Highest Milaeage Tires for 1200RT

[Snoopy182]

I know there are a lot of opinions on tires, but since I just got an RT I would like to know what everyone thinks is a good high mileage tire.

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Snoopy

 

You ride on different roads at different lean angles with different speeds than I do so what gives me the highest tire mileage might give you the worst tire mileage.

 

Also what is good tire mileage to you? To me it is anything over 5,000 miles, maybe to you & your riding style that is poor tire mileage (it's all relative).

 

You also need to define what you want give up in ride quality or handling to get better tire wear.

 

Tires are usually trade off in tire wear vs longevity vs handling.

 

If I were to pick a tire based ONLY on long life it would a radial car tire that would fit my rim & clear the bike parts. But that would be a very bad handling tire with lots of potential issues.

 

The ME 880 seems to give some riders longer tire life but I tried them & hated the handling & wet weather high speed tracking.

 

[marcopolo]

You'll find that Michelin Pilot Road 2s -- and now the Pilot Road 3s -- are very popular among RT riders, in part because of their long life.

[Albert]

I've run Continental, Bridgestone and Michelin (both PR2 and PR3) on my RT. The Michelin's have given me the highest mileage (nearly 10k which was outstanding for me). As DR said your mileage may vary.

[BerndM]

My RT now has over 12000 miles on a set of PR2's!!!

From the looks of them, I would guesstimate I can easily get another 4-5K out of them.

Fantastic!

[Bob_Minor]

I'm on my first set of PR2's and they're definitely on their second half of life. Can anyone comment on how these wear when they're close to the wear bars? Some tires seem to last forever at the end (i.e. the original PR's) and others (Z6's come to mind) seem to vaparoize near the end and don't give much warning. So what should I expect with PR2's?

[Rougarou]

Bob, I think the PR2's wear smoothly throughout their cycle. I ran both of my last sets of PR2's to the cords. I'm kinda bad on tire maintenance , but I did get 14,000 and 12,000 out of both sets.

[Shiny Side Up]

You'll find that Michelin Pilot Road 2s -- and now the Pilot Road 3s -- are very popular among RT riders, in part because of their long life.

 

+100

[RTJohn]

Hey Snoopy. I've got PR3's on my RT. 8k on them so far and doing well. I'll probably get 11k to 12k out of them. Same as the Metzelers that it came with. I really don't notice much difference between the two. They're both good.

[litigator]

PR, PR2, Z6, B023, whatever. 6,500 miles and baby needs new sneakers.

[moshe_levy]

This, as has been said, is like comparing insurance. It varies greatly by region (asphalt compound), riding style, and many other variables.

 

For me an average set of tires commuting here in NJ gives me 12-13k, minimum. On my trip out west, they lasted 7k before cord was showing. A huge difference!

 

That said in my experience (which is mainly Metzeler and Michelin) Metz 880 is BY FAR the longest lasting tire. The downside of course is grip and a concrete-truck type ride, but if you want tires that wear like iron as the #1 factor, them's the ones. I got almost 20k out of a set of them, commuting here in Jersey. Nothing else I've ever tried comes close - but I would not buy them again because I would rather sacrifice some life for grip and feel, and cushier ride. Tradeoffs!

 

-MKL

[Whip]

I would not buy them again because I would rather sacrifice some life for grip and feel

 

 

 

 

We gotta stop agreeing, it will ruin our friendship.

 

 

 

[moshe_levy]

[Rob L]

Metz 880 is BY FAR the longest lasting tire. The downside of course is grip and a concrete-truck type ride, but if you want tires that wear like iron as the #1 factor, them's the ones. I got almost 20k out of a set of them, commuting here in Jersey. Nothing else I've ever tried comes close - but I would not buy them again because I would rather sacrifice some life for grip and feel, and cushier ride. Tradeoffs!

 

-MKL

 

Problem is, they don't make a 180 or 190 Metzler 880 for the rear.

I, as always, have travelled a different path. I use Shinko 09 Ravens on my bike. I am on my second set. I have tried PR2s, Roadsmarts, Pirellis, Z6s. They are all great tires except for the Pirellis......never again!

