Rethinking run flats

[DMAGOLDRDR]

I received a new (I thought) ESCTA and didn't look at the date code before installing. Ripped the bead it was soo stiff. NOW I look and see but I still wouldn't have though a 6 yr old tire would be that hard but it is now in the crap pile.

And the ESCTA is no longer available, soo I am now back to looking for a replacement but I think I may go back to non runflats. This Kumho was my first runflat and mounting them are tough enough. IF I received the mileage I had anticipated or at least could have stuck with the Kumho being very happy with the performance, then maybe.

Sooooo

General G-MAX AS-03 IF still available
or
Yokohama AVID ENVigor V rated UTQG: 560 A A

If I stick with a run flat then

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D DSST RunOnFlat


OK so where is the little icon with the guy pounding his head on a wall ????
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: :banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

[bob109]

I received a new (I thought) ESCTA and didn't look at the date code before installing. Ripped the bead it was soo stiff. NOW I look and see but I still wouldn't have though a 6 yr old tire would be that hard but it is now in the crap pile.

And the ESCTA is no longer available, soo I am now back to looking for a replacement but I think I may go back to non runflats. This Kumho was my first runflat and mounting them are tough enough. IF I received the mileage I had anticipated or at least could have stuck with the Kumho being very happy with the performance, then maybe.

Sooooo

General G-MAX AS-03 IF still available


G-Max....Discount Tire Direct $94.77:039:

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?ra=searchTiresBySize.do&fl=&pc=32887&counter=0&ar=55&rd=16&cs=195

[Steve 0080]

I have the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D DSST RunOnFlat installed. Great tire. Outstanding in wet or dry !!! Currently running 34* if I could I would run 32* But the TPMS does not like 34* either!

[zzh54]

I just bought and mounted a G-Max. Just went for a short spin, think I might like this.

[SierraKen]

I have the Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D DSST RunOnFlat installed. Great tire. Outstanding in wet or dry !!! Currently running 34* if I could I would run 32* But the TPMS does not like 34* either!

Noticed you mounted the new tire on a chrome rim. How much chrome shows once it's on the bike. I just ordered a new Driveguard and am wondering if a chrome rim on the rear looks too obvious or if I should just bite the bullet and get it powder coated flat black to match the front.

Thanks

[bob109]

I have a brushed aluminum rim which I applied several coats of PlasticDip to. That wheel now has 49+K miles on it with my second G-max and looks like the day I first painted it. I prefer the PD to Powder Coating as it can easily be pealed off if need be:icon_wink:

43314332

[willtill]

Noticed you mounted the new tire on a chrome rim. How much chrome shows once it's on the bike. I just ordered a new Driveguard and am wondering if a chrome rim on the rear looks too obvious or if I should just bite the bullet and get it powder coated flat black to match the front.

Thanks

Rrear wheel gets too dirty quickly, to make a pleasing and lasting chrome presentation to the eye. Powder coat that sucker flat black. Hides dirt well... no need to constantly polish it.... unless that's all you like to do :icon_lol:

[willtill]

I gotta quit procrastinating and get my Michelin Aplpine PA3 run flat mounted... :icon_doh: Hate to take the OEM M/C tire at this point, because it's at half life at this time (don't want to waste the rubber) but the Rally is approaching soon... and it ain't got enough rubber to make it back from there.

[bob109]

I just bought and mounted a G-Max. Just went for a short spin, think I might like this.


Jeff:

Make sure you keep us posted on your experience:039:

[Davidk]

I borrowed a Gmax and ran it for 400 miles. I was not pleased. I could feel the tread and it snapped up and down when leaning. Definitely did not feel like a motorcycle tire. Ended up buying a Bridgestone Alpin and love it. The tire is invisible and drives like a MC

[Jimmytee]

G-Max....Discount Tire Direct $94.77:039:

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?ra=searchTiresBySize.do&fl=&pc=32887&counter=0&ar=55&rd=16&cs=195

So you are running a shorter tire? I don't want to lose ground/cornering clearance.

[bob109]

I borrowed a Gmax and ran it for 400 miles. I was not pleased. I could feel the tread and it snapped up and down when leaning. Definitely did not feel like a motorcycle tire. Ended up buying a Bridgestone Alpin and love it. The tire is invisible and drives like a MC

Long before "Run Flats" were available, "run of the mill radials" were the norm. Run Flats became popular, because, as you have stated, there "more motor cycle tire like ride". Therein lies the difference. The extremely stiff side wall of Run Flats mirror that of cycle tires. They are, in most cases, hard to mount! Some folks have experienced tire damage during mounting while others have not received the anticipated overall tire mileage of conventional radials i.e. 18K miles is really nothing to write home about IMHO.

