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What are Advantages of running Car tires vs Kendas tires ?

Since my son is in the tire business, I can pick what I what. I will be changing the rear real soon and I am picking the tire 2nd from the right.

Sept 2012 Cruise and misc 319.JPG

That's a Toyo Proxes 4 and all of those are rears for Spyders. Dave, in the pic above is what I'm running on the front.
 
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I have Bridgestone potenza tires on the front and a kumho esta on the rear. I have had excellent results with these tires. The fronts have about 20000 miles and show little wear. A fellow RT rider helped me evaluate these tires. He had input on the new Spyder sway bars and has has built front ends for race cars. We rode about 20 miles on a curvy road at a good speed to bring the tires up to operating tempt.
We did 3 tempt checks on each tire at left, right and center . His stock tires showed even as my tires. This shows proper inflation for our tires. The air tempt was 95. His stock tires showed temps on the check of 115 and my bridgestones 105. His stock tires were running 10 degrees hotter than my tires.
I took a solo tour to northern Calif. from Ga last july and and had temps in areas, such as South Dakota
exceed 104. Tires did great. Rode a vary of roads. In the last few years I have made this 8000 mile trip on 3 different bikes, Gold Wing ST1300 and the RT and felt less fatigue and safer on the RT.
Leaving Spyder fest this year we rode into heavy rain several times and near Jasper Alabama we hit the eye of the storm. We had heavy hail with sizes above marbles. I ended up riding on through the storm with the tires and nanny doing their job. Going to Spyder fest I used about a half gallon of gas less at each stop than my friend. Main difference in the setup of the 2 bikes was tires.
This is my choice and not everyones.
Jerry

Jerry
 
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It never ceases to amaze me the completely false information that some are willing to propagate in an effort to sway opinion. I am aware that many may simply be repeating what they heard from what they feel is a reliable source, and I don't necessarily blame them.

There may be legitimate reasons to debate this OEM vs Car Tire issue, but this is definitely a non-starter.

I have had a total of 4 car tires on my Spyder. 100% of them had no bead issues, sealing issues, or any other kind of issue. I am not surprised as the OEM tire is a Car tire in design and construction with the exception that it is built with too few tread belts to be used on a full size car.

I found that the car tires wear longer, have a better footprint at speed and a better wear pattern, don't roll under as badly as the OEM tires, cost less and have 4 ply steel belts in the tread area as opposed to 2 ply steel on the OEM tire.

For me, the car tire is the way to go. But the fact is that running the OEM tire is a very reasonable option as well.

The bottom line is, having actually facts upon which to base your decision is by far the better way to go.

Ron im not trying to sway any one's opinion on this tread post, this is just what was told to me. I have only owned 3 bikes (harley, bmw,Spyder) but I have built and owned many hot rods. I do my research as best I can, did I walk away believing all he said maybe maybe not. I read a lot of post on here and only comment on a few, I know a lot of people here run car tires on their Spyders. This is a forum and we are all entitled to our opinions and belive me there are people here with more than enough. This tire dealer who gave me this info could have easily said ya I will sell you tires for your spyder no problem but he said I should use factory oem tires. I wonder why he would say this, is he miss informed or are the dealers selling car tires for Spyder's just out to make a buck. I am a big believer in You Get What You Pay For, I cant understand why we pay huge money for these machines yet some people complain about a 200dollar tire or 98 dollar for a front. What is your life worth when really all thats between you and the road are your tires. I'm sorry if I upset people here again its just my opinion.
 
Ron im not trying to sway any one's opinion on this tread post, this is just what was told to me. I have only owned 3 bikes (harley, bmw,Spyder) but I have built and owned many hot rods. I do my research as best I can, did I walk away believing all he said maybe maybe not. I read a lot of post on here and only comment on a few, I know a lot of people here run car tires on their Spyders. This is a forum and we are all entitled to our opinions and belive me there are people here with more than enough. This tire dealer who gave me this info could have easily said ya I will sell you tires for your spyder no problem but he said I should use factory oem tires. I wonder why he would say this, is he miss informed or are the dealers selling car tires for Spyder's just out to make a buck. I am a big believer in You Get What You Pay For, I cant understand why we pay huge money for these machines yet some people complain about a 200dollar tire or 98 dollar for a front. What is your life worth when really all thats between you and the road are your tires. I'm sorry if I upset people here again its just my opinion.

No, I was not upset at all and I am sure no-one else was. I know you were simply repeating what you thought was good information. But whether or not a car tire will seal properly on the Spyder wheel is not a matter of opinion. The fact is that they seal just as well as the OEM tire for one very good reason, both use essentially the same construction and design to achieve a seal.

My point was that opinions may vary on other aspects of OEM vs Car tire, but bead seal it is a non-issue.

Just because you pay more doesn't always mean you get more. When you purchase a low volume, one of a kind item it's going to cost you more, not necessarily because it is a better product. When you purchase a high volume item you can, many times, get a better product for less money.

Think about it. How many OEM Spyder tires do you think are sold every year (the only vehicle using them being Spyders)? How many Toyo's, Falken's, or Michelin's do you think are sold every year? Seeing as how these tire brands fit millions of cars running a lot more miles and needing 4 tires each, the answer is obvious.

I never complained about a $200.00 tire. But when I can get a better tire (in my opinion) for 1/2 the price, I have to ask... Why not!?

I fully understand that others will disagree and that is completely fine with me. If someone can point out where I am wrong it won't bother me a bit. I will appreciate the correction.
 
:agree:
After the OEM was shot at 7,000 miles; I tried the Falken ZE912.
Now that it's given it's all over the past 8,000 miles, I'm going to try the offering from Kumho. :thumbup:
And both of these tires together, cost less than the OEM... :gaah:
 
Warranty considerations

if you're still under warranty? Why bet against what you paid for? Especially IF you bought extended warranty coverage?

3. EXCLUSIONS—ARE NOT WARRANTED

Damage resulting from the installation of parts with specifications that differ from the original Spyder parts, such as, without limitation, different tires -


In the end - it's all about choice.

just my 2c

:doorag: :thumbup:​
 
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bob d.(as an insurance guru)---:bowdown::bowdown: in response to the concerns about an insurance company eating you up if they aren't oem tires and you have an accident, what's your answer to that?:popcorn:
 
What's the weight difference between a stock tire with 2 belts and a car tire with 4? Personally I'm more concerned with keeping the weight down than with wear.
 
I called my insurance agent about the idea that they would have issues with the tire (s) on my bike. He said they would not, nor could he think of a circumstance that any reputable insurance company would do that. He mentioned that customers run on bald tires, damaged tires or incorrect sized tires, wheels falling off and underinflated tires and they do not deny claims unless there is evidence doing so was for the purpose of defrauding the insurance company.

Before making the change I also checked into how this could affect the bikes safety systems.. i.e. brakes, anti locks, skid control. The key was to keep the width and diameter as close as possible to the stock size which the Kumo matches exactly.

Now, the Kumo should not be as sticky as the stock tire as in the past I have seen this with cars but I have not been able to feel a deference with this tire However I recently made a quick stop and the back tire squealed before the ABS kicked in. This may have been the road condition (dusty) or the stickiness of the rubber but it was a non issues stopping wise. The front tires did all the work and the ABS did a fine job.
 
What's the weight difference between a stock tire with 2 belts and a car tire with 4? Personally I'm more concerned with keeping the weight down than with wear.

My brand new Toyo tire was lighter than my worn out Kenda. I have no explanation for this. It's just how it was. But I suspect that with all the R&D that goes into a performance tire these days, that is what made the difference. Unsprung weight is a critical factor.

I did not weigh my Falken so I can't say.
 
bob d.(as an insurance guru)---:bowdown::bowdown: in response to the concerns about an insurance company eating you up if they aren't oem tires and you have an accident, what's your answer to that?:popcorn:

For the typical accident that doesn't result in a death; they'd never have a clue if the bike even had tires on it! :D nojoke :roflblack:
 
WEIGHT CONCERNS

What's the weight difference between a stock tire with 2 belts and a car tire with 4? Personally I'm more concerned with keeping the weight down than with wear.

Always relieve yourself prior to riding your Spyder and this will not be of MAJOR CONCERN ......:hun:...:roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:....:gaah:....Mike
 
I am watching this thread fairly close. Good info to read so far...

My next rear tire may be another type/brand/etc.

I do believe alignment on my rear tire caused some of the "early" wear I experienced.

I also wondered if the rear tire alignment had anything to do with the "dreaded belt vibration" (at least to some degree) at higher speeds where I would experience it. Who knows...
 
I am watching this thread fairly close. Good info to read so far...

My next rear tire may be another type/brand/etc.

I do believe alignment on my rear tire caused some of the "early" wear I experienced.

I also wondered if the rear tire alignment had anything to do with the "dreaded belt vibration" (at least to some degree) at higher speeds where I would experience it. Who knows...

Without an aftermarket belt device you're going to get some vibration even if everything is right. If the belt is tracking correctly, then your rear tire is properly aligned.

Do your homework. Not every car tire that will fit the Spyder is a good choice.
 
What are Advanages of running Car tires vs Kandas tires ?

I have Bridgestone potenza tires on the front and a kumho esta on the rear. I have had excellent results with these tires. The fronts have about 20000 miles and show little wear. A fellow RT rider helped me evaluate these tires. He had input on the new Spyder sway bars and has has built front ends for race cars. We rode about 20 miles on a curvy road at a good speed to bring the tires up to operating tempt.
We did 3 tempt checks on each tire at left, right and center . His stock tires showed even as my tires. This shows proper inflation for our tires. The air tempt was 95. His stock tires showed temps on the check of 115 and my bridgestones 105. His stock tires were running 10 degrees hotter than my tires.
I took a solo tour to northern Calif. from Ga last july and and had temps in areas, such as South Dakota
exceed 104. Tires did great. Rode a vary of roads. In the last few years I have made this 8000 mile trip on 3 different bikes, Gold Wing ST1300 and the RT and felt less fatigue and safer on the RT.
Leaving Spyder fest this year we rode into heavy rain several times and near Jasper Alabama we hit the eye of the storm. We had heavy hail with sizes above marbles. I ended up riding on through the storm with the tires and nanny doing their job. Going to Spyder fest I used about a half gallon of gas less at each stop than my friend. Main difference in the setup of the 2 bikes was tires.
This is my choice and not everyones.
Jerry

Jerry

I'm putting Potenza's on the front this week for my RT. What tire pressure have you found works well?

Also, I didn't check... but do you know if the Potenza's have a directional tread?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
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