Need new Tires for 2015 F3-S - what's everyone running?

[Snoking1127]

I was helping a friend yesterday who just bought a 2022 RTL with 2600 miles on it. One front tire had a strip of weights about 9" long and the other about 2". Enough said about the quality of Kenda tires, as my first Spyder with 5240 mile was the same way.

 

[Snoking1127]

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:

No tire is under inflated until the PSI falls below the required amount for the weight it is carrying.

 

[BajaRon]

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.

Everyone should run what they think is best.

My grandfather ran aircraft tires with no air at all on his rock desert buggy. Since they were designed to carry so much more weight, they didn't need any air at all to carry that vehicle. They looked and rode like they were fully inflated. My grandfather's logic was that this way, he couldn't get a flat tire. And he was right. They worked great! You only need enough air in a tire to carry the weight of the vehicle they are mounted on. Over inflation is also a bad thing. To put 30 or 40 psi in a tire that only needs 20 to properly carry the vehicle would be a bad idea.

The fact that thousands have put who knows how many miles on 'Car' tires with better results than with the Kenda's might also be considered a valid data point.

I think you'll be fine with the Kenda Kanine's. But remember. Not all components are 'engineered' for the buyer. Some are engineered to put more money in the pockets of the manufacturer...

 

[Sarge707]

Just changed the front on my 2015 F3 with 28,000 miles. Had my local tire shop mount and balance for $60 and got the KR20 Kenda's from Amazon for $150. Tire date was Nov 2023 so pretty new. I replaced because of age because the stock still had a year or 2 more.

 

[Cobwebs]

Just changed the front on my 2015 F3 with 28,000 miles. Had my local tire shop mount and balance for $60 and got the KR20 Kenda's from Amazon for $150. Tire date was Nov 2023 so pretty new. I replaced because of age because the stock still had a year or 2 more.

:agree: No point changing if zero issues. A rough calculation would be at least a million Kendas have been used on Spyders to date but like anything you only hear about the problematic cases. That then turns into reported personalised benefits of alternatives that don't replicate the original intended design parameters of the Kendas. Whether that suits your needs or not is akin to the discussion about 5w40 v 10w40 oil. Both do the job with minor calculations needed by the individual circumstances to nail what is more important overall if you want to fine tune.
They're all round and black and as long as it's got oil has also worked for countless billions of vehicle owners that just want to get from A to B which in turn gives rise to competing suppliers who all claim latest and greatest but that can't be proven till the product is exhausted.
Do your own research and if the product is lacking or not then you have the answer. If you can't be bothered researching, consider the hundreds of variables that apply to reaching a conclusion on which tyre and if you think your circumstances match that exactly of the reviewer you've just got lucky but the odds of that happening are slim to none. Does the word compromise now ring a bell if you use a different tyre?

 

[jma57]

I went with KR20 and a Kumho Ecsta, pretty happy so far after ~200 miles of riding.
All three needed very little weight to balance out. My old setup was likely out of balance somewhere because vibrations I experienced before are now gone.
In my case the new tires, brakes, and drive belt adjustment make it feel like new again...almost.
Steering is definitely lighter and I dare say more precise, 16 psi front, 18 psi rear.

 

[Dave7691]

It's that time again looking for tires what's everyone running?

Well, I pulled the trigger.

I went to Netzley tire and had them install Hankook Ventrus V4 175/55/15 on the front and Altimax RT 45 225/60/15 on the rear and laser alignment. What a different ride over the stock tires, very smooth and it sticks like glue. For me, I'm so happy with the ride now; it stays where I put it, no drifting in the corners like the understeering of the stock tires. Thank you Derick.

 

[troop]

Well, I pulled the trigger.

I went to Netzley tire and had them install Hankook Ventrus V4 175/55/15 on the front and Altimax RT 45 225/60/15 on the rear and laser alignment. What a different ride over the stock tires, very smooth and it sticks like glue. For me, I'm so happy with the ride now; it stays where I put it, no drifting in the corners like the understeering of the stock tires. Thank you Derick.

Is Netzley a can Am Spyder dealer? If so, might want to not name them out...

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Is Netzley a can Am Spyder dealer? If so, might want to not name them out...

