The Dark Side For those members running "Car Tires" on their scoots. This is for their discussion only and not a place for "non dark siders" to mouth off about their negative opinions of this idea!

curious about car tire....

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Old Jan 3, 2013 | 06:56 PM
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Default curious about car tire....

what are the pros and cons to fitting a car tire on a motorcycle? how does the flatter contact patch affect cornering or leaning? not bashing, just honestly curious. i have a 13 wide glide so obviously i'm not going to be in the market for tires for while....car or bike. thanks.
 
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Old Jan 3, 2013 | 10:11 PM
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The car tire is smoother, quieter, safer and gets more mileage than a motorcycle tire. Cornering requires a little more input but you get used to it very quickly. A runflat tire is my choice. The sidewalls are stiffer and I don't have to worry about handling issues in case I lose air going down the highway.
The only two cons I can think of is the tire tends to go to the low side of the ruts worn in the road; it's not bad and once again you get used to it pretty quick. Some people have trouble finding someone to mount the tire on the rim. some bike shops refuse because of supposed liability issues. I get my tires at sears and they mount it without question. Some also go to independent repair shops or tire stores.
Check out mcdarksiders.forumotion.com for some good info also.
 
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Old Jan 4, 2013 | 06:33 PM
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Default CT

Pretty much what he said except I am in the market for my second car tire and I have ruled out a run flat because I want to mount the tire myself and I'm not sure I can get the RF on the rim.
 
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Old Jan 6, 2013 | 12:18 AM
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The stiffer sidewall can make it a challenge to mount. Warm the tire before mounting and use a good lubricant. It is no problem for a tire machine but I've used the Mojo lever and a Harbor Freight tire machine with good results. Granted it was a sweaty job and took a 6 Pack for the whole process. I also used little blocks of wood to keep the tire in the valley of the rim to make it easier.
My local dealer charges $30 to mount if I take it off, well worth it, and like I said Sears mounted it no problem when I bought the tire from them.
 
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Old Jan 6, 2013 | 04:25 PM
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how much longer does a car tire last compared to a motorcycle tire? what is the cost difference?
 
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Old Jan 6, 2013 | 09:02 PM
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I was lucky to get 12,000 out of my MC tire. The last two CTs I got 22,000. The Ct cost $125 at Sears. Haven't priced MCs in several years.
Cost and mileage are what made me look at a CT but after having two flats on my runflat car tires I now use them because of the safety aspect.
 
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Old Jan 7, 2013 | 06:50 AM
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You will have to find the sweet spot for the air pressure...The contact patch stays there...As a matter of fact i was riding with my 2 goldwing buddies this weekend and was looking at the contact patch and it was at least 1/3 or the tire in the most aggressive turns. The Dunlop and the General tire seems to be there choice...(Non-Runflat)...One of them is running a Michelin and doesn't like it...
 
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Old Jan 7, 2013 | 02:38 PM
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OP, Just for your info there are no C/T's that will fit your Wideglide.
 
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Old Jan 7, 2013 | 11:03 PM
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fair enough perki. i was just curious about the pro's and con's of a car tire is all.
 
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Old Jan 8, 2013 | 01:01 PM
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Originally Posted by BikerDocCO
fair enough perki. i was just curious about the pro's and con's of a car tire is all.
I have ran them before and would on my WideGlide except for the fitment problem. I ran one on a rigid frame Shovelhead and braking in particular was far superior to the MC tires I used on it.
 
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