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Tires...I know

Brian-NC

New member
Hey just a question for those that have used both Michelins, PR2's and PR3's on a late model RT 09 - 11. The Z6 interacts on my 10 RT are about toast at 6700 miles and would like to try something different. Something lasting longer.

Any feedback as to the difference in mileage? I talked to a guy the other day who said his PR2's were his favorite tire and lasted well past 8K on his RS...:dunno

I don't want to turn this into a lenghty battle, just some advice.
 
Nope - I have discovered you are going to get what you get based on how you ride. PR2's wore out quicker than the Z6 for me but not by much. Everything I have put on lasts around 6k.

Here is the thing to think about when people talk about how they get 8-10 or 12k out of a set. You don't know how they ride, where they ride, how much weight they carry and how far they are willing to ride on worn tires. All of my sets had plenty of tread left but were cupped past where I would accept the ride. Some of the cheap bastards I know would mount the sets I have discarded. I have seen many write on here about getting 10k out of Z6's when I have gotten 6k out of 4 sets. I don't think they are making it up but obviously other factors are at play and it ain't air pressure. That is one thing I am anal about for reasons beyond tire wear.

I did just go to Z8's about 1000 miles ago and they perform well in rain and dry twisties. I can't speak to mileage for obvious reasons and considering where I live will not be able to until spring 2012. As far as PR2's I got less wear out of them than the Metzlers. Plus I did not like the ride and sound once they wore a bit. They were very loud once cupped a bit. Considering the price difference between Z8 and PR3 and experience with the past models I went Z8. I did not see what I paid for in the PR2.
 
There was a long discussion of PR2 vs PR3 here. Some reported that the PR3 got about the same miles or a little more than PR2. The biggest benefit reported is better grip in the rain. I read through that thread yesterday as I was buying new tires which are on sale at Bike Bandit. I decided to stick with the PR2.
 
Just a heads up to all of you tire monsters out there: Bike Bandit is having a pretty good sale on tires plus you get 10% off for having your AMA membership current.

Along with all this good stuff, you get bonus dollars applied to your purchase as an incentive to come back.

I just ordered my PR 3's and figured I'd give em a try. I've been using Metzeler Z6 Interact tires and I've been very happy with them however with all the good stuff I've heard about the pr3's, I'll try that. I'm sure they have whatever will help you stick to the road. Have fun! -G :dance
 
I have a question on the PR3 and without starting another thread, thought I post it here, maybe someone will find it for a testimony.

I just received a pair to mount today after hearing the great reviews and the tread design looks like it could be....rock magnets.

I live off the asphalt 3/4 mi. traveling on chipped gravel and dirt. The siping, especially on the front looks like a problem area for small chipped gravel to start working its way...the rear in similarity per its design.

The Brigestones that are on the RT now in comparison has more of your traditional sport tread design...rocks in but don't hang long.

I'm faithful about roll checks on my tires at home after being out and about for stone / tread /groove problems...but really don't need.... magnets... to amplify this.

...Maybe someone out there with similar riding conditions


Thanks for the feedback -
 
We live in the Texas Big Bend. Our drive is caliche (rock) and while we mostly ride on pavement we do encounter a lot of rock surfaces in driveways, parking areas, and occasionally rock roads. Our son's house in Kansas is about a mile down a typical Kansas gravel road. We visit there several times each summer.

Voni has gone through two sets of PR3s without any issue of imbedded rock compromising the tire. We find an occasional pebble, and she does flick it out when she sees one, but they seem to be thrown out of the grooves quite readily as soon as she is up to speed on pavement.

I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Paul is on the money here about Voni's experiences with the PR3. Mine is similar and I'm on the third [might be forth, too lazy to go look it up] set.

Here in NM, we deal with a lot of chip sealed roads and there's almost always some loose gravel on the driving surface. We also wind up on caliche roads a lot.

Unlike Voni, I don't even waste my time popping the little bits the I see from the tread. A few miles on better roads usually cleans them out with no problems.

Highly recommended for the RS/RT.
 
