New Rear Tire: Michelin Premier A/S 205/60R15 91H on

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

ASYMMETRICAL

As I continue to research a replacement rear tire, I am noticing that some car tire options are designated as having an asymmetrical tread design. I'm not sure that type of tire would work on a Spyder. Is my gut feeling correct???? Any thoughts?????

If that means ...non-directional ..... then if you have them on the front you can rotate left to right without removing them from the wheel ...... a money and time saver ...... For the rear that wouldn't matter. The rear tire only needs excellent wet traction...... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Jim&Teresa]

This is just great information. One question I have is, Jim, the picture of your take-off Altimax appears to show very even wear. What pressure did you keep it at....?

Hi, I was running 28PSI on that tire, I have now reduced the new tire (Michelin) to 22 PSI based on a buddy who has great success with the lower pressure...maybe this one will last even longer.

I have read numerous threads/posts on tire PSI...so, it's your bike and you do what you want to .... I am experimenting a little with tire pressure and it sure rides nice at that PSI....

Good luck...PM me with any other questions...thanks.

 

[Peter Aawen]

As I continue to research a replacement rear tire, I am noticing that some car tire options are designated as having an asymmetrical tread design. I'm not sure that type of tire would work on a Spyder. Is my gut feeling correct???? Any thoughts?????

While it might make a difference on a motor vehicle with 4 wheels, & it will probably make a difference if you put a pair of them on the front of your Spyder (cos you'd hafta get the inside/outside markings or the rotation markings going the right way) then like Mike said, it (usually) really doesn't matter a heap on the rear of a Spyder!!

I have tested a couple of different asymmetrical tires on my RT without any ill-effects & some noticeable benefits, ie better cornering behaviour under some circumstances & better wet/dry hard braking (nb: when I say tested, I mean full-on testing on a proper tire test track for a coupla thousand kms plus some real world use on public roads!) but I choose to run symmetrical Sport/Touring tires instead - they are simply more common & readily available in the back blocks here in Australia, & cos I spend a bit of time out there touring a looong way from home/anywhere, I really don't want to risk getting sprung a couple of thousand miles from home with a tire that I cannot readily repair/get repaired &/or easily replace with a similar tire. :dontknow:

It really comes down to what YOU want from a tire, & what handling or ride characteristics you really want over any potential compromises/shortfalls from a given tire/tread pattern (if any). :thumbup:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

THIS TIRE PRESSURE

Hi, I was running 28PSI on that tire, I have now reduced the new tire (Michelin) to 22 PSI based on a buddy who has great success with the lower pressure...maybe this one will last even longer.

I have read numerous threads/posts on tire PSI...so, it's your bike and you do what you want to .... I am experimenting a little with tire pressure and it sure rides nice at that PSI....

Good luck...PM me with any other questions...thanks.

Jim or Teresa, glad to hear you are heading in the right direction ( with psi ) :yes:..... now as long as you are willing to experiment try 18 psi ...... I promise NOTHING BAD will happen .... I think you will like it even better ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[KX5062]

I have been trying several rear tires over the years on our RT. Yesterday, I installed a Michelin Premier A/S 205/60R15 91H on our RT as I have heard good reviews from our fellow Spyder Ryders here. So going to give it a try! Our RT has 38,745 miles on it.

Here's a brief recap of rear tires on our 2014 RTL:

New: OEM Kenda - should have changed it out at 6,000 miles, it basically was a slick tire when changed at 7,931 miles

7,931 miles: Kumho Ecsta AST 225/50R15 (total miles: 14,000) good tire, was a little "slippery" when roads were wet, especially near end of its life

21,913 miles: General Altimax RT43 215/60R15 (total miles: 16,832) best tire so far, worked well, maybe could have got 2000-4000 more miles - changed out due to concern about hydroplaning when tread depth was getting low.

38,745 miles: Michelin Premier A/S 205/60R15 91H on (total miles: time will tell) friends had mention this has excellent "wet grip" for handling in the rain..

Here's a couple of pics:
Pic 1: General Altimax taken off
Pic 2: New Michelin showing tread design

Your mileage and experiences are very similar to mine. However, I chose to go a different tire direction and am currently beta testing the Cooper CS5 on the rear. So far I really like the tire and aside from not enough miles to comment on lifespan it seems to be a very good choice. It is a harder compound tire and I'm hoping it will last beyond 16k miles, which was the lifespan of my Altimax too.

 

[A1A]

Jim or Teresa, glad to hear you are heading in the right direction ( with psi ) :yes:..... now as long as you are willing to experiment try 18 psi ...... I promise NOTHING BAD will happen .... I think you will like it even better ..... Mike :thumbup:

Mike, running 18psi in the rear even while riding two up is okay?
Cheers!