Car tires on a motorcycle?

[Labradaddy]

Originally Posted by phx11

I tried a car tire on my previous bike, It lasted 22,000 miles before it picked up a wood screw. I probably could have gotten at least another 3,000-5,000 miles out of it otherwise. It was a Dunlop SP5000 195/60/16. When it ate the screw, I replaced it with a motorcycle tire because I was planning on trading the bike or selling it, and I figured a car tire would make it harder to do that.

Riding on it was a little different than a bike tire, but it greatly increased my braking effectiveness because there was more rubber on the road. When riding in the rain, it threw a pretty decent rooster tail, too. I could ride the twisties with it just as aggressively as I could on a bike tire.

Would I recommend it? No -- Simply because a lot of people are freaked out by the concept of a car tire on a motorcycle. It's not for everyone. If you're considering it, do your own research and make an informed decision on your own.

I know of a lot of people running car tires, none on Harleys, though. I know of nobody that has crashed due to the car tire. This isn't a new concept, people have been doing it for decades. The people who say it's dangerous, can't be done, etc., are those who have never tried it.

Would I do it again? Hmmm, well probably not on my Harley because I don't want to risk voiding my warranty. My warranty was expired on my old bike when I mounted the car tire.

Just $.02 worth from someone who has been there and done that.

Not to completely re-hash the subject but I will say this.... It isn't about the money involved. Poor weather and pavement conditions are where you really see the advantages of the car tire. I have been doing this for years with zero problems.

I will not suggest anyone else do it but I will suggest that anyone who is interested in it should do the research and those who are automatically against the concept should do a little research as well.
Most people have no real idea what they are talking about when it comes to tires and tire dynamics. Uninformed opinions are just that, uninformed.

[secoleman57]

My thinking is an automotive tire is designed and the suspension tuned to keep the tread flat on the road. Just looking at the wear patterns on my bike's tires I'd be riding on the sidewall and not the tread a good part of the time.

Even some of the dark side have listed certain tires to avoid due to chance of explosion. I'm not so sure it has less to do with the actual tire than the warning given in the link below.

RMA: Tire Service Professionals

I can use pistol powder in my reloads for rifle cartridges given enough time I might even get the number of grains correct and save money due to that reduction. However, I might not come out of the first test in one piece.

I think I'll stick with tried and found to be true engineering.

[windy]

You Lucky Dog!

[Grunt]

It is interesting to me that the tire manufactures can not make a bike tire that gets similar mileage to a car tire at a reasonable price.

I understand bikes need a softer compound but my last rear only made it 3500 mile.

I tend to think the technology exists to make a 15 or 20 K tire but they are not produced in the interest of profit.

[secoleman57]

Originally Posted by Grunt

I tend to think the technology exists to make a 15 or 20 K tire but they are not produced in the interest of profit.

I know for a fact it does however, I don't know if a tire with that "hard" of a composition would be something I'd buy knowing the way I like to lean into a curve.

I don't even go with "high mileage tires" on my cars or truck generally because they give up some feature I want.

When I got my current bike in Sept I thought I'd be happy if I got 8K out of the tires. I'm at 3680 now and have no measurable tread loss. I really have no idea how long these tires will last generally it always seemed to me one day you had good tread and the next they where almost bald, I'll just have to see.

[Baldrick]

Originally Posted by Monzie

You must have different style tires over there Baldrick (mayhap it's the 'y'? ).

I think our tyres are the same as your tires - but maybe our Volvos aren't!

Road Test VolvoV70 T5

There's no doubt that 200bhp and upwards is a lot of power to be poured through the front wheels of a substantially proportioned estate. But Volvo was so confident that the V70 could handle that kind of thing that it introduced the high-performance 2.4T and T5 versions to the UK market before the more mundane diesels and so on.

It was actually 250BHP! Exit tread rubber - fast!

[Monzie]

Thank you Phx11 & Labradaddy - it's good to opinions from folks who has actually done this!

And Baldrick, I think you are correct that it is our Volvos that are different. Mine is 10 years old with almost 200K on the odometer ( that's miles, not kilometers ), not top of the line and certainly not a turbo! (it's bad enough I have a Volvo, but don't tell JPW, as he might want to recruit me to his yuppie club).

[XL1200R]

Originally Posted by Monzie

Thank you Phx11 & Labradaddy - it's good to opinions from folks who has actually done this!

And Baldrick, I think you are correct that it is our Volvos that are different. Mine is 10 years old with almost 200K on the odometer ( that's miles, not kilometers ), not top of the line and certainly not a turbo! (it's bad enough I have a Volvo, but don't tell JPW, as he might want to recruit me to his yuppie club).

Too late I read this!!

When you wanna join

[Monzie]

Originally Posted by XL1200R

Too late I read this!!

When you wanna join

[City Chicken]

The Dark Side concept is one that makes me really, really wish it would work. I am just not sure if I could ever get comfortable enough to try it. A 190-series all season car tire on the back of my bike making a large rooster tail in the rain would look radical!