Hard Compound Tyres

[Debs]

My tyres are starting to square off again too quick.. I seem to do more straight roads & motorway riding and I am looking for a tyre thats going to give me good milage..

I was chatting to a guy on the ferry and he said I need Hard Compound Tyres. He runs Avon Storm Tyres and he rates them very highly.. Also read on net that the Continental tyres are also good...

Now here is my dilema. Do I go for one of those makes OR do I try the new Pirelli Angel GT?

I need advice as Im so confused..

[coman37]

Hi Debs,

If you go for the hard compound you will not get the grip or the feel of your usual choice, you cant have it all, either long life or good grip, only you can decide where to compromise, but give me grip and feel everytime, I would hate to lose traction(crash) just so my tyres lasted longer

Coman

[routemaster]

There are several ways tyre manufactures try to deal with providing higher mileage "touring" tyres which don't square off as quickly as perhaps a sports tyre.
These includes the way the tyre is constructed and the compounds they use, some manfucturers have gone down the route with providing a harder compounds in the centre of the tyre with softer compounds on the outside (to provide increased levels of grip when cornering).

As the majority of tyre manufactuers appear use a combination of tyre construction techniquies and  compounds (hard/soft) to try and produce a good long distant touring tyre I would suggest you go on feed back from other riders to find out how long there tyre are lasting.

I use PR3's becasue I have found I will get 8-10k miles out of the rear tyre but addimitedly I don't tend to use motorways/dual carriageways that often ie I don't commute. I believe others are finding they are getting higher mileages from Angels. I had Avon Storms on the CBF 1000 before I PX'ed for the GTR and I did seem to be getting good mileage out of them.

Kind regards

Steve

[routemaster]

I have to disagree with Comanto an extent.

For normal road riding/conditions the touring tyres with harder compounds/different tyre construction does not equal or quate to lower grip levels, - probbaly the converse is true. Having been to several technical tyre talks by tyre maufactueres they adjust the make up of the compounds, tread patterns, tyre construction to suit the style and the riding condtions they are are going to be used in.

For all year round riding on UK/Europe roads and weathers you are better off avoiding the softer sports tyres - they don't work as well in colder/wetter conditions we can find oursleves riding in. Touring tyres are designed to work and providing good levels of grip in a wider range of weather and temperature conditions when compared to some sports tyres - as well as providing higher mileage.

If you were using the touring tyres with harder compounds on a track day there the tyre wouldn't have as much grip as a sports tyre. It does amaze me at times that some riders buy high performance sports tyres for a sports tourer becasue of this perception they will provide high or better levels of grip on normal roads and normal riding. Track days are somethings else and yes ideally you would more a tyre that is more suited to that because you are likley to need higher levels of grip becasue of the higher speeds and forces being exerted onto the tyre.

Kind regards

Steve

Hi Debs,

If you go for the hard compound you will not get the grip or the feel of your usual choice, you cant have it all, either long life or good grip, only you can decide where to compromise, but give me grip and feel everytime, I would hate to lose traction(crash) just so my tyres lasted longer

Coman

[Debs]

Ok makes a bit more sense...

Ive done the Nurburgring and Stowe Circuit at Silverstone.. I don't want to do anymore track days or racing around... I am currently running Pirelli Angel ST...

[Silverback]

Debs,

I'm running the Angel GT's, they are supposd to offer 10-15% more mileage than the ST's, as for grip, all I can say is so far they are offering far more grip than I'm likely to have the bottle to use. I'm very impressed with them.

SB

[Martin#30]

Debs,

I do a lot of motorway commuting, and have had 3 sets of PR3s now. First two sets lasted 9k miles, last set lasted 11k miles though no idea what changed to get the extra mileage.

I decided this time to try something new, so have a set of Angel GTs now. Only done 1,000 miles on them so far, but they are not as good as the PR3s in my view. Dry grip is plenty, but nowhere near as much wet confidence as the PR3s.

The PR3s really are a wonder tyre in my opinion, and with the benefit of hindsight, I should have bought a 4th set instead of the Angels.

Martin.

[Debs]

Debs,

I do a lot of motorway commuting, and have had 3 sets of PR3s now. First two sets lasted 9k miles, last set lasted 11k miles though no idea what changed to get the extra mileage.

I decided this time to try something new, so have a set of Angel GTs now. Only done 1,000 miles on them so far, but they are not as good as the PR3s in my view. Dry grip is plenty, but nowhere near as much wet confidence as the PR3s.

The PR3s really are a wonder tyre in my opinion, and with the benefit of hindsight, I should have bought a 4th set instead of the Angels.

Martin.

Martin... I watched a youtube clip and they are supposed to have made the center more hard for motorway riding and the side soft for cornering.. Best of both worlds I guess...

http://youtu.be/qmyEzzxgdA8

The Angel GT are supposed to do the same... Hmmm

[Richard]

Hi

I had a long conversation with the Avon technical department about a front tyre for the trike.

