Tire choice

jentzschman

jentzschman

Well-Known Member
Location
Sandy, Utah
I will be in the market for some new tires in the near future for my 99 yz250. Brian threw in a rear tire that is about half worn or so, therefor I will not a rear one immediately, but I am gathering this information for down the road.

How do I interpret the Intermediate/Hard, Soft/intermediate, soft, intermediate, and hard Terrain Tire variations?

Not sure if it's that big a deal as I am no pro rider, but thought it worth asking to see if it does make a difference on the type of tire.

I plan on AFC type conditions as well as (as best I can foresee) rocky type trails such as the orange trail I did at San Rafael Swell a few weeks back and 5MP type riding condition.

Also, is it best to keep the same brand tire front and rear or does that matter?

Thanks for any advice.
 
I think you and Steve make a cute couple.




-But, to answer your question.. What ever free tire you get from the South Valley tire pile, or from a buddies tire stash is the right tire. :D
 
They have a pile of trash tires out back. You can almost always find a couple of decent tires. -That's where the one I gave you came from.


The two of you are always thinking/analysing every detail of everything you do.. Even stuff that is not yet important.. Like a tire you don't yet need. It's cute. If I could nominate 'couple of the year' it would be you guys.
-I don't have the ability to care as much as you do, so maybe I'm just jealous.
 
jeeper said:
They have a pile of trash tires out back. You can almost always find a couple of decent tires. -That's where the one I gave you came from.


The two of you are always thinking/analysing every detail of everything you do.. Even stuff that is not yet important.. Like a tire you don't yet need. It's cute. If I could nominate 'couple of the year' it would be you guys.
-I don't have the ability to care as much as you do, so maybe I'm just jealous.
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Just trying to learn is all...and yes, you should be jealous! :rofl:
 
Pro or not I think good tires are important not saying change them every ride like some people but if they are old, worn and/or brittle change them out asap. I'm really particular about front tires. I'm reminded of that every time I swap bikes with someone and they have a hard, dry rotted, cracked front with chunked off side lugs.....so that's pretty much everyone I ride with lol :rolleyes: Of all the front tires I've ran the IRC VE32 is by far my favorite on anything from mud to highway. I'll probably keep buying those until they stop making them.

Anyway given there are a billion to choose from its hard to make a recommendation. For the trails you mentioned I think an intermediate range tire from a popular brand would be the best bet with a few exceptions. I have found RMATV's star rating to be pretty accurate. Wouldn't hurt to post up if you find a tire(s) you like to see if anyone has had bad experience with it. Good luck,
 
I ran Dunlop 606's and loved them, but they are a dual sport tire, so a little harder.

I had Michelin AC10's as well and they were garbage would not wish those on anyone
 
I have 5 or 6 used tires you're welcome to. They are all dunlops. Most are 756 or geomax 51. I am picky about tires and change them often.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
To me the tires make the ride... It your riding trails find a tire thats balanced best for the trails you are going to ride. You can have the best bike with pro tuned suspension that you spent tons of cash on and if the tire is crap it's all crap. Tires are cheap on the big scale I've probably tried 20 different tires and i know what works for me and my bikes I've had. I will set a tire in storage before I ride something I don't like, maybe a tire I don't like now will be better for somewhere else I ride in the future.
 
Tonkaman said:
Didn't Steve just have a tire thread last week? I'm surfing on my phone, otherwise I'd find it for you.
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Did he? Ooops. If so I apologize for a repost.

Greg said:
Hard tires for soft terrain, soft tires for hard terrain. ;)

Intermediate if you're not sure what you'll be riding.
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Well that takes all the fun our of this thread, no fair! ;)

thefirstzukman said:
To me the tires make the ride... It your riding trails find a tire thats balanced best for the trails you are going to ride. You can have the best bike with pro tuned suspension that you spent tons of cash on and if the tire is crap it's all crap. Tires are cheap on the big scale I've probably tried 20 different tires and i know what works for me and my bikes I've had. I will set a tire in storage before I ride something I don't like, maybe a tire I don't like now will be better for somewhere else I ride in the future.
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Great advice. Had not thought about that scenario.
 
The front tire that came with my bike looked great from a distance. It still had good tread and no chunks, but it was supper dry (as you remember when we tore it off). I had no confidence on my front tire in the swell, it was pretty squirrely. Before choosing a new front tire, I read a bunch of reviews on RMATVMC. I paid more attention to the trail/desert riders from ID, UT, and AZ since their terrain/riding is similar to ours. A MX racer in FL isn't going to want the same tire I want. Brand had zero influence on my decision. I have no issues mis-matching tires front and rear either.

I ended up picking a Pirelli MT16 based off the reviews on rocky mountain. I like it a lot. Not complaints. I don't have enough experience with a million different models of tires, and there are probably better tires out there for our terrain, but it's a night and day improvement over my old rotted tire. I have complete confidence in my front tire now, and I can lean on it without sliding or worrying. The tires happen to be DOT compliant. Supposedly they're the best DOT tire for offroad, but the DOT thing didn't sway me one way or another, I just wanted a good tire. The DOT thing is a bonus.

I will 100% agree with Andrew that a new tire makes a huge difference over a stiff, old tire.
 
Steve, what size and brand is your rear trials? I am still looking for a 18" rear rim but since I am proposing getting away from the stock size, I am not sure what size tire to get, does that make sense? So far it seems like a 4.00x18 is a very common size.
 
There's really only one size trials tire: 18x4.0. It'll sit a little bit taller than your current tire. Some people like to lower their forks in the triple clamp to change the angle back to stock, but I like it.

Both Kyle and I are running a Pirelli MT 43 trials tire. I like it. The Pirellis wear a bit better than most trials tires because they're a little harder. Plus they're DOT, which is nice.


I also have a brand new Michelin trials tire I'll sell you. If you don't want it, no sweat because I want to try it out when this one wears out. I love the michelin trials tires. They're nice and soft and really grippy (though I hear they wear out a bit faster than the Pirellis).
 
sixstringsteve said:
There's really only one size trials tire: 18x4.0. It'll sit a little bit taller than your current tire. Some people like to lower their forks in the triple clamp to change the angle back to stock, but I like it.

Both Kyle and I are running a Pirelli MT 43 trials tire. I like it. The Pirellis wear a bit better than most trials tires because they're a little harder. Plus they're DOT, which is nice.


I also have a brand new Michelin trials tire I'll sell you. If you don't want it, no sweat because I want to try it out when this one wears out. I love the michelin trials tires. They're nice and soft and really grippy (though I hear they wear out a bit faster than the Pirellis).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input.
 
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