Subject: Tire Thoughts
Author: Tom Bowes
Date: Nov 8, 2001, 5:04 AM
Post ID: 1708832306
A few thoughts on tires I have known......I had been initially running
the Dunlop K177 120/90-18 Wide Whitewall, fronts, on both the front and
rear of my Ambo. These have a very soft compound and tremendous grip,
but the downside is that the rear tire was all but shot after only 4000
miles. I have since switched over to the Maxxis Classic 120/90-18
(front)on the rear. I have put about 1000 miles on it so far and am
pleased with its performance. The Maxxis has a narrower profile than the
Dunlop, which improves that handling a bit. It also seems to be made of
a slightly harder compound, which I hope will render a bit more than the
4000 miles the Dunlop delivered.
As far as blackwalls go, I noticed that nobody on the list has mentioned
the Bridgestone S-11 series. I have a few friends who are using these
and swear by them. Don Kuwik has been running them on his T-3 and
regularly get 8000-10000 out of the rear tire. The fronts go even
longer, about 12000 if I recall properly. Gary Cheek has been running
them in a 110 front and 120 rear combination (again, if I recall
correctly) and has had excellent results as well. He has about 5000
miles on his rear tire now and it hardly shows any wear.
These tires also have the added benefit of being a dual compound type,
which means that the center is harder (longer wearing)than the sides.
Hence, you get the best of both worlds, little wear on the interstates
and plenty of grip for the twisties. I have watched Gary run right
alongside of another friend's Ducati on twisty roads, the undersides of
his Eldorado scraping pavement and making more sparks than a fourth of
July fireworks display, and those "skinny" Bridgestones hanging on every
bit as tenaciously as the fat tires on the Duc. They also have the added
advantage of being very cheap. I just bought a pair of them from
Chaparral (for my G5)for less than $125, shipped. Not bad when you get a
pair of name brand tires for "chicken skin" prices.
My two cents worth.
Tom
'70 (July '69) Ambassador
'82 V50-III
'80 G5
Shelby Township, Michigan