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Originally Posted by RowdyRed94  Again with the drama. Let's leave "beliefs" out of the discussion, eh? They're not relevant in a scientific discussion, and you'll be more credible without the attitude.
So, I've always been under the impression that treadwear ratings were left to the prerogative of the manufacturer. Is that correct? If so, durometer testing provides more usable data. I'm still curious how these readings are made, and whether there's any bias in the testing. It goes against reason that a tire you state is softer than a motorcycle tire actually lasts so much longer. Doesn't that strike you as odd, especially since the car tires tend to have much smaller tread blocks? |
Have you read what is being said in this thread? I think beliefs are THE issue. If someone makes a definitive statement, based admittedly on no other information than a gut feeling, and chooses to ignore empirical data otherwise, then they are by definition expressing a "belief". What do you find so provocative in that statement?
For your questions, durometer readings are made with a "scientific" instrument, i.e., a durometer. You hold the durometer against a rubber object as it plunges a pin into the object. A reading is obtained based on the depth of the penetration. I'm not sure bias comes into play as a durometer is a machine and the reading is what it is.
The fact that a softer car tire outlasts a harder bike tire is well within reason. Bike tires by their nature have a very small contact patch compared to a car tire. At any given time this contact patch may be several to many times larger on the car tire. The relative pressure on the small contact patch will much higher than the large contact patch. Over time the larger contact patch will run many miles longer that the small contact patch, even if it is a softer compound. That is simply the reason motorcycle tires wear out so quickly compared to a car tire. A car produces a much higher load on its tires than a bike and the car tire still lasts much longer on a car that a bike tire on a bike I guess some car tire have smaller tread blocks, but it has many more of them in contact with the road at any given time than a bike tire.