Front vs Rear Tire Wear

[K_Flyer]

Yes, I did try searching but found everything except what I was looking for! On all of our BMW's, the rear tire would wear quicker than the front. This was the case with various Michelins, Z6's and Z8's. Typically with the Z6, the rear would last just less than 6 k and the front between 8 and 9 k. However, on the FJR's, the front goes well before the rear by about 1 to 2 k. This was the case with the original OEM tires and the Z8's I put on my bike. At 6232 miles, the front is down to 1.7mm tread and the rear is still over 3mm. Front is at 37 psi, rear at 43. I tried higher in the front after reading some of the posts here but did not like the way the bike handled. Yes, I know they put more rubber on the rear tire than on the front but that is the same case for the ones on the BMW and on the FJR.

I'm not interested in extreme mileage; performance in the wet and dry is more important. I found the Z8's a significant improvement in handling so, if I change tires, I'd likely go to the Metzeler 01's.

What's your experience?

 

[Pterodactyl]

I get 50-75% more mileage out of a front tire (except for when I'm running a car tire on the rear). Very similar to the R1200RT and R1200R that I had.

 

[101stpathfinder]

Rear wear is much faster for me. I ride much of my time on slabs and major hwys and get about a 33% higher mileage rate on the front.

I used to watch the wear bars and tread depth, now I can usually gage the tires by sight and mileage. IMO The fronts appear to wear faster

but actually have much more to give. Cut open a few tires and you will understand that tire companies create wear bars that call for replacement

long before they need to be replaced. I understand the "Safety First", but sometimes riding conditions will allow wearing the tires down further.

If I rode more technical roads perhaps I would replace mine quicker.

 

[RossKean]

I almost always get more wear out of most front tires than rear tires. Maybe two fronts for three rear. Depends on the tire and where/how I am riding. Lately, I have been using a Bridgestone T30 front and a Michelin PR2 rear (x2) but I see similar ratios with most tires. I have tried the following where I changed both at the same time with same brand F and R - Pirelli Angel GT (x1), Michelin PR2 (x3), Michelin PR3 (x1), Continental Conti-motion (x1), Dunlop Roadsmart (x1). I think the Roadsmart front wore out before the rear but this was the original version of this tire when I first got the bike. Front and rear on the Continental went at about the same time IIRC. I have used a Metzeler Z8 front but never a rear. Next up is a pair of Bridgestone T30 GT EVO. I find myself doing some mixing and matching to use up tires between longer trips.

The big exception is when you use a car tire for the rear - it will last for about 8 front tires! (I did run car tires for 40,000 miles or so but the cheapness does not make up for the loss in riding enjoyment.)

 

[HotRodZilla]

I always get more miles out of the front also. It looks like you're just not running enough air in your front. I know you said you don't like the handling with higher pressures, but you're going to have to figure out where you want to trade off.

If you think the front gets too harsh with higher pressure, try reducing the forks' compression by a couple clicks. I run 41 front and 43 rear, so really, the only difference is the 4 lbs of pressure in the front. It's crazy that 4 lbs makes any difference at all. I love the way my bike feels with the higher pressures, but different folks...

Honestly, I'd increase front pressure and adjust the suspension. I think you'll find what you're looking for.

 

[Oublaj]

I have been riding for over 40 years, owned at least 20 different bikes, road raced for 10 years and have never had a front tire wear out before the rear. On average it is 2 rears to one front for me.

 

[K_Flyer]

Hmm. Lots of good information. Think I might try a bit higher pressure in the front. I have the ES so cannot tweak the suspension as with the A. BTW, Theresa went through her OEM front tire in 4 k. However the suspension was as from the factory. After reading Ashe's treatise on suspension adjustment, she adjusted everything to his spec. The bike handles a lot better (She hated it before.) and the replacement tire is wearing much better.

Ideally, both front and rear would wear at the same rate so both can be replaced at the same time.

 

[escapefjrtist]

My fronts generally always last longer than rears, approximately 1-1/2 to 1 although I have eaten up fronts and rears at different intervals.

As others have mentioned, increased tire pressure helps to even out the wear, but too, your riding style dictates how hard you are on the front tire. Hard corner charging and late braking will lead to greatly increased wear. Although she loves to dance, the FJR is still a big girl!

--G

 

[wetwolf]

Although she loves to dance, the FJR is still a big girl!
--G

Yeah, and top heavy. Sometimes ya gotta love that in a gal. I've only had the FJR for 5000 miles. New rubber this year. Chicken strip on the rear is 1/8, on the front 1/2. WTF!!! I'm still gettin used to pushing this bike hard. The Bandit,,,,,150 lbs lighter and has a different mission in life.

Oh yeah, we were talking about tires, weren't we? 1.5 to 2 rears for every front.

Bruce

 

[RichDoyle]

It's interesting that this topic should come up. I just replaced both the original Bridgestones after about 11,500 miles. I always ran 42PSI front and back. The rear tire was just barely to the wear bars. The front tire had merely a suggestion that it once had tread. But no cupping or weird wear had ever shown itself on either tire.

It may be worth mentioning that almost all my riding winds up being a sedate 60-65 MPH or below. This is due to the reality of the roads I do 97% of my riding on. The nearest interstate is like 3 hours away, so it's rural two-lane which almost never has a speed limit above 55. Now why this should cause this unexpected wear differential I have no clue. I just mention it because I suspect it's a different experience from most of youse guys.

