Rear tire replacement - what is everyone liking now?

[Roadster Renovations]

:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:.. It could be.....actually I finally decided Doc doesn't read my posts so I'm no longer going to waste my time posting when He asks a question. :dontknow: ..........Mike :yes::yes::yes:

I read them, Mike! I promise!

 

[ingramsail]

Thanks, ordered 205/55/15 will be here on the 29th. Then the work begins !!

 

[JP58]

Wow, five recommendations for the Yokohama s-Drive so far in this thread. When I installed mine last year not many were installing that tire.

So I'll be #6 to recommend that tire! :thumbup: Only 4000 miles on mine so far, but it still looks new. Like others, I've noticed a big improvement with traction on wet roads as well. The 205/55R15 is the same diameter, but just a tad wider than the stock tire, and seemed to fit the rim better than the stock. This tire has a very favorable UTQG rating of 300/AA/A. I'll likely be staying with the Yoko s-Drive, when it's time to replace it.

So how does the 205 Yoko be wider than the stock 225 Kenda?

 

[Peter Aawen]

How can this be, JP? Simple really, it is quite likely because the manufacturer of the 205 sized tire has used the original size of the basic tire carcass when deciding on what size to label it, then they've wrapped that 205 sized carcass in a few layers of tread, bead, & sidewall rubber etc which has increased its actual physical size & external dimensions to those you see; while the manufacturer of the 225 tire added all that extra rubber first & then used the resulting size to determine the nearest nominal size when choosing what size to put on their labelling!!

Many manufacturers do this: some label their tire sizes based on the naked casing & its actual size physically increases from there as tread etc is added; while others label their tire sizes based on the already completed tire - and all of them rarely use either the casing or completed tires EXACT size anyway, they generally just go for the nearest commonly accepted 'nominal size'!! So it's common enough to find one make/type of tire that's labelled as a 205 that is actually bigger than another make/type of tire that's labelled as a 225 - and sometimes, this even happens with different types/tread pattern tires produced by the same manufacturer!! You can only really trust the specific & actual physical sizes of a given tire, all the rest is just nominal size labelling and even that is based on whatever feeling took the manufacturer at the time!! :shocked:

Visit any tire retail outlet that has stocks of a range of tires of various types from different manufacturers & ask them to stand a variety of supposedly same size tires from different manufacturers together & it won't take too many tires standing alongside each other for you to see for yourself that very few tires of supposedly the same nominal size actually have the same physical dimensions - some get close, but there are often even differences in the actual size between tires with a different tread pattern or construction type that come from the same manufacturer! It happens, a whole lot more than you might think!! :sour:

You can only really trust the actual physical dimensions of any tire as being correct, & should only use their labelled nominal size as a general guide!! :thumbup:

Then, just to make it all harder, you should also take into account the effect that different temperatures or running different pressures can have on the overall rolling circumference of a tire, but let's not go much further into that here - suffice to say that varying your tire temperature or pressure by much can make a noticeable difference in a tires rolling diameter & circumference & therefore how close it can get to fitting a specific vehicle or not; altho that difference normally makes for only a small difference! :sour:

 

[Fat Baxter]

A vote for the General Altimax RT43 here. Almost 7,000 miles, still looks new, no compalints about handling.

I'm thinking about replacing the fronts with Kuhmo Solus KH16s soon.

 

[3whlLefty]

Altimax RT43 here too

Based on all the discussion here I put the RT43's on the front about 300 miles ago. Running them at 17 psi and so far they are great. Today I had one put on the rear and I'll add my $.02 after some experience with it. All this at 16K miles.

Wore out 2 sets of front tires due to bad alignment. Two dealers aligned it (??) and I was still grinding off the inside half. Then I had Squared Away align it about 18 mos ago but the damage was done already. Now I'm hoping for a ton of smooth miles. :clap:

 

[finless]

You won't get 26K out of the S-drive.
Loving my Yoko S. Drive and have 10K on it now. Looks like I will get about 15K out of it.

Bob

 

[Deanna777]

An other Vote for the General Altimax RT 43, size 215/60 R 15 Running 26 PSI. I have 9,963 miles on the tire, and still looks new. Total mileage on Spyder is 15,787.

This is my 2nd motorcycle season with the General. I like the tire, and several other people on this site are also running the General. Deanna

 

[robmorg]

So how does the 205 Yoko be wider then the stock 225 Kenda?

Good question. :thumbup:

You wouldn't think so from the size specification. It was indeed a little wider at the bead, but not by much. The 205 vs. 225 refers to "section width" which is measured at the widest point of the sidewall of an inflated tire without load. It can vary between tires of the same size from different manufacturers, depending on the tire construction. But I was referring to tread width. Just looking at them side by side at the time of purchase (before inflation), the s.Drive seemed to be a smidgeon wider. In truth, these two sizes are very similar.

Edit... I wrote the reply above before I saw Peter Aawens's earlier answer. We both said basically the same thing, but Peter's answer went much more in depth. Thanks, Peter. :thumbup:

 

[robmorg]

You won't get 26K out of the S-drive.
Loving my Yoko S. Drive and have 10K on it now. Looks like I will get about 15K out of it.

