New tyres

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phuk72
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Post by phuk72 » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:45 am

O I C :oops:
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burty
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Post by burty » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:57 pm

Ask this question on any forum and you will get at least a half a dozen different tyre recommendations.

Personally I'm currently running Michelin Pilot Roads. In a recent UK mag test (not sure which one) they found that many riders actually preferred the road based tyre in preference to the sport. Pilot Roads came out better than the Pilot Sports and a similar result was found with other manufacturers (Bridgestone I think).

My biggest concern with more sporty tyres is that sometimes they need more heat to work properly, hence they can misbehave in the cold. That said, the Pilot roads are rock hard, which doesn't help confidence either. My front tyre is at least 12000 miles old and still has legal wear left, although it's worn to a triangular profile, so it's got to go anyway. Sometimes I think something softer would be better overall.

Triton

Post by Triton » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:03 am

I agree with phuk when he said almost any modern tyre is good enough. For weekend and commuting work I'd be tempted to try Bridgestone BT020s in 120/70 and 160/60 sizes which are readily available. They're a good all round sport touring tyre. The Diablos are also a great tyre but the rear Bridgestone 020 has much deeper (about 2mm) tread grooves in the rear tyre so it stays legal in the eyes of the law for longer than average and its construction is specifically design for higher than average mileage.

The only issue is do not try to go too fast on the track at track days - the ultimate level of grip is not up to Diablo Corsa or BT12/BT12SS standards but is pretty close to the standard Diablo. A happy compromise is to use a stickier front than back - the BT12F with the BT020R or the Diablo CorsaF with the DiabloR. Good luck and keep it rubber side down! :D

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Post by HansJ » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:40 am

Agree, but the tyre development has taken giant leaps the last years. The disadvantages with the sportier tyres have decreased. I have Metzler Sportec M3, and they are grippy enough for trackdays, warm up fast, good grip in the wet and cold, and they seem to last very well. I did more than 8000 kms on them last year, including more than 5 trackdays, and they are still legal. (Admittedly not the fastest TRX around the track, but still...) Compared to the M1s, mileage has improved with about 50 % for me...
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phuk72
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Post by phuk72 » Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:18 am

My front tyre is at least 12000 miles old and still has legal wear left
Kin ell :shock:

The other thing to bear in mind is that softer tyres (aimed at fast road / track days) have a more aggressive profile which makes them appear more pointy. This has the effect of greater grip at lean angles but also can make them a bit twitchy on the road.

Personally, I love Metzler Rennsports (and Pirelli Super Corsa Pro - same tyre) but would not recommend them for all year riding.
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Post by burty » Mon Jan 08, 2007 3:37 pm

I used to like Bridgestone 020s until I tried Metzeler Z6s. Better in every aspect IMHO , particularly cold weather performance, where Bridgestones can be a bit scary when it's close to freezing.

Diablos are great too, but softer - makes you feel like a hero.

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