 

[wetwolf]

My riding is anything but sedate. I tend to cruise in the 80-90mph range and regularly get into triple digits. Yesterdays 150 mile ride was half 30-40 mph twisties and the other half 100 mph sweepers.

 

[RossKean]

I think aggressive riding is harder on rear tires than on front although both front and rear go away a lot quicker when pushing things a bit.

 

[K_Flyer]

...your riding style dictates how hard you are on the front tire. Hard corner charging and late braking will lead to greatly increased wear. Although she loves to dance, the FJR is still a big girl!
--G

Hmm. The FJR is a much sportier ride than the '07 K1200GT. We are both riding more aggressively than before and often go out on some local twisties for a few hours of fun. We don't charge away from stop signs or lights so that would help the rear tire life. Both tires wear evenly, with no cupping or feathering.

When I get the new tires, I'll up the front pressure and see if I can find a setup that I like.

 

[Spud]

Although she loves to dance, the FJR is still a big girl!
--G

Yeah, and top heavy. Sometimes ya gotta love that in a gal. I've only had the FJR for 5000 miles. New rubber this year. Chicken strip on the rear is 1/8, on the front 1/2. WTF!!! I'm still gettin used to pushing this bike hard. The Bandit,,,,,150 lbs lighter and has a different mission in life.

Oh yeah, we were talking about tires, weren't we? 1.5 to 2 rears for every front.

Bruce

My experience is in line with others--probably 1.5 or 2 to 1 wearing out rear to front. I have a great local shop that mounts tires for me for $15 and puts on anything I bring in so I do the mix and match game with older take offs. Right now I have an old T30 on the rear and an older RS2 on the front; have a new set of T30's ready to mount later this spring.

BTW about those chicken strips -- you can lose them on the rear depending on tire (on a 180, not on a 190); on the front you'll be on the ground before they are gone FYI...

 

[wetwolf]

Although she loves to dance, the FJR is still a big girl!
--G

Yeah, and top heavy. Sometimes ya gotta love that in a gal. I've only had the FJR for 5000 miles. New rubber this year. Chicken strip on the rear is 1/8, on the front 1/2. WTF!!! I'm still gettin used to pushing this bike hard. The Bandit,,,,,150 lbs lighter and has a different mission in life.

Oh yeah, we were talking about tires, weren't we? 1.5 to 2 rears for every front.

Bruce

My experience is in line with others--probably 1.5 or 2 to 1 wearing out rear to front. I have a great local shop that mounts tires for me for $15 and puts on anything I bring in so I do the mix and match game with older take offs. Right now I have an old T30 on the rear and an older RS2 on the front; have a new set of T30's ready to mount later this spring.

BTW about those chicken strips -- you can lose them on the rear depending on tire (on a 180, not on a 190); on the front you'll be on the ground before they are gone FYI...

Thats kinda what I figured.

 

[ogopogo]

Yes, I did try searching but found everything except what I was looking for! On all of our BMW's, the rear tire would wear quicker than the front. This was the case with various Michelins, Z6's and Z8's. Typically with the Z6, the rear would last just less than 6 k and the front between 8 and 9 k. However, on the FJR's, the front goes well before the rear by about 1 to 2 k. This was the case with the original OEM tires and the Z8's I put on my bike. At 6232 miles, the front is down to 1.7mm tread and the rear is still over 3mm. Front is at 37 psi, rear at 43. I tried higher in the front after reading some of the posts here but did not like the way the bike handled. Yes, I know they put more rubber on the rear tire than on the front but that is the same case for the ones on the BMW and on the FJR.
I'm not interested in extreme mileage; performance in the wet and dry is more important. I found the Z8's a significant improvement in handling so, if I change tires, I'd likely go to the Metzeler 01's.

What's your experience?

My experience is similar to yours, and this is the first bike where the front wore out first. I can't remember exactly, but the stock front tire was well shot at under 10k km, rear at about 16k km. The replacement Pilot Power 3 on the front still has good tread at 24k km, and it may even outlast the replacement rear Conti Motion. But that Pilot Power is cupped enough I can feel it when braking hard, and seems to have poorer traction than the original. I do ride a lot of twisty roads fairly aggressively. I'll be installing new Conti Motions front and back this summer, and it will be interesting to see if I return to wearing out the front first.

 

[RossKean]

I tried a set of Conti Motion and although the tires handled better than I expected (for a cheap tire), I did not find they lasted as long as the Bridgestones (T30) or Michelins (PR2). I'm a little surprised you got 24,000 km (15,000 mi) out of a Pilot Power 3 front.

 

[ogopogo]

I tried a set of Conti Motion and although the tires handled better than I expected (for a cheap tire), I did not find they lasted as long as the Bridgestones (T30) or Michelins (PR2). I'm a little surprised you got 24,000 km (15,000 mi) out of a Pilot Power 3 front.

That was some unclear writing on my part. The original front was replaced around 10k km. The bike now has 24 total, so the Pilot Power 3 has lasted 14k km so far. I think it will be getting replaced before the tread is gone, due to the cupping. As for the Conti Motions, the one on the back seems to be lasting about the same as the original equipment.

 

[puppychow]

I will echo the almost 2 rears to 1 front. PR2 or T30-GT