To each their own when it comes to tire selection and that includes ones choice of a DS Tire. Having just shy of 50K miles on two G-Max's I'm so accustomed to any and all small handling anomalies, it's a mute subject with me. I actually find rear cycle tires "too neutral". Guess I can best describe it as driving two different cager vehicles. One with power steering and one without. CT's require a little extra "drivers input"! That aside, it's a handling feature I've become accustomed to and like:039: 30K miles service from a rear cycle tire is unheard of yet readily accomplished with a Max! "Just what the Doctor Ordered in my case:shhh:

Ride Safe

bob109

[bob109]

So you are running a shorter tire? I don't want to lose ground/cornering clearance.

The diameters of the Max and OEM Bridgestone are almost identical! Using the attached Tire Size Formula Chart will give you the specifics on size:039:

http://hondaf6b.com/showthread.php?1174-Tire-Size-Calculator

[DMAGOLDRDR]

After much thought I decided to not mount another run flat myself. I stopped at my local tire shop (the owner is a rider as well) and will have him order and mount my tire. Guess I'm just getting to old for tire work. I really like the way the run flat felt and as long as it is not me mounting it,,, why not. I did not know the Yokohama was also available in a run flat. So I told him my tires of choice. First the Yokohama Envigor ZPS because I like the solid center section and tread block on the edges, IF it was a problem for him to get,,, then mount up a DUNLOP WINTER SPORT.

Bob109, thank you for all your info and I really appreciate you always adding your experience to each of my questions but I think after riding on the stiffer run flat, I think I will stay with it. I wish that G Max was a run flat because I really like the tread design.

zzh54 we will have to get together again soon and compare the two after you get a few miles on yours.

[bob109]

After much thought I decided to not mount another run flat myself. I stopped at my local tire shop (the owner is a rider as well) and will have him order and mount my tire. Guess I'm just getting to old for tire work. I really like the way the run flat felt and as long as it is not me mounting it,,, why not. I did not know the Yokohama was also available in a run flat. So I told him my tires of choice. First the Yokohama Envigor ZPS because I like the solid center section and tread block on the edges, IF it was a problem for him to get,,, then mount up a DUNLOP WINTER SPORT.

Bob109, thank you for all your info and I really appreciate you always adding your experience to each of my questions but I think after riding on the stiffer run flat, I think I will stay with it. I wish that G Max was a run flat because I really like the tread design.

zzh54 we will have to get together again soon and compare the two after you get a few miles on yours.

Always glad to help! You're selection fits your needs and that is the bottom line and all that counts:039: Keep us in the loop as to your experiences with the new tire:icon_wink:

Ride Safe

bob109

[zzh54]

Dan, anytime Brother. If the weather holds out for Sunday, I am planning a reservoir run, last time I did this I was gone 12 hours. Good day run up in the catskill mountians .

[Hornblower]

The title of this thread, Rethinking Run Flats, is a case of over-thinking an issue. To my knowledge, no car tire has ever come off the rim due to the theoretical small mismatch between tire and rim profiles. In fact, according to my local tire shop, it's pretty hard to get an old tire off the rim to start with. IMHO, this is almost as bad as an oil thread. Whether or not someone decides to go "darkside" is personal choice but there is no reality supporting not going this route based purely on assumptions and bad theories. I've seen way too many opinions from people who have never experimented with the darkside but want to express an opinion nonetheless. To be honest, I'm tiring of all that. So, this is my time to forget being PC and time to tell it like it is :yikes:. Now...I've run run-flats previously and they performed just fine. For the past couple of years, I've been running the Falken which happens not to be a run flat but is a great tire, my favorite so far. I have all the advantages of a car tire but it still feels like a motorcycle tire. I'm another one of those darksiders that's never going back to an inferior motorcycle tire.

[willtill]

After much thought I decided to not mount another run flat myself. I stopped at my local tire shop (the owner is a rider as well) and will have him order and mount my tire. Guess I'm just getting to old for tire work. I really like the way the run flat felt and as long as it is not me mounting it,,, why not. I did not know the Yokohama was also available in a run flat. So I told him my tires of choice. First the Yokohama Envigor ZPS because I like the solid center section and tread block on the edges, IF it was a problem for him to get,,, then mount up a DUNLOP WINTER SPORT.

Bob109, thank you for all your info and I really appreciate you always adding your experience to each of my questions but I think after riding on the stiffer run flat, I think I will stay with it. I wish that G Max was a run flat because I really like the tread design.

zzh54 we will have to get together again soon and compare the two after you get a few miles on yours.

Did you actually (manually) spoon on a run flat tire? Or do you/did you have a machine?

