Multi compound tire wear

[camos]

A while ago in a discussion on tires BlueSky mentioned a concern that tires constructed with a harder compound in the middle and a softer compound on the edges would wear to a point... of sorts. I tried to find that post but gave up and decided to make a new one.

 

Here are some pix of an E3 that is worn to the wear bars. As can be seen there is no excessive wear either on the edges or in the middle. Indicating that multi compound tires are a good thing and will give a tire an extended life by not wearing out prematurely in one area.

 

 

It should be noted that I am not an extreme carver of corners so for those who are more aggressive a bit more wear might be expected on the edges.

[retrostude]

That would be better than squaring off like my Metzeler has... and I do like corners.

 

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[retrostude]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161118/20105267c195114b4c82439e756f33f2.jpg

 

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[BlueSky]

The tire was on the front of a 2004 Kawasaki Concours when I bought it and the edges were worn leaving a 1" wide strip of rubber down the middle. It was a sport tourer bike and may have been ridden like a sport bike. The narrow strip on the front contributed to the tippiness of the bike. The old concours may be the hardest to ride at low speed of any bike due to the high cog (7.5 gallon tank mounted up top) and that tire made it much worse. New tires made a huge difference in how hard it was to control at low speed. Those are very reliable, fun bikes to ride. I dropped it on my foot breaking a bone and after getting blood clots in my lower leg my wife wanted me to sell it and I eventually did.

[WildBill1]

A while ago in a discussion on tires BlueSky mentioned a concern that tires constructed with a harder compound in the middle and a softer compound on the edges would wear to a point... of sorts. I tried to find that post but gave up and decided to make a new one.

 

Here are some pix of an E3 that is worn to the wear bars. As can be seen there is no excessive wear either on the edges or in the middle. Indicating that multi compound tires are a good thing and will give a tire an extended life by not wearing out prematurely in one area.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=107819

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=107820

 

It should be noted that I am not an extreme carver of corners so for those who are more aggressive a bit more wear might be expected on the edges.

 

 

I see a lot more ware in the middle of the tire myself.

[BlueSky]

If I remember correctly, that front tire was a Bridgestone Battlax BT021. I'm sure a lot depends on how much difference there is in the hardness of the two rubber compounds. This particular tire is a high performance tire and probably had a really soft compound on the sides of the tread. A dual compound tire may be ideal for the rear, but I don't think I would buy one for the front.

[camos]

I see a lot more ware in the middle of the tire myself.

Yes, there is more wear in the middle. My riding is mostly back roads with a little on the highway and, as mentioned, I am not a terror in the corners. I think the wear pattern looks good for getting the most out of a tire.

 

If I remember correctly, that front tire was a Bridgestone Battlax BT021. I'm sure a lot depends on how much difference there is in the hardness of the two rubber compounds. This particular tire is a high performance tire and probably had a really soft compound on the sides of the tread. A dual compound tire may be ideal for the rear, but I don't think I would buy one for the front.

So I would say that would indeed depend on how the dual compound was combined in the tire. As can be seen on my E3 there is no issue with having a dual compound tire on the front. As with so much, a lot depends on the brand you are buying.

[CaseyJ955]

That would be better than squaring off like my Metzeler has... and I do like corners.

 

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Ive had the Metzlers on both my Venture and Vmax and not only did they square off but they all show severe feathering. I just hung E3s on my Venture with 0 miles so far. I'm optimistic that they will wear better.

[retrostude]

The Metzelers were like new on a parts bike but 8+ years old so I decided to use them up. Have a brand new set of Shinko 230s from another parts bike set to put on. I like the Shinkos but they wear quicker.

 

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[camos]

Ive had the Metzlers on both my Venture and Vmax and not only did they square off but they all show severe feathering. I just hung E3s on my Venture with 0 miles so far. I'm optimistic that they will wear better.

No matter how much we like carving corners, we all spend more time riding on the center than on the edges. Squaring off is likely due to a single compound tread which would naturally wear off more in the center than on the edge. Having a harder compound in the middle to take the extra wear caused by upright highway riding should be beneficial to evening out the wear pattern.

 

No claim to be an expert here but it is my understanding that feathering on a four wheeler is caused by excessive camber, primarily due to suspension issues. I don't know how that relates to a motorcycle since when we go around a corner we are inducing excessive camber. I have been wondering whether tire pressure has anything to do with it.

Then again, perhaps it is your fault because you are too often riding too fast in circles.

[CaseyJ955]

No matter how much we like carving corners, we all spend more time riding on the center than on the edges. Squaring off is likely due to a single compound tread which would naturally wear off more in the center than on the edge. Having a harder compound in the middle to take the extra wear caused by upright highway riding should be beneficial to evening out the wear pattern.

 

No claim to be an expert here but it is my understanding that feathering on a four wheeler is caused by excessive camber, primarily due to suspension issues. I don't know how that relates to a motorcycle since when we go around a corner we are inducing excessive camber. I have been wondering whether tire pressure has anything to do with it.

