Recommend me a Tyre

[Nelso]

Interesting re the Q2's. I have a voucher from CSS actually. If I buy some Q2s at EC they'll give me a free track day. $250 saved right there, or makes CSS half price, however you want to look at it.

I guess I should look into those as well. I had heard mixed reviews about them.

The grip of the Q2's is outstanding but they will wear faster than you are used to.

[Strika]

You aren't supposed to mix and match no... most tyre experts seem to think this is a very bad idea. The grippier rear on the Pure can overwhelm the front. If you must mix and match, you'd be better off with a stiffer rear such as a pilot road 2.

How many heat cycles have the tyres been through though? You might find even though the front looks good, it's cured pretty good by now and very hard. Age can be a factor too.

When I bought my bike it had some 6 year old pirelli's on it, brand new in terms of tread depth. Unfortunately they'd been curing the whole time and were as hard as a rock and gripped terrible. They had to go. (Not to mention the previous owner seemed to like rubbing tyre shine on em)

Jpaddo, just to clarify a couple of things.


1. You will lose the back before the front providing you are not on the brakes etc., Fact. go ask anyone who knows anything about how a bike works. Also, regardless of the grip levels, a grippier rear will not make the front wash. the front will grip just as it did previously. Nothing has changed there, only at the back.

2. A PR2 is a really bad combination with a Pilot Power, or a Pilot Pure. It knife edges the tyre when it's on it's side. The profiles do not compliment each other and you get like a steering notch, or ridge which fights the bike when leant over.

I would either go A straight pilot Pure fr and rr, or a set of PR3's which are excellent. My neighbour has them on his Spewzuki and I have ridden it. They grip as well as the PR2's do in the dry, but they grip way better in the wet. PR3's are a brilliant wet weather tyre.


As for life, I can't manage more than about 4k from a pure rear, I get 8-9k out of a PR2 rear.

[fireyrob]

Macadams

[z900/zx9]

I have been pretty happy with the metzler m5s certainly worth a look at them.I have a set of Q2s in the shed which will go on after the metzlers wear out but not expecting them to be as good in the wet.Its always horses for courses i ran metzller m3s for ages good tyre,got a little greasy on the sides if pushed on a really warm day but the feedback was smooth and controlled.I also ran a lot of dunlop roadsmarts which are great in the wet and also capable in the dry they outlasted the m3s but it was a bit more work tipping it in. With the M5s i felt an imediate difference in tip in and nuetrality in changing lines if i had to too avoid obsticals like cars ,bark at reefton of logging trucks etc.It would change even a couple of times mid corner with no fuss or effort.As for milege on these i cant tell you as the first one got bad puncture after 2000 ks.

[JPaddo]

1. You will lose the back before the front providing you are not on the brakes etc., Fact. go ask anyone who knows anything about how a bike works. Also, regardless of the grip levels, a grippier rear will not make the front wash. the front will grip just as it did previously. Nothing has changed there, only at the back.

Just something I quoted almost verbatim actually. From here: http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/tires.php

Here it is, for anyone that can't be bothered scanning.

But whatever you do, do not mix and match tires, particularly tires of differenc construction (radial vs. bias) and even tires of the same construction from two different manufacturers. You never know what handling result you will end up. We realize that sometimes you have to do what you have to do, and when out on the road getting a flat tire means you run whatever tire you can find. So at the very least, avoid at all costs putting on a stickier/grippier rear tire than the front tire. To do otherwise and you could easily find yourself in a situation where the traction of the rear tire overwhelms the traction of the front tire.

Happy to stand corrected, there is a lot of misinformation out there and it's a touchy subject.

[born green]

Mmmm thats why im keeping out of this one, but i only ever run same brand pair, whatever brand that may be, its called piece of mind!!

[Strika]

1. You will lose the back before the front providing you are not on the brakes etc., Fact. go ask anyone who knows anything about how a bike works. Also, regardless of the grip levels, a grippier rear will not make the front wash. the front will grip just as it did previously. Nothing has changed there, only at the back.

Just something I quoted almost verbatim actually. From here: http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/tires.php

Here it is, for anyone that can't be bothered scanning.

But whatever you do, do not mix and match tires, particularly tires of differenc construction (radial vs. bias) and even tires of the same construction from two different manufacturers. You never know what handling result you will end up. We realize that sometimes you have to do what you have to do, and when out on the road getting a flat tire means you run whatever tire you can find. So at the very least, avoid at all costs putting on a stickier/grippier rear tire than the front tire. To do otherwise and you could easily find yourself in a situation where the traction of the rear tire overwhelms the traction of the front tire.

Happy to stand corrected, there is a lot of misinformation out there and it's a touchy subject.

