mixing tires on bike

[Herrindude]

I have dunlops front and back on my bike and after having a flat last weekend i noticed as i was plugging the hole that i only have about 1/16 of tread left and the front still looks new. So i am shopping around and found an article about the dangers of mixing tire brands. I want a metzer 888 tire for the back for longevity. The article said not to mix radial and bias. Is this a bad idea and why?

[Doc_V]

it's not good because different tires have different profiles [ the curve of the tire] and differing sidewall stiffness. So you may get a feeling the front and rear are doing different things when cornering or during emergency maneuvers. That said, lots of guys put car tires on the back and have no problems. It's recommended not to mix but if you have no choice, just take it easy for a while until you get used to the difference. FYI, both the stock Dunlops and Bridgestones that come from the factory are crap. 888s are good long lasting tires. If you can afford it, you'd be happier if you did both.

[Shores]

I got 19K front and rear from my first set of 880s and 12K from the 888s but they were changed prematurely due to valve failure. Tons of folks here like the Michelin Commander IIs but they don’t come in white walls. Dunlop’s are crap! Best not to mix. Just monitor your PSI so you get even wear. Don’t just run a specific PSI cuz someone says to.

[davej]

Now see my opinion is just the opposite. I haven't had a matched brand front/rear tire since the original tires were changed and have no issues whatsoever. I have a Dunlop Cruisemax on the rear and love it. In fact that is the only tire I will ever buy for the rear. I also wouldn't EVER use a Metzler tire because of the issues they have had in the past with blowing big chunks of rubber off the tread area of the tire. It was mostly the 880's but there HAVE been members reports of the same issue with the 888's just not as common as the 880's but still prone to happen. Some may use them without a problem but I don't want to be on my bike at 75mph and be the one that blows the big chunk of tread from the tread.

[Scrap]

I run Pirelli 130 on the front and Bridgestone 180 on the rear. Never had a problem mixing tyre brands on the roadstar (110k kilometres)

[Doc_V]

It depends on where you live and what kind riding you do. If you live in the midwest or somewhere without lots of mountainous twisty roads, I'd say it's much less of issue. And if you prefer longevity over handling, it's less of an issue. However, if you spend a lot of time carving up twisty mountain roads at a spirited pace, then it's more likely to matter.

If we're taking about personal preference, I'll never run another Dunlop or Bridgestone again, even if you gave it to me for free. I prefer the Shinko 777 HD for their superior handling and performance characteristics. They stick like glue. They literally transformed my R* and they're the least expensive tire on the market, however, if you know anything about racing tires, the stickier they are, the shorter their lifespan. It's a trade off. A couple have had issues with vibration at high speeds on the freeway, but I just add extra liquid tire balancer/sealer and problem solved.

I now have the Metzler 888, and they have held up well, but I absolutely hated them for the first 300 miles, and they really didn't settle down until 1000. They're fine now, but I'll definitely go back to Shinko 777 HDs when this set is done. Handling and responsiveness are my top priorities. I want the bike to be like an extension of me, and respond as such, I don't like having to worry about overcoming the handling characteristics of a tire and having to constantly be alert to what the tires might do. But that's just me and I came from the sport bike world.

As always, YMMV. Ride safe.

[RonK]

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Some new bikes apparently come from the OEM with mixed radial/bias. I run mixed with a radial rear car tire and a rear m.t. bias Michelin Comm. II on the front. I now have 27,000 on that front and have about 5-6,000 miles left on it.

I don't ride real hard, however, and although I corner at moderate speeds (a little less than dragging floorboard), more of my riding is in moderate curvy and straight back roads.

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