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twista

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posted March 14, 2007 11:06 PM

Edited By: twista on 15 Mar 2007 00:08

180 tire question??

ive been reading some previous posts and still a lil confused,, so i need someone to unfuse me,, what if any gain is there to wearing a 180 as opposed to a 190 or 200,, what characteristics will i see from one another,, how much thinner is the tire,, and the 55 number what does that mean in laymans terms.. is it the height of the tire,, and if so,, what effect does this have on the bike if any?? any input is appreciated... i believe ive read in here before that the cornering is better going 180 than 190 is the bike feel more nimbal..??
please elaborate..

shiphteey

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posted March 15, 2007 08:10 AM

180/55 tires are usually lighter than the 200/50 series. You can also get them in an plethora of compounds, from supersticky to sport touring types.

Also, 180/55 is good because many road racers and track day guys use em....and drag/land speed guys pick them up used for cheap because they still have TONS of grip in the center since roadracers wear out the edges! That is what I do.

A narrower tire makes the bike corner in much faster! I have heard good things about the 180/55 or 190/50...and although the 180/55 tire is "taller" it does "flatten out" a bit because of the zx12's 6 inch wheel...normally supposed to be mounted to 5.5" rear wheels like on race 600s, etc.

I would go with whatever you find that is a good deal and is pretty sticky! If you are doing top end, make sure to adjust your ride height accordingly.....stability issues that can come from incorrect ride height aren't necessarily present @ 140....even 160....but 180+ and things can get weavy...!

A.

twista

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posted March 15, 2007 01:37 PM

thanks bro,,that was helpful...

stevewfl

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posted March 15, 2007 08:04 PM

pretty sticky 180's??? here're the ones I got for the track bike the other day - PP race compound

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Hells Dark Lord

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posted March 18, 2007 03:59 PM

the best size tire I found for my 12 was the 190/55....made it handle the best....
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stevewfl

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posted March 18, 2007 06:18 PM

The smaller size, the better angle/contact for leaning. The higher size, the more contact patch in the straights.

I'd run a 180 on the 14, but on big bikes there's so much horsepower to the rear wheel it'd eat 'em up real quick (smaller contact patch on the straight).

I run 190's on the street, and obviously the 180 on the race track for better handling in the turns.
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'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike

twista

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posted March 18, 2007 11:58 PM

now the 55 in 190/55/17 is the height correct,, what do you notice versus the 50?
as far as handling characteristics,, i just read a guy say his bike looked like a car tire was on it with the 60 so he went to 55 and all is OK..
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Hells Dark Lord

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posted March 19, 2007 01:02 AM

55vs. 50 the 55 is a tad taller, exactally how much varies from brand to brand of tires, and even models with in a brand. The 55 will make a bike turn in faster than a 50 IF you arent making suspension adjustments. this is due to the increased ride height in the rear, this can however also make the bike twitchy, as it sharpens the sterring angle.....so everything is a trade off, I ran a Scotts sterring damper, so it help with the twitch, which wasnt bad, oly slighty more noticeable than with a 55. I tried a 180/55 on my bike once and just didnt like the feel of it at all, some guys swear by them though. with the 190/55 and some suspension tweak my 12 handled very well, but that is relative. It handled well compared to other 12's I rode, but was still a slug compared to my ZX10....
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GUNNER

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posted March 19, 2007 12:19 PM

HDL.............What are you running on your 10R ?
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12r1

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posted March 19, 2007 02:52 PM

Edited By: 12r1 on 19 Mar 2007 15:55

quote:
now the 55 in 190/55/17 is the height correct,, what do you notice versus the 50?
as far as handling characteristics,, i just read a guy say his bike looked like a car tire was on it with the 60 so he went to 55 and all is OK..

LOL....I'm the car tire guy...
I''ve never tried a 55, But I'm sure it would be fine, since I liked the Dunlop 209 190/60 take-off's I ran last year. Did'nt mean to scare ya, but it did look huge on there! My 12 handled best ever, with those tires. Almost like a liter bike..
Just make sure to warm em up before any hard cornering!! A quick throttle-smokie, out of my driveway, always did the trick.Neighbors don't care for that, much...
I may try a used 180, for the lighter weight. My 150lb Boosa buddy busts my balls constantly..

Jeff

twista

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posted March 19, 2007 06:37 PM

Ha,, right on,, guys i appreciate all the input,, no where better than here to get the best real hands on info! i hope you dont hate me .. but after all the brain picking,, i found a set
190/50/17-120/70/17 Bridgestone Bt-014s for $175.00 Shipped,, its either that or a set of Pilot Powers,, NON CT2s,, for $225.00 shipped ,, the BTs have 302 miles on them,, the powers are new.. decisions , decisions.........
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blitzkrieg

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posted March 19, 2007 09:15 PM

I've done 200 (original Dunlop and SUCKED), 180 (Micky M2 Race - liked it a lot but the bike felt pitchy in the tight twisties) and 190 (both Perelli and Micky).

All I'll say about your choices are Michelins are hard to beat. The only other tire I would consider from experience when pushed hard are Pirelli's.

Of course everybody has an opinion on tires (just like oil) and for all you know I ride a Schwinn.