tire question?

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VermilionX · #1 Post by **VermilionX** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:49 pm

so what are pros and cons of soft, medium, and hard?

soft heats up faster but wear out faster and not good when the track temp is too high.

hard takes longer to warm up but is great when the track temp is high.

medium is balanced i guess.

is the above accurate?

can anyone give me more info?

ZooTech · #2 Post by **ZooTech** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:56 pm

Soft = sticky but short life

Hard = not so sticky but long life

If you're a canyon carver you'll want sticky tires to prevent a low-side. If you cruise, tour, and commute you'll want something more lasting. If you do a bit of both you might find something in the middle.

VermilionX · #3 Post by **VermilionX** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:01 pm

thanks.

i have another concern.

on this new bike... i found myself swerving a lot even when im not passing anyone.

will riding a lot of freeways give me flat spots? im kinda worried so i dance along my lane every once in a while on the freeway thinking that it may help even the wear out a little. am i just being silly? should i not worry about it?

ZooTech · #4 Post by **ZooTech** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:08 pm

Yeah, it sounds like you may be thinking a little too much and not enjoying yourself. Fact is, if you do a lot of straight-line riding (i.e. freeway commuting) you're gonna get flat spots. My first rear tire was pretty squared-off by the time I replaced it at 9200 miles, but my second was evenly worn when I replaced it at 5100 since I started taking the back roads to work and started riding places like the Dragon and Triple-Nickel. I don't imagine you'll get much more than 5000 miles out of your tires, so I really wouldn't worry a whole lot about it. It's just part of the cost of ownership.

dieziege · #5 Post by **dieziege** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:18 pm

Verm... hmm.... how do I retain at least a certain appearance of friendly good will when I say this? ... oh well... Verm, if even you wonder whether you are being silly, you are being VERY silly.

A few seconds wobbling back and forth on the freeway every few minutes won't reprofile the tires. If you wanted to quickly reprofile your tires you might do a burnout like the one in that video you posted the other day...but please don't. Tires are designed to have more tread in the center where most of the wear normally happens... and better tires are designed to have a harder compound in the center and a softer compound on the outer portions so you always get better traction (and higher wear) when cornering.... if you were to actually wear down the off-center tread you would just be killing the tire faster for no good effect.

VermilionX · #6 Post by **VermilionX** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:20 pm

ZooTech wrote:Yeah, it sounds like you may be thinking a little too much and not enjoying yourself. Fact is, if you do a lot of straight-line riding (i.e. freeway commuting) you're gonna get flat spots. My first rear tire was pretty squared-off by the time I replaced it at 9200 miles, but my second was evenly worn when I replaced it at 5100 since I started taking the back roads to work and started riding places like the Dragon and Triple-Nickel. I don't imagine you'll get much more than 5000 miles out of your tires, so I really wouldn't worry a whole lot about it. It's just part of the cost of ownership.

i see... the canyons i ride to are not that close, it won't be practical time-wise to use the streets instead of the freeway.

hopefully... the canyon ride will help even out the freeway riding wear.

the BT-014s are actually good street tires but i really wanna try a diff tire when it's time to change it.

my choice for my next street tires are...

1. michelin pilot powers
2. dunlop qualifiers
3. pirelli diablo
4. metzeler M3

VermilionX · #7 Post by **VermilionX** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:25 pm

dieziege wrote:Verm... hmm.... how do I retain at least a certain appearance of friendly good will when I say this? ... oh well... Verm, if even you wonder whether you are being silly, you are being VERY silly.

A few seconds wobbling back and forth on the freeway every few minutes won't reprofile the tires. If you wanted to quickly reprofile your tires you might do a burnout like the one in that video you posted the other day...but please don't. Tires are designed to have more tread in the center where most of the wear normally happens... and better tires are designed to have a harder compound in the center and a softer compound on the outer portions so you always get better traction (and higher wear) when cornering.... if you were to actually wear down the off-center tread you would just be killing the tire faster for no good effect.

cool! thanks for the info.

like i said, i do ride the canyons a lot but im just worried about freeway miles on the tires when i ride to go to the canyons.

DirtyD86 · #8 Post by **DirtyD86** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:31 pm

unless you "pee" golden coins you should ride a harder tire

VermilionX · #9 Post by **VermilionX** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:38 pm

DirtyD86 wrote:unless you "pee" golden coins you should ride a harder tire

if i buy a race tire... im gonna go w/ medium.

which leads me to another tire question...

the rear wears out faster than the front right?

im thinking of getting a soft front and medium rear. if i do buy race tires.

Kal · #10 Post by **Kal** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:43 pm

Best to keep them the same Verm, remember that your tires are all that attaches your bike to the road.