Quote:
Originally Posted by Easy Rider  OK, fair enough. I wasn't aware that the discussion was about performance rated cage tires.
What you say about the reasons for faster wear on bike tires is absolutely true. It is also true that, compared to the average cage tire, the compound used for bike tires is softer. Compared to some cage tires, it is a LOT softer.
So, lets compare apples to apples. I contend that of tires in the same general class, the bike tire will always have a softer compound. I have no proof of that, just a gut feeling and 40 years of experience.
YMMV  |
Well, lets see. I thought we were talking about the car tires people are using on their heavy cruiser and touring bikes. From what I have read many of these riders use and recommend ultra high performance tires with the exception of the Goodyear Triple Tread. This is a very popular tire for some reason even though it has a very high wear rating and a very square profile. It would not be my first choice but many people say it performs well and even though it seem like a poor choice to me I have no reason to doubt the people with direct experience running it. Sure, there are some that would put on anything that would fit, but as a general rule the people that are running car tires and report the best performance and handling are using high performance tires, so that is what I used for my example. Once again, in my example, my bike tire had a 30% harder rubber compound than my car tire. But lets do a more general comparison. I found a site that tested eight brands of 60,000 mile car tires and determined that they all had durometer ratings of around 65. I think anyone would agree that 60,000 mile rated tires are at the upper end of wear ratings for car tires in general. I also found some durometer numbers on several popular street motorcycle tires, such as Dunlop E3 and Metzler 880 tires that show pretty consistent durometer ratings of around 72. I think this is a pretty fair "apples to apples" comparison of the same general class of tires.
To take it a little further the high performance Dunlop D207 has a durometer number of 57 and Avon Super Venom has a durometer number of 61. My Dunlop SP 5000 I used in my example has a durometer number of 50, but with a wear rating of 340 it is by no means the softest street car tire out there. Many high performance street tires like the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 that have durometer numbers in the low 40s.
So, in comparing apples to apples, I contend that of tires in the same general class, the bike tire will almost always have a HARDER compound. I don't need to rely on my gut feelings or years of experience as the facts are readily available to anyone willing to spend a few minutes on Google to research the facts. Anyone can choose to confirm or refute my contention, or just ignore it and continue on with their beliefs. I think facts speak for themselves.
Take Care