer reviews are very subjective. What they rave about may be better than the worn out tires they replaced. But not necessarily a good data point. So, this chart is only for reference. We all have our preferences and I'm not trying to target anyone or any specific tire. Though there are tires I would avoid.
It's too bad the Kuhmo ECSTA AST and YOKOHAMA AVID TOURING-S are not listed as these are also popular tires with the Spyder community. What the Kuhmo has going for it is the OEM tire size. Which I personally think should be a few notches down on the list of importance. A slightly larger diameter tire is actually a better choice for a few reasons. And I'm not thrilled with the Kuhmo in the rain, though it is a decent tire and we carry it because some customers feel better about an OEM size tire. If I had to rate the Kuhmo, I'd put it in a category with the LAUFENN G FIT AS. And the YOKOHAMA as a bit lower. Both are fine in the dry but less than stellar performance in the wet that drives my opinion. I also rate traction over longevity. Just so you understand my bias with tires (no pun intended).
If you don't care about wet traction and you want a longer lasting tire, yours may be different choice.
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Snoking1127
Well-known member
I have 175/55R16 Vredestein Quatrac's (Kenda's are 165/55R15's) on the front of both of my Spyders. There's a General (215/60R15) on the back of one; and the other one will get a General in the fall, when it comes out of storage.
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TerryTheSpyderRyder
New member
Who will install them on the rims? I want to replace my front tires
rjinaz86323
Active member
any tire shop CAN, but some won't. Don't tell them what they are for.
Mikey
Well-known member
Find yourself an independent bike shop they will do it for you. For the front tires if they ask what the rims go on, tell them it's a trailer!
Snoking1127
Well-known member
I had Discount Tire mount Federals and Big O mounted Vredestein tires twice.
Tires are like oil - everyone has their opinion. Keep in mind that your F3S is a bit lighter than the RT and even the F3L. If you ride aggressive, you need to be mindful of harder compounds being easier to spin on lighter Spyders.
Me personally - a super aggressive rider on an F3S (but with Viking Bags and Trunk) - I love the Continental ContiProContacts 165/60R15 up front at 16-17 PSI (Preferred the Federals which you can't find any longer but these are a close second) and the Yokohama AVID Ascend GT 205/60R15 in the rear at 20PSI. YMMV.
Me personally - a super aggressive rider on an F3S (but with Viking Bags and Trunk) - I love the Continental ContiProContacts 165/60R15 up front at 16-17 PSI (Preferred the Federals which you can't find any longer but these are a close second) and the Yokohama AVID Ascend GT 205/60R15 in the rear at 20PSI. YMMV.
BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
Yes that is a great tire , but I switched to the RIKEN Raptor HR it's available in 215 and 225 size for the rear at Tire Rack .... and it's $82.00 shipped free ..... If you order from them DECLINE to tell them what it's going on .... I really like my Riken in Dry or Wet weather .....Mike :thumbup:
TerryTheSpyderRyder
New member
I didn't want the rims damaged when I go to replace the tires.
If that's the case, then DON'T go to your Dealer!! Like Mikey & others have said, find yourself an Independent bike/tire shop & get them to do it!
hyea:Realistically, that's probably what your BRP dealer does anyway - I haven't found a dealer here in Oz who actually does their own 'strip & fit' tire work on Spyder rims anyway!! They might do it for other brands of motorcycles, cos they've got all the gear for motorcycle tires & rims; but Spyder rims are CAR rims, and for all intents and purposes, so are all the tires that will fit onto those rims - so the dealers generally outsource all that stuff to a place that's got the correct gear to do it properly and without damaging the rims.
Besides, by avoiding the dealer's 'middle-man mark-up' AND going straight to the place that'll be responsible for any damage, IF any is ever going to occur, you'll usually find that the independent place is not so much of a rip-off price wise; they generally take more care to do it right; and if you choose someone you're happy with/can establish an ongoing, mutually beneficial working relationship with, they tend to be better at doing it right much more so than the 'lowest bidder' the dealer found to do the job this time around! :banghead:
So for you, it might take a little effort up front, but in the long-term, it's Wins All Around! :thumbup:
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I put together a spreadsheet with various front and rear tires that will fit my 2017 Spyder RT-L. I ended up going with the Hankook Ventus 2 Concept 2 for the rear. The front went with Hankook Ventus 4 ES for the front. I have been really happy. Very good handling and stability. My neighbor liked the fronts, so he ordered the same thing for his front 2017 F3.
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BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
Baja Ron put up a ratings chart recently Hankook wasn't one that He liked .... So I checked with the Tire Rack .... the best either of those models you posted was rated GOOD; and in the winter, they were only Fair..... From what other members have said about Hankook tires is that they are likely to last a very long time. If you only ride say 5,000 mi. per year, those tires are likely to AGE out before they WEAR out...... Thanks for your review .... I wish more folks here let us know what their tires are doing .....Mike :thumbup:
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Snoking1127
Well-known member
There are two Vredesteins:
Quatrac is a directional tread pattern and the Quatrac 5 non directional tread pattern. I have the Quatrac directionals on both of my 2018 Spyders(fronts).
According to Vredestein web page, they do not make the Quatrac 5 in a size for the front of a Spyder. https://www.vredestein.com/car-suv-tires/products/885-QUATRAC-5/
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BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
According to Tire Rack - TODAY they have the Q-5 in 155/60-15 .... which :agree: is a bit small for our Spyders ..... It appears Vredestein is no longer making them, they have been superseded by the "Q" model .....Mike :thumbup:
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OK-DZ9R
Member
I expect to receive a lot of flame for this. I have a 2015 F3s with a Baja Ron stabilizer bar and Elka shocks. I just replaced the tires with Kenda KR20 Kanine's. They are designed for the Spyder. The previous Kenda's performed well and the Kanine's are even better in my experience. To each his own, but I'm not a fan of underinflated car tires.
BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
I won't Flame you on this .... because I'm not a fan of underinflated car tire ( or any other tires ) either. .... However if you understand the Science behind what PSI you should use, you should agree that a lightweight vehicle must have a PSI using the weight of that vehicle as the determining factor .....Mike :thumbup:
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