The Shinkos wear a lot like the 880s and ride about the same too. They cost $168 for the pair delivered to my door.

[Rob L]

BTW Here is where I buy

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/cart.do

[Dave_in_TX]

Afternoon Snoopy

 

You ride on different roads at different lean angles with different speeds than I do so what gives me the highest tire mileage might give you the worst tire mileage.

 

Also what is good tire mileage to you? To me it is anything over 5,000 miles, maybe to you & your riding style that is poor tire mileage (it's all relative).

 

You also need to define what you want give up in ride quality or handling to get better tire wear.

 

Tires are usually trade off in tire wear vs longevity vs handling.

 

If I were to pick a tire based ONLY on long life it would a radial car tire that would fit my rim & clear the bike parts. But that would be a very bad handling tire with lots of potential issues.

 

The ME 880 seems to give some riders longer tire life but I tried them & hated the handling & wet weather high speed tracking.

 

I'm a fan of using an ME880 on the rear. I pair that up with a Z6 on the front; going through several sets on my previous 07 RT. I've also run Pilot Roads (original PRs and PR2s). For me, the Z6/ME880 combination provided handling and wet weather performance about equal to the Pilot Roads. The benefit of using an ME880 was that instead of the 5k miles the Pilot Road rear provided, the ME880 was good for 10-12k miles. But, as DirtRder implied, YMMV.

[Dave_in_TX]

Metz 880 is BY FAR the longest lasting tire. The downside of course is grip and a concrete-truck type ride, but if you want tires that wear like iron as the #1 factor, them's the ones. I got almost 20k out of a set of them, commuting here in Jersey. Nothing else I've ever tried comes close - but I would not buy them again because I would rather sacrifice some life for grip and feel, and cushier ride. Tradeoffs!

 

-MKL

 

Problem is, they don't make a 180 or 190 Metzler 880 for the rear.

I, as always, have travelled a different path. I use Shinko 09 Ravens on my bike. I am on my second set. I have tried PR2s, Roadsmarts, Pirellis, Z6s. They are all great tires except for the Pirellis......never again!

The Shinkos wear a lot like the 880s and ride about the same too. They cost $168 for the pair delivered to my door.

 

Yes, they don't make a 180 Metzeler 880 but the 170/60 works vwry well on the rear as a replacement for a 180/55. I dont't understand the comment about concrete truck like ride. My experience with ME880s on an RT is restricted to use on the rear but grip has been fine and the ride has been equal or better than Pilot Roads.

[myshkin]

The Z6 has given me a bit over 14000 miles on the last two sets of tires on my RT. I tried the 880's and had the same results. What I don't like about the 880's is that when they are cold they are a bit slippery and their wet weather performance is also not as good as the Z6. I never noted any harshness in the ride. I think the suggestion of a Z6/880 combo is a good idea as long as you take it easy when the tires are cold and/or it is wet. IMO the two biggest factors affecting mileage are finding the right tire pressure and being smooth braking and accelerating.

[DiggerJim]

I'm on my first set of PR2's and they're definitely on their second half of life. Can anyone comment on how these wear when they're close to the wear bars? Some tires seem to last forever at the end (i.e. the original PR's) and others (Z6's come to mind) seem to vaparoize near the end and don't give much warning. So what should I expect with PR2's?

I just burned a set of PR2s. They lasted about 14K miles and before my last trip (about 1500 miles over a 3 day weekend so no really big mile days to beat up on them) they looked like they still had 20% left...after I got back the front had an extremely pronounced shoulder with a wide flat strip in the middle - looked like I wore the sides off. Swapped them out for a new set of PR3s I had waiting for the end of the summer. I keep them inflated a couple/three pounds higher than the bike book says - firmer ride but longer life.

 

Used to run Metzler 880s and didn't mind the ride quality but the grip of the PR2s and PR3s in the rain is noticeably better. The 880s were good for 20K although I was pushing them the last 1000 miles or so.