Thumbs down on Falkon rear tire

[Bob Denman]

NOW I'll ask:
Can there be a difference between a "Realistic Expectation". and a "Marvelous Result"? :dontknow:

 

[Dudley]

Some with Kuhmo's have reported 30k and rising :thumbup:

30K???? Are they serious? I am a very conservative rider and the best I ever got was just under 15K. I am not saying 30K isn't possible, but they must be riding on glass surfaces and under 30 mph. But, anyway, we ride, we maintain, and we enjoy. Our Spyders will treat us as we treat them. When I start counting the cost of the fun I have with the Spyder, I will sell it and ride my chair and wither away.

 

[Magdave]

30K???? Are they serious? I am a very conservative rider and the best I ever got was just under 15K. I am not saying 30K isn't possible, but they must be riding on glass surfaces and under 30 mph. But, anyway, we ride, we maintain, and we enjoy. Our Spyders will treat us as we treat them. When I start counting the cost of the fun I have with the Spyder, I will sell it and ride my chair and wither away.

Are you using a Kuhmo AST tire?

 

[Bob Denman]

My tires just didn't last either... pps:
I think that it's our lousy roads up here! :gaah: nojoke

 

[Magdave]

My tires just didn't last either... pps:
I think that it's our lousy roads up here! :gaah: nojoke

All I can say is if you read all the tire threads Toyo, Falken do not get much more than Kenda. It may be due to a soft tire compound. Kuhmo uses a stiffer compound and has a higher tread wear rating.My experience with them has been very good in all weather condition (- snow)

 

[Bob Denman]

That could have been the culprit... The Falken handled GREAT when it was new; it'd throw the radio out of tun in a hard corner! :joke:
But It DID get tired at the end... :shocked:

 

[BajaRon]

30K???? Are they serious? I am a very conservative rider and the best I ever got was just under 15K. I am not saying 30K isn't possible, but they must be riding on glass surfaces and under 30 mph. But, anyway, we ride, we maintain, and we enjoy. Our Spyders will treat us as we treat them. When I start counting the cost of the fun I have with the Spyder, I will sell it and ride my chair and wither away.

I don't know anyone who has gotten 30K on a rear tire of any kind. Fronts maybe. The front tires seem to wear like the front brake pads. Most get about twice the mileage from both front tires and brake pads as compared to the rear as long as the alignment is good.

My feeling is that reasonable rear tire wear is 12k-13k. Somewhat more or less depending on the variables we've discussed. Fronts, 22k-24k. A good car tire should give you 10%-20% more distance. Not all of the increase is due to the rubber compound. The 2 additional radial plies in the tread area will also account for additional mileage.

 

[Magdave]

That could have been the culprit... The Falken handled GREAT when it was new; it'd throw the radio out of tun in a hard corner! :joke:
But It DID get tired at the end... :shocked:

The Falken has a 360 tread wear rating , the Kumho 400 but the Kumho inner construction is stiffer.

 

[Magdave]

Spyd3r

KUMHO

KUMHO AST..... KUMHO KUMHO KUMHO for the bizzillionth time.... 225/50R 15...
I got 27,000 miles from my last one, and they only cost about $80.... :yes:

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?60377-Tire-Options&highlight=kuhmo

​

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: WHICH tire did you say??

 

[Magdave]

:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack: Too bad Michelin quit making the Hydro edge many people loved that tire too:thumbup:

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree: Spyderjockey got beaucoup mileage out of his! :bowdown:

 

[MouthPiece]

I don't know anyone who has gotten 30K on a rear tire of any kind. Fronts maybe. The front tires seem to wear like the front brake pads. Most get about twice the mileage from both front tires and brake pads as compared to the rear as long as the alignment is good.

My feeling is that reasonable rear tire wear is 12k-13k. Somewhat more or less depending on the variables we've discussed. Fronts, 22k-24k. A good car tire should give you 10%-20% more distance. Not all of the increase is due to the rubber compound. The 2 additional radial plies in the tread area will also account for additional mileage.

This is what I was looking for. That person's expectation (yes whether reasonable or not is to be debated, but that's okay) of what they should be getting from their rear tire. Nothing more and nothing less.