I wasn't disagreeing with you on that one mate. It's what I said in my post about the pure and the PR2 not working together. But, some mismatched tyres WILL work. I used to run a Racetech front with a M3 rear. They worked really well together and other tyres I have mismatched, often with differing brands, sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. You won't know till you try. The other factor is also the bike. What might work well on one model, may not on another. So while the Pure/PR2 combo didn't work on my bike, it might work on another model or make.

As for losing the front first, think about the forces you are putting through the chassis as you turn in. It all pivots around the front wheel. It's where the mass is mostly centralised. The rear can let go at race track speeds if you don't have a little throttle pushing the rear tyre down in addition to the cornering forces.

[born green]

Yep isnt that what happend to rossi, when he broke his leg? remember reading something about backing off the throttle, was more to it than just that, but he had just rolled off it? when it unloaded him.

[Vukie]

Thanks for all the help guys but i seem to be more confused then when i started I guess for me the choice has been narrowed down to:

Pilot Pure - Probably too 'race spec' for me dont think ill get the tyre longevity from this that im after
Pilot Power - Has anyone mentioned these? looks like a good option and from what i have read are a direct replacement to my curret spec BT14's that i was happy with
Pilot Power 2CT- Is this the same as the Pilot Power but just with softer edges? from the Michelin website its only the last 10% of the edge of the tyre thats the soft compound 99% of my riding i wont be on it so is this a waste?
Pilot Road 3 - not too sure what the difference is in compound between these and the PP 2CT but the softer rubber is available across more of the edge of the tyre so looks like a good option but are these tyres too touring focused and not really a sport tyre?

As guide of my ability or how hard i push my bike i lap EC at about 2min so not very fast at all, im the guy that is either passing everyone in the slow group or getting swammped in the slow-medium group

[JPaddo]

All good Strika it's obvious you know your stuff...

What's your theory re outgassing / heat cycles? Talking specifically about the perception that "tread = wear". I.e. saying a rear with no tread is more worn than the front with lots of tread left, when in actual fact both tyres have been through the same number of heat cycles, and have outgassed / hardened the same amount.

This isn't something that I'd ever even thought of until I bought the 12, because I'd always gone through tyres fairly rapidly. Turns out it had arrived with a set of 6 year old pirellis, good ones too, barely scrubbed in by the looks of them. In actual fact they were as hard as a rock and bloody dangerous, and I whipped em off first chance I got.

Referring back to the post re changing the rear after 2 years, and leaving the front because it has lots of tread left (which was a pilot power), would you say the tyre has already outgassed enough and you should ditch it anyway?

[JPaddo]

Thanks for all the help guys but i seem to be more confused then when i started

Don't ask what the best exhaust is

[born green]

I run pilot pure's on my roady ZX7R
Happy with them, mileage is not a concern for me tho.
Street tyres are desinged to go thru many heat cycles.
Tyres are a personal choice i think, there so many good choices these days, not like the 70's!!!

[loubre]

I'm running Michelin PR2's, good all round up here, good in the wet, heavier naked bike though, as lots have said it's really an individual thing.

[Nelso]

Thanks for all the help guys but i seem to be more confused then when i started I guess for me the choice has been narrowed down to:

Pilot Pure - Probably too 'race spec' for me dont think ill get the tyre longevity from this that im after
Pilot Power - Has anyone mentioned these? looks like a good option and from what i have read are a direct replacement to my curret spec BT14's that i was happy with
Pilot Power 2CT- Is this the same as the Pilot Power but just with softer edges? from the Michelin website its only the last 10% of the edge of the tyre thats the soft compound 99% of my riding i wont be on it so is this a waste?
Pilot Road 3 - not too sure what the difference is in compound between these and the PP 2CT but the softer rubber is available across more of the edge of the tyre so looks like a good option but are these tyres too touring focused and not really a sport tyre?

As guide of my ability or how hard i push my bike i lap EC at about 2min so not very fast at all, im the guy that is either passing everyone in the slow group or getting swammped in the slow-medium group

Pilot Road 3 would be your pick out of the list you put up. At your pace they will serve you well and last forever. If you were happy with BT14's, then BT016's would be another good option for you. Leanne gets over 6000k's out of the rears on her ZX10 but only about 4000 out of the front, but then again you would be tipping into corners at half her pace so I would predict you would get a bit more out of them. The advantage of the Bridgestones is that you can order them from Rockymountainatv.com for nearly half the price. Forget the Pilot Pures, Q2s, R10s etc as they are overkill for road use at 2min/lap at EC pace.

[stetto]

Will be on R10's this weekend for AFXC

Although looking at them I would not reccomend them for road use. The have one of the smallest/minimalist tread pattern know to man.

I avoid riding in the wet as much as possible
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