Then again, perhaps it is your fault because you are too often riding too fast in circles.

 

On a cage, feathering can be camber or toe in resulting from any number of issues, inside or outside shoulder wear or feathering can tell some real stories about a cage. On a bike feathering is the result of under inflation in my experience, assuming forks and shocks are in decent shape there should be no excessive cupping or feathering. I believe the Metzlers are just really crappy tires, looking at them and their compound next to the Dunlops, it's night and day. The Metzlers on my Venture were so badly feathered the bike would howl with any lean angle. I had never heard of that happening until I learned about it on this forum. It was so bad that by the time I got the bike home after purchase (300mi) I thought it had a tattered wheel bearing or something. For squaring off, it's sort of expected. I do a lot of open roads with 85+mph and that takes a fair amount of torque to keep a bike moving at that speed, it erases the tires vs. doing 65mph.

 

I'll have to watch the circles and see how these Dunlop E3s wear

[BlueSky]

Yes, there is more wear in the middle. My riding is mostly back roads with a little on the highway and, as mentioned, I am not a terror in the corners. I think the wear pattern looks good for getting the most out of a tire.

 

So I would say that would indeed depend on how the dual compound was combined in the tire. As can be seen on my E3 there is no issue with having a dual compound tire on the front. As with so much, a lot depends on the brand you are buying.

 

I didn't realize that you could get an E3 dual compound front tire. The information I've seen says that dual compound is only available on the rear.

[camos]

I didn't realize that you could get an E3 dual compound front tire. The information I've seen says that dual compound is only available on the rear.

I have always thought the E3's were dual compound, long before the MT designation showed up on their site. I went to the Dunlop site for confirmation and found on the spec chart that only the rear tire is multi-tread so, you appear to be right.

 

Now I have no explanation why my favourite tire wears so well.

[VentureFar]

I am now changing out my rear E3 on my 2nd gen -

Here is how the tires stacked up

8000 on Metzler 880

8600 on Metzler 888

5000 on crappy Shinko

12,000 on Dunlop E3 ! and just now ALMOST hitting the wear bar.

 

Guess what I am buying again, yup, E3

VentureFar...

[BratmanXj]

I am now changing out my rear E3 on my 2nd gen -

Here is how the tires stacked up

8000 on Metzler 880

8600 on Metzler 888

5000 on crappy Shinko

12,000 on Dunlop E3 ! and just now ALMOST hitting the wear bar.

 

Guess what I am buying again, yup, E3

VentureFar...

 

I'd like to know what model Shinko? I ran a 230 Tourmaster on the rear for the past 2 years and had probably 8k-9k miles on it as a mildly agressive rider, the tire stuck great dry or rain (even some snow). While I agree the Dunlop E3 is a far superior tire, it costs 2-3 times as much as I pay for my Shinko.

[baylensman]

I'd like to know what model Shinko? I ran a 230 Tourmaster on the rear for the past 2 years and had probably 8k-9k miles on it as a mildly agressive rider, the tire stuck great dry or rain (even some snow). While I agree the Dunlop E3 is a far superior tire, it costs 2-3 times as much as I pay for my Shinko.

I don't think the E3 is quite twice the price of the Shinko more like 1 and half time if you shop it. I will say this i'm very aggressive rider and a big boy (282# yesterday) The Shinko 777 i've had on for the past 2000 miles still looks brand new! the last E3 got me right at 5000 miles before the wear bars and center tread were the same.

 

Check you tire descriptions carefully Shinko's make the correct size tire for the rear in several load ratings get the highest number available. A lot of times on line retailers make a "deal" with an importer or wholesaler and will buy 1 big lot of "cheaper" or lower rated tires for a sale or promotion. In other words the $90.00 NAMELER OF NAMEELIN tire may not be the same as what you had last time.

[VentureFar]

I'd like to know what model Shinko? I ran a 230 Tourmaster on the rear for the past 2 years and had probably 8k-9k miles on it as a mildly agressive rider, the tire stuck great dry or rain (even some snow). While I agree the Dunlop E3 is a far superior tire, it costs 2-3 times as much as I pay for my Shinko.

 

I don't remember the last shinko model. I will try to find it in an old thread.

VentureFar. ..

[jasonm.]

hello ...after nearly 100k on my '87. I have had Avons for a many years. But started experiencing on the last set, low mileage from the rear and the front just not giving me a good feel. I am 190# with gear on, rear suspension @ 23#(5# higher than recommended) gives smooth and controlled ride...+ I ride scraping the saddlebag trim... No slouch. Yes I have progressive front springs. I have found the best set up to be the E3 in Front(32psi) an Mich. Commander2(38psi). The commander aids in turning with it's "more rounded" profile compared to the Dunlop E3 rear. My front has 8k on it with at least 3/32 before the wear bar. The rear has 12k and just about 3/32 left before wear bar. This is the best overall set up I found with my 28 years.