[Jimmytee]

The title of this thread, Rethinking Run Flats, is a case of over-thinking an issue. To my knowledge, no car tire has ever come off the rim due to the theoretical small mismatch between tire and rim profiles. In fact, according to my local tire shop, it's pretty hard to get an old tire off the rim to start with. IMHO, this is almost as bad as an oil thread. Whether or not someone decides to go "darkside" is personal choice but there is no reality supporting not going this route based purely on assumptions and bad theories. I've seen way too many opinions from people who have never experimented with the darkside but want to express an opinion nonetheless. To be honest, I'm tiring of all that. So, this is my time to forget being PC and time to tell it like it is :yikes:. Now...I've run run-flats previously and they performed just fine. For the past couple of years, I've been running the Falken which happens not to be a run flat but is a great tire, my favorite so far. I have all the advantages of a car tire but it still feels like a motorcycle tire. I'm another one of those darksiders that's never going back to an inferior motorcycle tire.

Do you have a link for the Falken?

[Hornblower]

Do you have a link for the Falken?

Originally, the tire was a 612, sold exclusively by Discount Tire for around $70. I still have one more new one left in my own stock. That model was discontinued and replaced by the ZE-912. Here is one of many links to it:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-TIRE-195-55R16-87V-FALKEN-ZIEX-ZE912-195-55-16-/252476664909

As I have mentioned previously, I originally found this tire being used by Yellow Wolf and friends, some of the fastest Gold Wing riders in Western NC. For super-aggressive riders, this tire doesn't last all that long (mainly due to edge wear) but the performance and feel in wet or dry conditions is unbeatable, in my experience. The fact that this tire is not symmetrical is a non-factor since it goes left or right equally well. So, in summary, this tire would be for someone looking more for performance in any conditions than uber-long tread life.

[Jimmytee]

Originally, the tire was a 612, sold exclusively by Discount Tire for around $70. I still have one more new one left in my own stock. That model was discontinued and replaced by the ZE-912. Here is one of many links to it:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-TIRE-195-55R16-87V-FALKEN-ZIEX-ZE912-195-55-16-/252476664909

As I have mentioned previously, I originally found this tire being used by Yellow Wolf and friends, some of the fastest Gold Wing riders in Western NC. For super-aggressive riders, this tire doesn't last all that long (mainly due to edge wear) but the performance and feel in wet or dry conditions is unbeatable, in my experience. The fact that this tire is not symmetrical is a non-factor since it goes left or right equally well. So, in summary, this tire would be for someone looking more for performance in any conditions than uber-long tread life.

If I were to go DS, my main concern is handling and that the nimble feeling of my F6B ( yes I mentioned nimble and a Gold Wing in the same sentence ...lol ) is not affected. I really enjoy the ability to toss this big bike back and forth in the twisties and don't want that to be compromised. I know that DS on my Valkyrie does affect it adversly ,in my opinion, this way. So what kind of life/mileage are we talking about?

[Jimmytee]

Another question Hornblower, I see that it is a 55. Are you running lower? Reduced cornering/ground clearance?

[DMAGOLDRDR]

Did you actually (manually) spoon on a run flat tire? Or do you/did you have a machine?

I used the machine at a friends Tire shop. Won't do that again, I'll leave it up to him from now on.

[Steve 0080]

Noticed you mounted the new tire on a chrome rim. How much chrome shows once it's on the bike. I just ordered a new Driveguard and am wondering if a chrome rim on the rear looks too obvious or if I should just bite the bullet and get it powder coated flat black to match the front.

Thanks

That is the wheel off my new to me 14 GL1800 Nav. No it is not worth the money to go chrome. Like Bob said the dip is the way to go !!!

[willtill]

I used the machine at a friends Tire shop. Won't do that again, I'll leave it up to him from now on.

I hope the local tire gorilla doesn't destroy my wheel when he mounts the Michellin Alpine PA3 I have... :shock:

.. .on a slightly related note; .I remember Fredericktown Yamaha telling me to never come back for another tire mounting; when I brought in a 240 tire to mount on my past Rocket III. Those British wheels on that bike have no wheel wells; terribly difficult apparently for new tires to be mounted. Apparently it seriously kicked their butt. :icon_lol: Or they didn't know what they were doing. And they SELL Rocket III's... :shock:

[Hornblower]

Another question Hornblower, I see that it is a 55. Are you running lower? Reduced cornering/ground clearance?

Not sure about that. I drag a lot but then again, I did that with the stock MC tire as well. My guess is the clearance is pretty close to the same.

In your previous post, you also asked about tire life with the Falken. Here again, I haven't kept records so I can't give a definitive answer but I will say this...I have to replace the rear tire due to edge wear alone and that has been the case regardless of the CT choice. I always have lots of tire left in the center but the edges are chewed off and that happens fairly quickly. And, depending on where I've been riding, is usually less than 10K miles. Like I've said before, I don't go DS for tire life, I do it for performance. BTW, in riding with my Western NC friends, I would only get maybe 3 weekends on both front and rear tires. OTOH, if I happen to be going on a long trip with a lot of interstate and fairly straight roads, I would expect 20K or more miles out of these tires. It all comes down to how you ride.