They aren't .... they are an independent shop :clap: :clap: ..... and do excellent work ..... last I heard they can even CANCEL your DESS ....... Mike :thumbup:

 

[IGETAROUND]

Just replaced the tires , all three on my 2018 F3-T with Vredestein Quatra tracks. Had 48655 miles on the fronts and 14365 on the non Vredestein rear. Normally get 18-22K out of the rear when running Vredesteins. am currently @ 56365 miles. I'm getting laser alignment on my F3 and wife's RT first week of next month. then will be ready to ride and forget about maintenance except oil and filter changes for the year. Love these rides!!!

Al in Kazoo

 

[bluesfanatic]

I'm needing a new rear tire and while I'm at it, going to replace the rear brake pads. Just wanted to check with anyone who has used the Vredestein Quatrac tires to make sure I have the correct size and any opinions or advice. Probably going to order new front tires too.

Rear
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Vredestein&tireModel=Quatrac&partnum=06VR6QT

Front
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Vredestein&tireModel=Quatrac&partnum=66HR5QT

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Peteoz]

Dave, if you type “Quatrac” into the search bar, you will find every bit of info you need, plus more, about the Quatrac:thumbup:

Pete

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I'm needing a new rear tire and while I'm at it, going to replace the rear brake pads. Just wanted to check with anyone who has used the Vredestein Quatrac tires to make sure I have the correct size and any opinions or advice. Probably going to order new front tires too.

Rear
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Vredestein&tireModel=Quatrac&partnum=06VR6QT

Front
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Vredestein&tireModel=Quatrac&partnum=66HR5QT

Thanks,
Dave

Those in the LINK are both the correct sizes ..... However instead of the Quatrac rear tire I got ( from tire rack ) the RIKEN Raptor HR in 215/60-15 IHMO ( it's rating ) is just hair less than the Quatrac .... and it's only $ 80.00 ....I have mine for 9000 +mi. and love it. .... So have others here that had tried it .....good luck ..Mike :thumbup:

 

[Navydad]

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:

I have a General Altimax RT43 on the rear of my 2015 RT. At 23,000 miles it is near the end. This is my second Altimax and I got 20,000 out of the first one. My Spyder is our two up touring rig and I ride it pretty aggressively so I am happy with that mileage. I will be replacing it with the Altimax RT45. I am well pleased with the performance of the General tires both in the dry and especially in the wet. I have been through some frog stranglers with that tire and I had no issues whatsoever. I had a set of Federals On the front and I was very pleased with them. I had 50,000 miles on them and they were showing minimal wear. The only reason I changed them was because of their age as I felt they were starting to get hard and that means loss of traction. I couldn't replace him with the Federals because I couldn't find any. My local tire shop was having a very good price on the Continental ContiPro contacts so I put a set of those on. I have only had about 1000 miles on them so far and a few wet roads but no heavy rain. So far I am happy with their performance.

 

[AZrailwhale]

It's that time again looking for tires what's everyone running?

I just went back to Kenda’s on the front. The car tires were just not grabbing in corners, and I was tired of sliding five or ten feet before they bit in and started steering.

 

[Peter Aawen]

I just went back to Kenda’s on the front. The car tires were just not grabbing in corners, and I was tired of sliding five or ten feet before they bit in and started steering.

What 'car tires' (size and brand etc) were you running? And what air pressure were you running in those car tires?? :dontknow:

That 'sliding' you're describing is usually/very much associated with over-inflation, particularly in car tires that are capable of carrying loads up to about 3 times those imposed by even the most over-loaded of Spyders!! :shocked: nojoke

 

[vondalyn]

You can tell them it is for a Smart Car as we have a customer running front wheels from a Spyder on his Smart Car.

the 2013 smart passion coupe runs the 165/60r15 on its front, if you have to give more details. I just had to cancel an order from TireRack because they texted me and kept asking me to take a picture of the door plate to prove that "the small tires" I ordered wouldn't cause a wreck. I had ordered the vredestien quatracs and I had cleared out my search so that a car shouldn't have been associated with the search, but I have a feeling that somewhere in the browser cache, a vehicle had been saved. Who knows. Since then I have added this car into my garage at tire rack so hopefully next time they won't question the order again. I will still "decline" to enter car info.