Originally Posted by giacomo56

I will " stick" with my Metzlers and change them as often as needed....safety over longevity.
At least thats what my mind thinks...

Originally Posted by goodbirds

I still go with stock Dunlop tires on my Ultra. I just changed the rear tire at 13,400 miles. I think longevity from what's available right now has a lot to do with riding.

The rear tire takes a lot of stress. Just think of it; it propels the bike forward, keeps it track in curves (tighter ones take more resistance, therefore a softer compound for traction), and assists in braking. Everyone know that most of the braking effort is given by the front dual disc brakes (70%), which also unloads the rear tire so it is prone to scuffing under braking. If the rider wants the best handling, the tire gets replaced as soon as the edges become less rounded, maybe about 8,000 miles, or the rider puts up with deteriorating handling characteristics until down to 2/32 tread depth.

So, taking all that into consideration, choices have to be made. (1) I want long life tires. So, I will keep my acceleration/deceleration moderate to avoid scuffing the tread off.(2) I will keep my lean angles under 15 degrees.(3) I want longer life so I will embrace worsening handling as the tire wears.

i get longer tire life if I make long distance trips. I get worse tire life riding short distances and a lot of in town riding. There you have it. Take it from a guy who has bought lots of rear tires in the past 50 years. By the way, 40 years ago, you were lucky to get 8,000 miles no matter how gentle your riding.

Originally Posted by p51bombay

Increased tread depth comes at the expense of decreased tire performance - tires are a balance of grip vs. longevity. On two wheels I'd rather have grip.

Originally Posted by Iron lHorse

All the newer tires being sold today are trying to give us both grip and longevity . The side walls of the tire are made of a softer rubber compounds and then the center of the tires rubber compound is a harder rubber. So now that their using this harder rubber in the center they should be able to add a little more rubber to the tires .

Originally Posted by Bone Doc

You're imparting too much logic and science into the equation.

Tire manufacturers will develop a tire that functions better so people will want to buy THAT tire. But, tire manufacturers don't want tires to last longer. You won't replace them as often... $$$$.