Why the heck do motorcycle tires wear out so fast, compared to car tires?
And what are the 3 primary things we need to be alert to regarding our motorcycle tires?
Check out this 2 minute video on the difference between car and motorbike tires…
Motorcycle Tires vs. Car Tires
by: MCgComments
15 Responses to “Motorcycle Tires vs. Car Tires”Leave a Reply
Twisted Grip Personality Test
I liked your video on tires. Here’s what I do–Check your tire pressure before every single ride. Sounds like a pain in the butt, however, you can get a set of tire pressure monitors which will give you an instantaneous readout of the pressures in each tire. The monitor will also give you an alert if your tire pressures are to low or too high. Costs around $200, but worth it. I also change tires at 10,000 miles, no matter what. MSF recommends it and I concur.
When I got my 2008 Road King, the dealer had a “carrot” that he dangled in front of me–free tires- for life! So far, he’s been true to his word.
Referring to Biggz’s comment above: It is good practice to always start out slow on a bike after any change to brakes, tires, engine mods, suspension or anything really. Learn the changed handling and learn how to use the front brake which is way more effective than the back…regardless of the tire size. A high percentage of bike accidents happen to first time riders, riders on new or different bikes and after changes have been made to the bike that they have been riding. Like different tires. You’ll notice even in a car the handling difference from old tires to new ones even if the same brand and model of tire. Also. slow down before you need to and survive to ride longer. Good luck.
Always interesting when I check what folks are saying about car tires on a cycle.
Just the facts on my experience: On my second car tire on my Valkyrie Interstate. Running a high speed rated 205/55 16. Did lots of research and read some very detailed articles from some who went to the “dark side” before me. I was tired of only 7k between tires on the back. Mostly ride double (wife/V.P) and frequently tote a trailer. The weight, power, and such certainly contribute to my tire mileage issues. I respect the bike, never abuse it, but hey, if I was satisfied with a minivan leaving the light faster than me I’d not be riding a 6 cylinder cruiser that still garners admiring glances everywhere I go. Even the hog riders drool a little. I think it’s the chrome. Could be genetics but I’ll quickly claim that’s a joke, lest they pick their knuckles off the ground and thrash me.
Kidding!!.
I keep the rear tire at 46 psi for best handling and have no problem scraping pegs. Understand, I’ve been riding for 54 years with loads of off-road and some racing of many types, mostly off road, under my belt. I’m a very experienced rider who is, nonetheless, intimately acquainted with the laws of physics. Age will do that if school doesn’t.
A high speed, high quality tire is recommended with mirrored tread patterns and lots of rubber on the side treads, which you’ll be riding on through those twisties. Only difference in handling I’ve notices is that you have to tell it to turn rather than just lean. It doesn’t fight me. I have no problems at slow speed turns. OK, it does react more to road irregularities. Minor trade offs to double the mileage and half the price. That’s right, I now get about 14K before it needs changing. Power to weight ratios and more aggressive driving than I’d do in my family car is the culprit, both of which is why I bought the bike in the first place. Zoom Zoom!! The current ride is now respectfully broken in at 52K but showing no signs of age or performance issues. Heck, it’s likely good for as many and likely more miles than my other American made vehicle by Chrysler.
Do your homework and read lots but take the critics with a grain of salt. Those of us with the proper bike (less suitable on say the 1400 Kawasaki OMG crotch rocket my brother currently pilots with a car tire but he’s always been crazy….. and lucky, too. He also has a sidecar. I’ll never go back…. not with THIS bike. It’s too much hassle AND cost to change that rear tire every 7K. Only modification I had to do was with the mounting bolts on the fender.
It can be a challenge to find a dealer that will mount the tire for you. I buy it from a car tire place and have a particular cycle dealer who will mount it for me.
Just the news from one well seasoned and well reasoned warrior road warrior.
Thank you MC-G.
Good point, you scored from 3.
Antonio
Hello Luis, I have ridden the CamAm Spyder, but I have not owned one. Since that is a 3-wheeler, with one-wheel on the back and two in the front, I can’t offer much personal experience in terms of tires. I would check with CanAm on what tires they recommend.
Oops. Ignore the last sentence. Doing two things at once.
My question is whether the advice about the difference between motorcycle tires and car tires applies to Can-Am Spyders, apart from the presumably softer tires.
I ride a Can-Am Spyder. The rear tire is a Kenda 225/50R15 68H. This is supposed to be a 150.00 tire. There are other brands that are the same size but have higher ratings for weight and speed and cost less. Do your distributors sell this tire for less than BRP?
Guys, while Car Tires are not designed for use on motorcycles, they can work and they work well. This not speculation. It’s based on seat-of-the-pants experience.