Bob

Spyder Ann has said the same thing. She installed one on her Spyder about the same time you did, Bob, but of course her's is long gone by now. I installed mine a little later. Mine now has 4000 miles on it and still looks almost new (without actually measuring the tread depth). But I love the way this s.Drive tire handles -especially on wet or slippery roads. I'll likely buy it again.

What cold psi are you using, Bob? I'm using 26, but I'm a big guy. If I was "normal size", I'd probably use about 22-24 in that tire.

 

[finless]

Spyder Ann has said the same thing. She installed one on her Spyder about the same time you did, Bob, but of course her's is long gone by now. I installed mine a little later. Mine now has 4000 miles on it and still looks almost new (without actually measuring the tread depth). But I love the way this s.Drive tire handles -especially on wet or slippery roads. I'll likely buy it again.

What cold psi are you using, Bob? I'm using 26, but I'm a big guy. If I was "normal size", I'd probably use about 22-24 in that tire.

I am good with 14K as getting a harder tire is a trade off with handling. This tire handles really well.
I am running 25-26 PSI as running 28 per my fobo video shows due to temperature change (even with nitrogen) it rises to 35 PSI.
At 25 it only rises to about 32.

Bob

 

[blacklightning]

Sadly, my Michelin Hydroedge rear tire has worn down to the point I will need to be replacing it in under 5k miles. I have 26k on it so I can't complain. What is everyone liking for a rear tire. I have heard very good things about the Kumo EST, I believe. Thoughts?

I have the stock size Kumo on my spyder. I now have 10k miles and it still looks pretty good. I have also had no troubles with the rain. I am not sure that I will get 26k out of it, but for around $80, it should be good.

 

[ddtoit]

hi no issues on the 205 tyre size instead of 225??

 

[ddtoit]

tyre size of yokohama??

 

[jcthorne]

tyre size of yokohama??

Yokohama S-Drive 205/55-15

 

[Spyderman14RSS]

Hey everyone! Just joined Spyderlovers. I'm replacing the stock rear Kenda on my 14 RSS on the 22nd. After reading a bunch of posts on here, I bought the Kumho Ecsta 4x II 205/55r15. It was between this and the Yoko S Drive, but decided on the Kumho. I don't think fitment should be an issue. The dealer that's doing the install said the wheel should not need balancing, but would throw in some balance beads if needed. Has anyone ran this particular tire? I've seen nothing on the threads about it. And would the wheel and tire need balancing at all? Thanks!

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Hey everyone! Just joined Spyderlovers. I'm replacing the stock rear Kenda on my 14 RSS on the 22nd. After reading a bunch of posts on here, I bought the Kumho Ecsta 4x II 205/55r15. It was between this and the Yoko S Drive, but decided on the Kumho. I don't think fitment should be an issue. The dealer that's doing the install said the wheel should not need balancing, but would throw in some balance beads if needed. Has anyone ran this particular tire? I've seen nothing on the threads about it. And would the wheel and tire need balancing at all? Thanks!

First off :congrats:&:welcome: …….. Although that would not be my 1st thru 10th choice of tire , only use 17-18psi in it for the best all-around performance …. Kumho's have a tendency ( according to other reports on this Forum ) of losing WET road traction early in it's tread life :banghead:...……. On balancing Spyder tires - the front must be balanced 90% of the time ...the rear 10% …….. My last 5 rear tires didn't get balanced by any methods and I have had no problems with them ….. Just like on Auto's, because of the rear axel mounting method any slight imbalance is not going to be noticed …… jmho …… Mike hyea:

 

[Spyderman14RSS]

First off :congrats:&:welcome: …….. Although that would not be my 1st thru 10th choice of tire , only use 17-18psi in it for the best all-around performance …. Kumho's have a tendency ( according to other reports on this Forum ) of losing WET road traction early in it's tread life :banghead:...……. On balancing Spyder tires - the front must be balanced 90% of the time ...the rear 10% …….. My last 5 rear tires didn't get balanced by any methods and I have had no problems with them ….. Just like on Auto's, because of the rear axel mounting method any slight imbalance is not going to be noticed …… jmho …… Mike hyea:

Thanks for the welcome. I'm a fair weather rider, so not too concerned about wet traction. Anything will be better than the stock Kenda. I only have a little over 6k on the bike, and middle is wearing out. I've kept the recommended 28 psi in it, but from other posts I've read, that's probably a little too much.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Thanks for the welcome. I'm a fair weather rider, so not too concerned about wet traction. Anything will be better than the stock Kenda. I only have a little over 6k on the bike, and middle is wearing out. I've kept the recommended 28 psi in it, but from other posts I've read, that's probably a little too much.

:roflblack:...….. There aren't many folks who ONLY wait for WET weather to ride their Spyders …… When I was an LEO ( 35+yrs. ) On nights that it was Snowing I would go to a large parking lot and FLOG the crap out my cruiser seeing how fast I could go ( in turns etc. ) before it would spin out...…. A person learns from doing this …. PS in all my years of driving I never had an accident due to Snow/Ice …………. The OEM Kenda tire is so weakly made - what your tire pressure is has almost no bearing on the Tread life ( REAR TIRE testing only )…. My comments on tire PSI only refers to auto tires on the Spyder ….. Mike hyea: