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Tourer
Posts: 395
Moravia, IA | I just replaced my Bridgestone G019 Grid 185/55-16.....and it had decent wear left but I was doing brakes, front tire etc so I did it on principal.
I LOVED the Bridgestone.....this is what she looked like after 23K miles.....I think I could have seen damn near 30K on it if I wanted to run it to the wear bars. It wore almost perfectly even....great tire.
But alas it was not to be, apparently Bridgestone has discontinued the G019 Grid in 185/55-16.....and I run a hitch as well as being tubby.....so a 195 wont work. I didnt like any of the other offerings in the 185/55 so on the advice of another poster here I looked at 175/60 sized tires. Again, small selection but I found a Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max.....great wear rating so I bought it. It was a little pricey at $154 shipped vs the Bridgestone was $105 local....but hey, beats the hell out of chewing up an E3 in 8K miles at $175. I measured out some of my high dollar balance beads.....that would be airsoft pellets from Walmart. Ive balanced tons of tires and Im still on my $8 tub.....and its still got half left or more. If your interested in what they look like after being used - this is the beads after 23K in that Bridgestone......still in tact. In fact I reuse the ones from the front tires usually once or twice before I replaced them. 
New tire mounted up....seems like there is MORE clearence for the hitch and so far it rides great. I actually like the feel of it BETTER then the Bridgestone.....but time will tell. First run is at 40psi and it seems great - I doubt I change it.  |
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Tourer
Posts: 337
san antonio, tx | I'm really considering doing this when I need a new tire. The only thing you said that sort of concerned me though is the wear rating comment. If I'm not mistaken, wear rating directly correlates to grip. The lower the wear rating, the better the grip, generally.
If I do go darkside, I think I'll be looking at the lowest wear rating. It'll still be 10s of thousands of miles more than the E3. |
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Tourer
Posts: 395
Moravia, IA | cchristo - 2011-10-29 7:05 PM
I'm really considering doing this when I need a new tire. The only thing you said that sort of concerned me though is the wear rating comment. If I'm not mistaken, wear rating directly correlates to grip. The lower the wear rating, the better the grip, generally.
If I do go darkside, I think I'll be looking at the lowest wear rating. It'll still be 10s of thousands of miles more than the E3.
Actually when your looking at tires look for the UTGC ratings.
Some info:
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG) were originated to provide consumers with useful information to help them purchase tires based on their relative treadwear, traction and temperature capabilities.
The Goodyear Fuel Max Assurance is rated at:
580 A A
The first number is treadwear.....and it means that it lasted 5.8 times longer then the standard "test" tire. A 100 rating means it would last as long. The next number is traction....graded AA, A, B and C (very few tires get an AA rating). The third is temperature - rated A, B or C.
A quick check of car tires sized 195/55-16 (the most common size if your NOT running a hitch) shows a few of the Kumho tires rated at AA.....a Continental and a Bridgestone.
I was previously running the Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grid....it was rated at 460 A A.
I definitely wouldnt buy anything B rated......but even most ultra high performance tires are only rated an A so I dont shy away from a "mere" A rating.
www.tirerack.com
Thats where I get all the info and do my tire buying....super quick shipping. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | Living in the Pacific Northwest - we actually have to go around curves, so a truck tire like that would frighten the Hell out of me. I'll keep the debate alive by saying "WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? DON'T YOU WANT TO LIVE?"
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Tourer
Posts: 395
Moravia, IA | donetracey - 2011-10-30 1:21 AM
Living in the Pacific Northwest - we actually have to go around curves, so a truck tire like that would frighten the Hell out of me. I'll keep the debate alive by saying "WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? DON'T YOU WANT TO LIVE?"
Im surprised it took this long........along come the doubters......
We have corners to....plenty of them.....the bike with car tires leans and grips just fine.....hard parts scraping on the ground is as far over as you can go anyways.....and the car tire does it just fine.� Ive got 60K+ miles on car tires on bikes with ZERO trouble.
Low speed.....no problem....here is a video of me doing tight circles in a parking lot for practice.....you can clearly see the car tire on the back. http://youtu.be/FwdgdqkpR2Q But hey....dont let my evidence get in your way.....lol.
......and if you find a truck that takes a small, low profile tires like this Id probably stay away....lol.....it wouldnt be much of a truck.
Edited by aaronrkelly 2011-10-30 1:50 AM
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Cruiser
Posts: 185
Rhode Island | After reading this I looked at the specs and it was designed for a 5" rim also; so far I'm happy with the Dunlop but it is good to hear of more options. Look forward to hearing how you like this after 7-8k miles.
Jim |
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Tourer
Posts: 395
Moravia, IA | RhodeTrip - 2011-10-30 6:35 AM
After reading this I looked at the specs and it was designed for a 5" rim also; so far I'm happy with the Dunlop but it is good to hear of more options. Look forward to hearing how you like this after 7-8k miles.
Jim
Yeah I noticed that right before I bought it as well......and it did mount up easier then the Grid.....and I wonder if that isnt partially the reason. Overall the tire just seemed "softer" as well. I definitely prefer the 175/60 size vs the 185/55......but the selection on either just isnt that great.
I rode home in the rain on it this morning.....it didnt have even 100 miles on it but it behaved just fine. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 185
Rhode Island | My tire sat in a cold garage overnight and all but a 1" section set at about 45psi; the wrench brought it to 55psi and let it sit while I put a quick coat of wax on the rim. Didn't even need 5 minutes and it popped in the last section. If the tire had been warm my guess is it would have all set at the 45psi.
Jim |
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Cruiser
Posts: 79
Michigan | Hmmmm. I have never heard of people doing this but from all of the videos I just watched a lot of people are. I will just stick with my M/C tires for now but this certainly makes me think about how this would feel. |
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Tourer
Posts: 395
Moravia, IA | RhodeTrip - 2011-10-30 5:19 PM
My tire sat in a cold garage overnight and all but a 1" section set at about 45psi; the wrench brought it to 55psi and let it sit while I put a quick coat of wax on the rim. Didn't even need 5 minutes and it popped in the last section. If the tire had been warm my guess is it would have all set at the 45psi.
Jim
My first tire seated fairly hard (the G019 Grid). It set in the sun for an hour.....we lubed the poo out of it.....in the end we just put the ol' air to her till she gave. Worked.....but we puckered a bit.
This one seated all but a small section right off.....we shot some cable lube on the rim and I beat the tire with a plastic hammer while he hit it with air and she popped right on for the most part.
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Tourer
Posts: 337
san antonio, tx | aaronrkelly - 2011-10-30 12:12 AM
cchristo - 2011-10-29 7:05 PM
.....snip...
If I do go darkside, I think I'll be looking at the lowest wear rating. It'll still be 10s of thousands of miles more than the E3.
Actually when your looking at tires look for the UTGC ratings.
...snip....
Yes, you are correct, but....
The traction rating only indicates straight line braking efficiency on a wet road surface. It does not indicate how many G's it can handle in a turn, how well it will resist slipping on accelaration or how well it will resist skidding during braking on dry pavement. Because of this, I thinks it's more a function of how well the tread pattern channels water. It really has very little to do with how well the tread compound grips dry pavement.
Wet traction is obviously very important and the higher the rating the better. Still, a lower wear rating usually correlates to a softer, stickier tread compound resulting in better road grip. Even in wet situations that are below the threshold of hydroplaning.
The tread pattern has no purpose on dry pavement. It actually reduces traction because there is less compound meeting the road. Everything is a matter of trade offs. Ideally, for best all around safety and handling, I think a high traction rating coupled with a lower wear rating is going to give you the best all around compromise. The result will be a reduction in the miles you get on the tire, but it's still going to be a lot more than you'll get on a motorcycle tire. |
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new darkside tire option - Goodyear Fuel Max Assurance