Trikes eat front tyres, because they don't bank in corners so they only ever wear the middle of the tyre.
The recommendation was Avon (no surprise there) Storm Ultra 2
http://www.avontyres.com/motorcycle/storm-2-ultra
Dual compound etc etc

Several independent suppliers recommended them as well

They are developing a tyre specifically for trikes, but only in a 18" wheel for the gold wings 

Richard

[O.C.]

Debs the PR3s are dual compound ~ harder in the centre and slightly softer on the edges, hence this type of tyre is said to be the best all round option

My Pr3s have now done just over 3000 miles and they look good for plenty more, admittedly I don't do much motorway stuff so they shouldn't square off too much. Also they are very good in the wet, and I personally, prefer the feel from them in the dry (when compared to the OEM Bridgestones)

[mecki]

I am on my second rear Angel ST now and the first one did square off a little bit after I did over 2500 miles on motorways on the continent last year.
But after a good blast over a couple of Alpine passes it became nice and round again. 
Nevertheless after 8K it was well and truly shot.

I noticed that the surface on UK motorways seems to be rougher than on the motorways on the continent. 
I can feel vibrations and my hands start to go numb after riding for a longer distance in the UK while I don't seem to have that problem on German or French motorways even if I ride all day. 

Another tyre killer is of course hard acceleration.
If you only accelerate hard when the bike is in a straight line this will square off your tyres even more than long motorway hauls.
So to keep the rear tyre nice and round you need to open the throttle when you reach the apex of a corner and are still leaning more often.
Unfortunately for the front it is exactly the opposite, but I don't think it is a good idea to slam on the front brake while leaning, though. 

[Boomer]

Some of our Colonial brethren have fitted Bias belted tyres to the rear of their 1400s and a couple have even gone to the Dark Side (car tyres!).
Yes you can get more longevity but you will always sacrifice grip and predictability.
To get rid of the squaring off you need to go ride some bendy roads more often Debs.

As a general purpose tyre the PR3 is as good as it gets right now.
It's good in the dry, awesome in the wet, it corners well, gets 8,000 out of a rear and 12,000 out of a front (and this is with my bloated carcass riding it on motorways every day!), and yet it feels planted and secure when cornering fast and is stable and solid at 90+Mph (on the Autobahn of course!).

I've not tried the Angel GT or the ST but reports I've seen from others I trust lead me to believe that although it's most of the way there it still doesn't deliver.
Sooner or later someone will better the PR3 and I will buy that. I'm no Michelin Fanboy.
I used to swear by the Michelin X89 rear on the GTR1000, then the Pirelli MTR02, and now the only choice for that bike (16" rear) is the Avon Azaro.
On the front I've tried nearly every tyre that will fit with the best being the Z6, Z8 and the Pirelli MTR04.
When I get it back on the road it's getting an Azaro rear and a PR3 front!

[Rusty]

Debs .. I am using PR3's at the moment and they are fantastic .. very good in all respects ... but when they need changing .... probably in time for winter I shall go for the Pirelli Angel Gt's ... for no other reason than I can .. they get a good write up and so why not try them ??? that's my thinking ... if I don't like them then it will be back to the PR's.... will let you know.

[Hans]

I have had the pleasure to test Bridgestone (original tires), BT23GT and subsequent Michelin PR2 and PR3.

Let me make this very clear with large nails that all these tires under normal conditions are quite good. Assuming you are running in the summer and has normal temperature.

If you run under cold and wet conditions, so enter both PR2 and PR3 at the forefront - and you can really notice a difference. PR2 acting as 23GT under most conditions, but 23GT gives you a slightly better comfort - especially if you choose a slightly higher profile to the rear tire. However, please be aware that your control in turns weakens with a higher profile on your back - especially if you have a full load and your wife mounted in the back seat. Bridgestone BT23GT will also have the tendency to "intervene" in the wet - and this is noticeable if you have loads and co-rider mounted.

Michelin PR3 has a very tip structure on their back, as many require customization for your riding style. I have subsequently played with the setup of the front and rear spring - both with and without load - and found it quite optimal setup that makes a difference.

As for durability, this depends entirely on your driving style and the roads you drive on - including speed and load. One can not claim that Michelin holds better than 23GT or Angel. It will be an oversold argument!!

My point with the above is that we are all different and have different needs. If you feel comfortable with Angel - so use it! If you feel comfortable with BT23/GT - so use it! And if you feel most comfortable with PR3 - so use it!

The vast majority of us will not spend more than 50-75% of the respective properties of these tires offer - it's only in special situations where you can feel a difference. The only fact for the above is and remains that PR3 is still the tires that offer the best grip in the wet and cooler roads. But do you need it?

I'll post 2 photo's of PR3's done 6.500km (on-going and current test) - ie. urban, highway normal/hi-speed and The Alpes!

[Hans]

Michelin PR3 - on-going RoadTest - 6.500km done!

Front & rear....