p_interceptor Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I need a new front tire. I have always used Michelin Pilot Road. The Pilot Road seams to be harder to get now, apparently replace in popularity by Pilot Road 2 and 3. Question, is there a problem mixing tires putting a Pilot Road 3 on the front and continuing to use Pilot Road on the rear until the rear wares out? Anyone have a recommendation, is 3 better the 2? My ride is a 2005 R1200RT. Â Link to comment
russell_bynum Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Officially, the recommendation is to always go with matched tires. That said...I ran mismatched tires a few times. My RT wore out rear tires about 2x faster than front tires. A few times, I wasn't able to get the same tire, so I went with something else for the rear and then bought a matching front later when my original front wore out. I did not have any issues doing that. Link to comment
markgoodrich Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I use PR2 on the rear, and Pilot Power 2CT on the front, and like it a lot better than the front PR2. Whip suggested this configuration. The front PR2's hard center creates a "ridge" which makes it more difficult to turn in as the tire wears. The Power hasn't done that, at least not in about 6000 miles; it's wearing faster than a PR2 would, but I'm happier with the handling. Doesn't keep the rear from wearing out faster, though.... Link to comment
malcolmblalock Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I've run mismatched (brands) tires several times with no issue. However, I need to provide this caveat--I am not a really hard rider, particularly in the curves. I do okay, but don't touch footpegs in my curves. For a hard rider, it may make a difference... Link to comment
VTBeemer Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I have always used the same tire front and back, but got in a jam last Summer on a 2 month cross country trip. Could not find a PR2 front tire anywhere and put a Metzler Z6 in the front with a PR2 in the back. No problem. Researched it and 90% of the feedback was do not worry about it. Only removing it next week to replace with matched PR2s. Found many others like Mark Goodrich mix and match for their own fine tuning. Link to comment
Jaguar Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 For those of us not racing at break neck speeds, mixing tires is a non issue. Although some swear by matching rubber, most riders, including myself have mixed tires without an issue. Link to comment
cruisin Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 For those of us not racing at break neck speeds, mixing tires is a non issue. Although some swear by matching rubber, most riders, including myself have mixed tires without an issue. ditto Link to comment
BerndM Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 When I bought my 05 R1200RT from the local BMW dealer, they had just installed a new Michelin PR-2 on the rear. I was coming off an 06 R1200GS, so I expected a different riding sensation and but was NOT expecting the bike to feel squirrely. Long story short---the new PR-2 in the rear, DID NOT get along with the standard PR in the front. Michelin confirmed this to me in a response to an email I sent them inquiring about this combination and the squirrely sensation I was experiencing. The dealer did not hesitate to provide me with a new PR-2 for the front for only the labor charge. NICE!! Made a HUGE difference in the ride. Perfect now. Based on this one experience, I would never again mix tires on any bike I own. Regards Bernd Link to comment
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