Anyone run a car tire??

[TDawg]

I don't. I think those extensions look ridiculous, especially on a street bike. - If you're drag racing, sure, but on a street bike? C'mon...

My bike is lowered 1" at the front and raised 1" at the rear. The handling is much improved, I tell you!

I know what you are saying, and rspect your opinion, when I get my busa, i probably wont stretch it, I like the looks of a stock busa, but it has to be lowered, Im only 5'6"

[GMbusa]

I think if you have a big touring bike and all you do is open highway riding, a car tire might not be a bad choice. But, for all other types of riding I would use a MC tire.

[Poppy]

There are definite benefits to running a car tire on a touring bike or cruiser, not a sport bike though. That is a recipe for disaster.

Economics come into the equation but mostly it's about improved stability on the larger bikes. I'm referring to the 800+ lb. bikes, not the little 300 -400+ lb. sport bikes. I'm currently running a car tire on the rear of my Nomad but I would not even consider putting one on the Busa. Not a significant difference other than more tread on the road, better hiway stability, better pulling my trailer, etc...It's not cheaper initially as the tire I chose cost ~$160. I do expect to get about 15k-20k miles from the tire. As far as cornering, just keep believing they can't corner. They can and do. Try going to any of the darkside sites and read some of the information and you might change your perspective. Nothing wrong with being open minded about things you're not familiar with. Lots of folks say it can't be done....it can. Lots of folks say it can't corner....they can and do.

It's not for everyone but I spent over a year reading everything, pro and con, researching, etc. and decided to give it a try. I like it but can always go back to a MC tire too.

[Fastfrog007]

i think that bike in the pic looks dumb. i mean, if you have the money sure, but for the restof us who just wanna ride i think it is a waste of time puttin that huge tire on a bike that is ment for agility and speed. i would hate to have that tire jumpin around while i slow down from 150+mph.
christ, could that tire even be used for speed??

Its a Hoosier dirt raceing tire, so i think it would hold up, but something else would certainly break

[red1100cc]

i think there is merrit in going to the darkside. car tires have 20-50,000mi warentees, motorcycle tires have none. why is that?
i think a car tire would probably make a good touring tire. i hang out on the nakedgoldwing forum, and its those fellas that put "the darkside" into my vocabulary. i will admit i have thought about trying one on the Busa, but i havent. i like my Q2's alot at the moment.
might be fun to do burnouts with a 50,000mi tire

i say go for it! give it a try, let us know how it goes.

[rmodel65]

i think there is merrit in going to the darkside. car tires have 20-50,000mi warentees, motorcycle tires have none. why is that?
i think a car tire would probably make a good touring tire. i hang out on the nakedgoldwing forum, and its those fellas that put "the darkside" into my vocabulary. i will admit i have thought about trying one on the Busa, but i havent. i like my Q2's alot at the moment.
might be fun to do burnouts with a 50,000mi tire

i say go for it! give it a try, let us know how it goes.

well i ordered a set of michelins...the pilot road2's so were gonna see how long those last...i wouldnt mind going darkside on the Busa most of my driving is just plain commuting and living in south GA there are not many turns in these parts but i hope to have acquired a cruiser sometime next year im been dreaming over a Rocket 3 Roadster and id definitely go darkside on it after the stock tires wore out and i imagine the extra grip would be nice with a 2300cc bike

[strobe]

There are definite benefits to running a car tire on a touring bike or cruiser, not a sport bike though. That is a recipe for disaster.

Economics come into the equation but mostly it's about improved stability on the larger bikes. I'm referring to the 800+ lb. bikes, not the little 300 -400+ lb. sport bikes. I'm currently running a car tire on the rear of my Nomad but I would not even consider putting one on the Busa. Not a significant difference other than more tread on the road, better hiway stability, better pulling my trailer, etc...It's not cheaper initially as the tire I chose cost ~$160. I do expect to get about 15k-20k miles from the tire. As far as cornering, just keep believing they can't corner. They can and do. Try going to any of the darkside sites and read some of the information and you might change your perspective. Nothing wrong with being open minded about things you're not familiar with. Lots of folks say it can't be done....it can. Lots of folks say it can't corner....they can and do.

It's not for everyone but I spent over a year reading everything, pro and con, researching, etc. and decided to give it a try. I like it but can always go back to a MC tire too.

+1

Poppy hit it exactly. I also ran one on the my Nomad and could keep up with pretty much anyone I rode with so cornering is not an issue. Would I ever put one on my Busa? Not in a million years. The lean angles that sport bikes are capable of makes it completely unsuitable IMHO. I read all the site like Poppy and made the choice to go that way, but that was on a very, very different machine!

[pashnit]

??????

What he said.

[VIPER]

lol...that last nike looks absolutly stupid. And as far as the car tires go why..... Also you arent going to tell me a car tires is going to outhandle a buike tire. I will race anyone through the twisties who has a car tire and bet pinks with confidence.