I have logged over 80k miles on 2 Honda GL1800 Goldwings in the last 3 years using several different brands of run-flat car tires. They do everything a motto tire does as well or better. For those who say they won’t let the bike turn properly, most of those miles were logged in the twisties of N. Ga., Tn. and N.C on dry and wet roads, in the heat of summer and the feezing temperatures of Winter.
There are currently over 300 owners of 1800s who run CTs and love them. Read their experiences on the “Darksider” forum at gl1800riders.com.
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Unless your trying to go drag-bike racing, don’t use car tires for rear wheels.
What’s funny is that I just got out of the hospital (broken ankle both legs) not a day ago because I just HAD to be persuaded by my cousin Faris to use 150/40 (I Think) Yokohama tires for my Yamaha Scorpio’s rear wheel, the argument was that since it’s made for a race car, it would be just fine… Yeah right.
Just after installing the wheel I tried it on the tracks near the garage, on the straights it was amazing, really fast acceleration, by the time I have to brake though, The rear breaks couldn’t do a thing, I don’t think I even slowed down, as I smashed into the guard-rail on the bend, the next thing I know I was looking at the sky from a ditch, peaceful, until the pain kicks-in that is.
Sorry if I’m ranting but i needed to get it off my chest, frankly I hope that if this story is read then people please, just stick to motorcycle tires to motorcycles, and car tires to cars. even with a full riding gear I manage to broke both my ankles, fractured my legs and I thinks I heard the doctor said I’am lucky I didn’t brake my spine.
Thanks for the Info MC-G, just wished I seen this video before listening to one of my cousin’s “it should be fine, what’s the worse that could happen”.
I’m still not allowed to ride any bike until June, even-though my Scorpio is fixed an upgraded.
thank you so much for the information. It is very useful
With a 185/65-16 auto tire on the rear of my Boulevard C90 I’ve noticed after experimenting a bit, as soon as the tire presure is below 28 psi it feels just like a totaly empty motorcycle tire.
Braking on wet pavement with the bikes recomended presure while only using the rear brake (just testing, not a habit) is a lot harder to get it to lock, while is easyer to make a burnout.
I will post again results after a two months or one fall(whatever comes first)
Hi John,
Thanks for your comment. I wrote to Goodyear for more info and have included the response I received a little further below.
Upon further emails, it was clarified that as a blanket statement, not “ALL” motorcycle tires are made of softer tread compounds when compared to “ALL” automotive tires. He went on to say that “in some specific comparisons, this may be true, however other comparisons could prove this statement to be false.”
Anyway, below is the response from Paul Appleby at Goodyear which outlines the details:
“Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your motorcycle tire questions. Regarding your car tire to motorcycle tire comparison, we must first make sure that we are comparing apples to apples. When you think of it, the vast majority of motorcycles are high performance vehicles compared to most cars. Consider that you rarely see a motorcycle with less than ”H” speed-rated tires. By comparison, the vast majority of cars ride on non-speed-rated tires or very low speed rated tires. Power-to-weight ratio and speed are big factors in respect to tire wear.
“Unfortunately, when many people compare mileage, they do so with a family sedan and a much higher performance motorcycle. Another significant factor in this comparison is the size of the tire’s contact footprint. In the case of a car, the footprint is much larger and there are four, not two tires contacting the pavement. You must keep in mind that virtually the entire width of the relatively flat tread of a car is in contact with the road all of the time. A car remains upright, even when cornering. This results in a much smaller contact footprint for a motorcycle tire. High power-to-weight ratio, speed, size of footprint and other aspects explain why motorcycle tires tend wear out quicker than car tires.
“If you were to compare a motorcycle tire against a high-performance car tire, for a Porsche as an example, this would allow for a much closer comparison. The power-to-weight ratio and speeds are closer even while allowing for the much larger contact patch times four (x 4). Tires fitted to these types of vehicles generally provide 10,000 – 20,000 miles of service before wear out, much like a motorcycle tire. Throw in the fact that motorcycle tires can not be rotated and you’ll soon see that motorcycle tires do a yeoman’s job of delivering both performance, mileage and safety. To obtain the best mileage from your motorcycle tires, observe the following guidelines: obey the speed limit; avoid quick acceleration and hard braking; maintain recommended tire pressures; and do not overload your bike or tow a trailer.”
Paul Appleby/NA/GDYR
http://www.goodyear.com/
Your info is incorrect. Motorcycle tires use a harder compound of rubber, that degrades faster than car tires. Tire pressure and tread wear check should be part of your PRE-ride check.
You’re welcome, Ron! MCG
Thank you very much for the tid-bit on the tires for motorcylces.
Ron