After Market Tires

[JonKerr]

I looked around and couldn't find any threads about tires specifically. I still have plenty of life left in the stock tires and I'm pretty happy with them to this point. But I really want to do a wider rear tire when I do need to replace tires. It looks like most of the "true sport bikes" i.e. R6, R1 etc... all come with either a 190/55/17 or a 180/55/17 tire. We have a 160/60/17 tire. So I have two questions.

1. I'm not completely clear on the way tires are sized and what exactly is being measured. 17 is obviously the wheel diameter. I know the 180 is the width and I believe the combination of 180/55 is some combination of the width and the side wall height. But where and what exactly are they measuring? And what units are they measuring in? Is it 180mm?

2. What's the widest tire you can run on our bike without some modification? I'd like to run the same size tire the R6 comes with. Not only does it look better to have slightly wider tire in the back but It seems like it must handle better. (I looked at the rear tire on a friends Ninja 250 that she just bought and laughed my ass off at how narrow it was. Looks narrower than my front. )

3. (OK I guess I have 3 questions) What brand and model tire has anyone switched to if any? I've read a number of articles about how our OEM tires are the best out there For An OEM Tire which tells me that most aftermarket tires are probably going to be considerably better.

I know in the mountain bike world, if you buy a complete bike from a bike shop, i.e. not build one up yourself from the components you choose, the tires generally leave a lot to be desired and there are a lot more options out there. I'm assuming it's a similar situation with motorcycles but I may be completely wrong.

 

[toastmaster]

To address your first question, yes, "17" refers to the diameter of the wheel, not the tire itself. 180 is the width of the tire in mm. 55 is the sidewall height ratio with respect to the width, so the sidewall height is really 180mm * 0.55 = 99mm.

I'm new to this bike, so I don't really know too much about our tire options. Width of a tire is really constrained by the wheel; if the tire is too wide, it'll pinch and cause safety issues.

Personally, I really wouldn't stray too much from the stock tire size. If you change the overall circumference of the tire, it'll affect things like odometer/speedo accuracy, as well as the RPM at a given speed, which in turn affects MPG.

 

[FitZ6R]

1. I'm not completely clear on the way tires are sized and what exactly is being measured. 17 is obviously the wheel diameter. I know the 180 is the width and I believe the combination of 180/55 is some combination of the width and the side wall height. But where and what exactly are they measuring? And what units are they measuring in? Is it 180mm?

Tire sizing is a bizarre system of mixed units of measurement and strange punctuation. Ready? OK,

180/55-17 means:
180 mm is the "section width" (width at the widest point)
55 is the "aspect ratio" in percent (i.e., the sidewall height is 55% of the section width)
17 inches is the wheel diameter

Overall diameter (in inches) can be approximated by: (wheel diameter) + (section width) * (aspect ratio) / 1270

The other important number is the wheel width, which should be marked on the wheel. Every tire size has a range of acceptable mounting widths, specified by the manufacturer.

If you change tire size, you'll probably want to keep the overall diameter close to stock size, to maintain the ride height and gearing. A 180/55-17 is about 0.25" larger than stock, probably no big deal. 190/55-17 is 0.66" larger, which is a 2.8% increase, about equivalent to dropping a tooth on the rear sprocket.

As far as improving handling, I'm no expert, but as I understand, a wider tire will give more ultimate traction, but less "flickability," as they call it in the mags. Personally, I enjoy the light, effortless handling of the 6R, and I doubt I've come close to the tire's limit on dry pavement, so the stock works just fine for me.

 

[99vengeur]

It is true that a wider tire will give you a better contact patch for going straight. However, the wider tire will also make it more difficult to lean the bike quickly into turns. As stated before, you will see that the "flickability" of the bike is decreased.

Also, you are limited to how wide a tire can be by the clearance between said wider tire and the chain.

 

[angelsneverlose]

OP - your right there are much stickier tires then our OEM ones, but like others have stated, going bigger isn't always better...

if i were you, i would stay with the OEM size, but get some much better tires (thats what im doing)

some good tires = Pirelli Diablo Rosso's, Pirelli Corsa 3's, Michelin
Pilot powers... etc

 

[mchury]

i have had 3 tires on my bike first obviously the stock tire which was good i just wore it out from doing to many burn outs the second i bumped it up to a 175/65/17 and i got to screws in it but the time i had it the only diff i could tell was how it looked it did look better but i couldnt tell any performance diff the third i went back to a stalk size but a shinko brand and i noticed it got stickier quiker and handled a lil bit better

 

[JonKerr]

So a 175 didn't feel like it really slowed down the "flickability?"