​Chris

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: How come Ron always gets to be the "Voice of Reason"??? :shocked:

 

[ARtraveler]

And that's my point exactly, Bob. I was trying to stimulate some debate on just what each of us EXPECT to get from our rear tires. I'm interested in seeing just how far off the reservation some may come up with. I guess what I'm trying to say is that perhaps our expectations far exceed what is reasonable? So far most responses have been what has occurred, but very little comments on what they expect.

Chris

If you are talking "reasonable expectation" that is going to be all over the board--due to the diversity of the sample.

I have now put tires on four different :spyder2:'s. Covering almost 100,000 assorted miles. With all four vehicles, I have had between 13,000 to 15,000 miles on the rear tires. The front tires have given me between 18,000 to 23,000 miles. As a conservative person, I would say reasonable expectations based on my experience: Fronts 15,000 miles and rear tires 10,000 miles. I have never had an alignment on any of my :ani29:'s. I watch the tire pressures, and don't beat the heck out of my :spyder2:'s.

All my experiences with tires have been the OEM version. I have never tried other brands.

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree: One person's, "Reasonable"; is another person's, Are you out of your MIND :shocked: ?"

 

[Magdave]

This is what I was looking for. That person's expectation (yes whether reasonable or not is to be debated, but that's okay) of what they should be getting from their rear tire. Nothing more and nothing less.

​Chris

My expectation is based on the many reported mileages I have read a lot of threads on the stock rear tire being shot at 7500mi. I would suggest you do a search on Kumho Ecsta and make your own informed opinion. By the way Bob you previously said you put a set on yours last summer what are your thoughts and mileage on them.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/search.php?searchid=3039093

If you plow through the above link you will find a lot of high mileage (20-30k) Kumho users.

 

[rnet]

The Falken has a 360 tread wear rating , the Kumho 400 but the Kumho inner construction is stiffer.

Not a good way to compare between brands.
The treadwear grade of a tire is a comparative rating based on the wear of a tire when tested carefully under controlled conditions. For example, a tire graded 400 should have its useful tread last twice as long as a tire graded 200. However, a different tire manufacturer may grade a comparable design as 300, so a grade of 150 would last half as long under their grading scheme.
Therefore, it is not recommended to use one manufacturer's grade versus another, but instead to compare tire grades within a given brand. Actual treadwear performance can vary tremendously according to the tire's real-world use. Variations in driving habits, service practices (especially air pressure maintenance), road conditions and climate will affect the life of treadwear.

 

[Magdave]

Not a good way to compare between brands.
The treadwear grade of a tire is a comparative rating based on the wear of a tire when tested carefully under controlled conditions. For example, a tire graded 400 should have its useful tread last twice as long as a tire graded 200. However, a different tire manufacturer may grade a comparable design as 300, so a grade of 150 would last half as long under their grading scheme.
Therefore, it is not recommended to use one manufacturer's grade versus another, but instead to compare tire grades within a given brand. Actual treadwear performance can vary tremendously according to the tire's real-world use. Variations in driving habits, service practices (especially air pressure maintenance), road conditions and climate will affect the life of treadwear.

When using Tire Rack They use those numbers to rate tires. Real world use has already been mentioned and the variations in such. If you do a search on Falken users on this forum you will find they are only slightly better than OEM mileage wise. The Kumho seems to be double or more better. I can only say based on the forum users but my own experience with Kumho tires tell me they are an excellent tire for the price. :thumbup:

 

[BajaRon]

:shocked: How come Ron always gets to be the "Voice of Reason"??? :shocked:

This subject is so wide open with so many variables and inability to actually verify numbers I don't think I can take any special position in the discussion.

I'm not saying no one has gotten 30k from a rear tire. I just said I didn't know of anyone who had. There is a lot that I don't know....

I will go out on a limb and say that 30k from a rear tire is not likely to land in the middle of the mileage bell curve. I also think that traction is more important than mileage, which is why I am not all that happy with my Falken 912's. I think they are probably a good enough tire. But with my lightly loaded GS they aren't doing it for me.

With my luck I'll probably get 30k out of this rear tire and have to wait that long to try another tire, or swap out with a lot of tread left. Neither are all that appealing to me.