[Troppo]

What an amazing thread.....

Car tyres on a stock Busa....now I have really heard it all....

[red1100cc]

i have seen alot of rocket 3's with car tires. the owners seem to swear by them.
gotta admit getting 20,000+ miles on a tire would be nice

[Rainbow7]

@ Pashnit

Or this:

Frankly, I'm surprised that bike can even move. I bet the subframe has some structural damage!

[Commuta_Busa]

hmmmm airplane tires are rated for severe loads, speeds, and are built to last... I guess that would be the darkest side and would out last a car tire anyday.

[CWCobra]

Lots of people run them on cruisers.

I suspect their wondrous proclamations concerning how great car tires are no more than a combination of slow riding, an inability to lean their bikes, a stubborn, "I don't care how much sense you make I'm gonna do what I want" pigheadedness, all mixed with a tightwad's cheapness.

If that description fits you, and it fits many here on the .Org, than by all means give it a whirl, and if that description doesn't fit, there are many sport touring tires and more than a few threads on the .Org to help you in your decision.

cheers
ken

Guilty as charged.

I run a "car" tire on the rear of my VTX 1300, and am very happy with it. I have 15,000 miles on it, with no noticeable wear. Stopping power is far superior to a "bike" tire, and handling and cornering are the same.
HOWEVER, the VTX is a cruiser. It doesn't go fast; it doesn't corner well. I dragged by footboards in turns BEFORE the "car" tire, and I still drag them. In any event, I WOULD NEVER consider using a "car" tire on a sport bike.

In closing, I submit that there is no such thing as a "car" tire. A tire is a tire is a tire. If it is mounted on a car, then maybe it's a "car" tire. If it's mounted on a truck, it's a truck tire. If it's mounted on a trailer, it's a trailer tire.
And if it's mounted on my VTX, it's a cruiser tire. So there!

CW

[celticBandit]

This is joke.......right?

[Merlot]

Why would anyone in the right mind fix a car tyre?The name of it tells it all.Its meant for a car

[Commuta_Busa]

so why are there motorcycle tires, trailer tires, truck tires, industrial tires, airplane tires if they're really all the same? There's more specifics that go into each tire catagory. A car tire can't handle the load or heat that an industrial application requires so they use indistrial tires. Car tires aren't designed for agressive camber angles like a motorcycle tire. I wouldn't want to see the results of a longhaul trucker slapping on car tires on his rig even if he's just bob tailing.

A car tire does have a higher load rating and heat rating than a motorcycle tire so at least you're not creating a higher risk while going in a straight line. As soon as you lean the car tire on it's edge does raise other issues. Also that increased mass makes your brake system work that much harder to stop rotation.

The pro is yes, a car tire will last longer than a motorcycle tire. All though if you get a true touring motorcycle tire could last for 30k of highway riding.

In closing, I submit that there is no such thing as a "car" tire. A tire is a tire is a tire. If it is mounted on a car, then maybe it's a "car" tire. If it's mounted on a truck, it's a truck tire. If it's mounted on a trailer, it's a trailer tire.
And if it's mounted on my VTX, it's a cruiser tire. So there!

CW

[Poppy]

Guilty as charged.

I run a "car" tire on the rear of my VTX 1300, and am very happy with it. I have 15,000 miles on it, with no noticeable wear. Stopping power is far superior to a "bike" tire, and handling and cornering are the same.
HOWEVER, the VTX is a cruiser. It doesn't go fast; it doesn't corner well. I dragged by footboards in turns BEFORE the "car" tire, and I still drag them. In any event, I WOULD NEVER consider using a "car" tire on a sport bike.

In closing, I submit that there is no such thing as a "car" tire. A tire is a tire is a tire. If it is mounted on a car, then maybe it's a "car" tire. If it's mounted on a truck, it's a truck tire. If it's mounted on a trailer, it's a trailer tire.
And if it's mounted on my VTX, it's a cruiser tire. So there!

CW

The car tire works very well on the VTX. What amazes me with responses is the tendency to make personal insults a part of their non-informed replies. It's apparent that some of the responders have zero knowledge on the subject of car tires on motorcycles. Seems to be typical...unfortunately.

[Poppy]

+1

Poppy hit it exactly. I also ran one on the my Nomad and could keep up with pretty much anyone I rode with so cornering is not an issue. Would I ever put one on my Busa? Not in a million years. The lean angles that sport bikes are capable of makes it completely unsuitable IMHO. I read all the site like Poppy and made the choice to go that way, but that was on a very, very different machine!

Thanks! As you know, the Nomad performs really well with a car tire. Hayabusa....no.

[pashnit]

Seems to be typical...unfortunately.

Welcome to forum usage. Now that's funny!