 

[xplodnstar]

(I looked at the rear tire on a friends Ninja 250 that she just bought and laughed my ass off at how narrow it was. Looks narrower than my front. )

I know I'm missing the point of your questions, but I have no experience to offer.

Up to '07, at least,the Ninja 250s have a 130 stock rear tire, which is technically wider than our fronts. Unless you go with the Pirelli aftermarket tires which ARE a 120.

There you go, useless tidbit for the day.

 

[mchury]

not at all it still "flicked" very well lol honestly i couldnt tell any diff in performance at all

 

[JonKerr]

I know I'm missing the point of your questions, but I have no experience to offer.

Up to '07, at least,the Ninja 250s have a 130 stock rear tire, which is technically wider than our fronts. Unless you go with the Pirelli aftermarket tires which ARE a 120.

There you go, useless tidbit for the day.

OK ruin my joke by throwing facts at it. We were in the garage with my bike, my buddies supermoto with a 175 rear, an R6 with a 190 and a couple other bikes looking at her bike with a pizza cutter in the rear and we all couldn't stop giving her a hard time. She's been a dirtbike rider for years and is far better than some of us in the dirt so she has no problem giving it back to us either.

It's funny though because she's having trouble learning to ride the Ninja because it's so gutless compared to her dirtbike she keeps stalling it because she's not giving it enough power.

 

[MiltonDorkenhoff]

The Yamaha page has a bunch of other numbers listed:

F: 120/70 ZR17M/C 58W
R: 160/60 ZR17M/C 69W

So 120 and 160 are the widths; 70 and 60 are the aspect ratio. Presumably 17 is the rim size. What do the rest of the pieces mean?

Thanks

 

[JSP]

DennisKirk.com - Tire Sizes Explained

 

[Spunky99]

I've decided to upgrade my tires and was wondering if you would give me a hand in selecting the best tire based on my usage.

I commute 4.2 miles to work every day on surface streets.
I ride with different groups of sport bikes on the weekends consisting of twistys and some freeway to get there.
I am not concerned about tire mileage much.
I will install the Racetech fork and shock springs next weekend with 15 w fork oil.
I will keep the stock tire size.

I'm looking at the following tires in no particular order.
Pirelli Diablo Rosso
Metzler Sportec M5
Michelin Power Pure

 

[JonKerr]

Pirelli Diablo Rosso - I would not recommend this tire for commuting. I do no commuting and very little freeway riding and I'm noticing after about 4000 miles a pretty distinct flat spot in the center of the rear tire. Also I know you said you're not too worried about tire life, but these tires are coming close to the end of their life at 4000 miles with some pretty aggressive canyon riding. And the last thing, the profile of them is very steep and narrow. The 160 looks like a 140.

I'm possibly going to have to start commuting on my bike in the next month or so and am planning on putting a 170 Pilot Road 2 on the rear and Pilot Power front. Best of both worlds with the very sticky side compounds and a pretty hard center compound for commuting.

 

[99vengeur]

If I get the time this weekend, I will be getting the Metzeler M5's put on my bike. I will stick with the stock sizes. They are claiming that the M5's are getting better traction in all conditions (dry vs. wet) and extended tire life. I figured I would give them a try, and it doesn't hurt that the dealership is giving my a 30% discount for both tires. :steve:

 

[Spunky99]

If I get the time this weekend, I will be getting the Metzeler M5's put on my bike. I will stick with the stock sizes. They are claiming that the M5's are getting better traction in all conditions (dry vs. wet) and extended tire life. I figured I would give them a try, and it doesn't hurt that the dealership is giving my a 30% discount for both tires. :steve:

Heckuva deal.....

 

[chris_04086]

just purchased set of Shinko tires. Heres what the rear looks like: 160/60ZR17

 

[JonKerr]

it's amazing how much wider that looks than my Pirellis in the exact same size.

 

[2w05thletes]

Wow, that Shinko tire looks FAT! 160 huh? Hmmmm....

 

[Grinch79]

That is one fat @$$ with the Shinko tire on it.