Hey Brian,

I use Z6 and PRII. Haven't had the PRIII or Z8 on the RT yet as I bought 4 sets of Z6 on a sale and have one set on the shelf. If you get 6000+ miles on a Z6, that's great, I get about 2-2500. I change tires before they are completely worn since the handling gets poor on the last miles of a tire and we ride pretty aggressively.

I got better miles, maybe 5000 on PRIIs. So I think you'd get better miles, too, especially if you ride a lot of straight up. Not sure on PRIII or Z8.

I'd play around if I were you. I'm using my No Mar tire changer a lot her in Raleigh with my bikes and my buddies' bikes, and learning what tire is good for you is part of the fun. Metz tires do wear quickly though, and a PRII or III is likely what you'll settle on.
 
If I may revisit this thread once again concerning the PR3's...

I see no 'lite' dots on the sidewalls for the balance. Any words of wisdom with the Michelin's?

Thank You -
 
Michelin's do not have the dots. You mount on rim without worrying about having the dot at the right place. That's another reason I like them.
 
On Michelins, I always use the barcode like a dot to line up.

Have had some Michelins that had to rotate 180 degrees on some bikes to avoid a lot of weights and others that on a pre-balanced rim can put several PR's on w/out moving weight. The Malaysia produced Michelins seem to not be consistent in my experience.
 
I did not like the Z6, it felt like the profile was too high and made the bike fall in to the corners.
Also the front plowed out a little.

Haven't tried the PR3 yet.

I liked the PR2s, a lot. I ran them with too much air I think and they didn't wear evenly.

The PRs are kevlar, not steel, and mounting them seems a lot easier than the ME880s.

The Continental Hyper Road Attack II or whatever - gets the award for "prettiest" tire.
And probably stiffest sidewall. Pretty good wear on these.

I "got" 9000 miles out of a pair of ME880s - but I really shouldn't have.
 
('92 K1100LT) Today is my first day with a totally new set up for tires. Front: PR2 and Rear: Avon Azaro Read a number of positive reports regarding this set up for my bike so switched from the bias to radial and with two tires never used by me.

Air pressure is a question though. With my 880s and some prior bias I ran 38 front and 42 rear. Most of the riding is two up and loaded. Not sure what to set these two new characters at. Starting with the 38/42 tradition though. - Bob
 
I just changed out my first pair of PR3s after 8300mi, with another set of PR3s. This included one trip to SE TN (solo 2500 mi) and a trip to ME (2up 3800 mi), the rest local miles split single-2up. I'm an aggressive rider and more so in the twisties. I had enough trad left to get another 2000 mi local, but am leaving in a week to TN and didnt want to change out on the road or ride back on a bald tire. I ride a 2011 RT and thought they had excellent performance in twisties, rain and mileage. Much better than the Bridgestones that came on the bike, they only lasted 5000mi.

It can't hurt to give them a shot. If you don't like them move on to something else.

Joel

PS,

I bought the b rated rear tire both times.
 
Thanks I'm looking to replace my tires when I have the 6000 mile service done next week and I've been trying to decide on the Z8's or P3's.

I'm really not concerned about mileage reports as I seem to get about 6000 miles out of my tires no matter what I've run, so I get to change them every spring regardless.

My brain is telling me P3's but for some reason I'm leaning towards the Z8's. maybe it's the 880's I had on one of my cruisers many years ago, they really did transform the handling and ride. Doesn't sound like either tire would be a bad choice really.
 
Hello,

I don't know about the Pilot Road 2's because I never used them. I just put my second set of PR3's on my 2012 RT. I am at 26k miles. My Original Bridgestone BattleAxes went all of about 6k miles. I didn't listen to the folks at my local shop & put them on AGAIN. Got all the way to 12k, and switched to PR3's. I couldn't be any happier. They're great in the rain, (we have 6+months of daily rain here & plenty of we driving experience) do very well on our highly abrasive road surfaces here in SWFL with the extreme heat, and provided great grip on trips to the mountains of NC/SC/TN/GA. Don't know that I will buy anything else until their "new and improved" one comes out. Would seem pretty hard to improve on my perceived perfection of this tire though.
 
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