PR 3's

[kevinw]

Both of the dealers I spoke to about the wear rate looked at the rear tyre and said the wear looks like an under-inflation issues although I'm quite anal about tyre pressures so they are always run at the recommended 42PSI.

Have you verified the calibration on your pressure gauge? It is easy for a gauge to be off by 3-4 psi and that will make all the difference in the world on tire wear.

Also, hopefully this doesn't need to be said but...

You are setting your tire pressure to 42 psi cold and then not adjusting the pressure later on as the warm up, right?

I've got several tyre pressure gauges, some of them are crap but a couple are quite accurate when compared with each other. The TPMS on the GTR is a good added check as well. Oh and 'right', I may be stupid but I'm not that stupid! :wacko:

Kevin

 

[Fred W]

Well then... The next step is start measuring your tire (tyre?) temperatures. That's really what we are attempting to control with varying cold pressure values. It's what actually effects the wear rate. It may be that the PR3's get hotter for a given pressure and heavier load than some other tires? It may be that you need to run the PR3's at a higher pressure than 42 to get the correct tire temps.

I just recently picked up a nifty Fluke IR thermometer (for work) that will make tire temp measurement super easy. They can be had for < $50 these days.

 

[kevinw]

Well then... The next step is start measuring your tire (tyre?) temperatures. That's really what we are attempting to control with varying cold pressure values. It's what actually effects the wear rate. It may be that the PR3's get hotter for a given pressure and heavier load than some other tires? It may be that you need to run the PR3's at a higher pressure than 42 to get the correct tire temps.

I just recently picked up a nifty Fluke IR thermometer (for work) that will make tire temp measurement super easy. They can be had for < $50 these days.

I wondered about increasing the pressure and suggested it to one of the dealers but I'd really like a response from Michelin first.

I have to confess it hadn't occurred to me to check tyre temperature let alone think about how I would do that or what it should be...assuming there is a 'should be'. It's probably easier just to go back to PR2s although I do prefer the 3s in the wet.

Kevin

 

[HotRodZilla]

I guess I'm gonna see how this all works out. I picked up a set of PR3s yesterday for $272 her in Albuq. That was only about $20 more than a new set of RoadSmarts was gonna cost me, so hopefully the mileage increases enough to justify the cost. If the tire is crap, handles bad, wears too fast, or doesn't stick well, I'll just go back to the RSs. I get almost 7k a set out of those. I'm hoping for 10 from the Michelins.

I always run my RSs at 42 front and 43 rear...I'll run the PR3s the same way.

 

[SkooterG]

I always run my RSs at 42 front and 43 rear...I'll run the PR3s the same way.

Those are good pressures for your FAT ass.

:finger:

 

[Brentman]

Here are some more mileage reference pics for the PR3's. Just over 7K miles on the set. I'm a heavy font braker and weigh in about 200lbs.

These tires do have one heavy loaded 2,500 mile trip this summer.

No pics of the rear because it seems to be wearing just fine.

I did let the pressure get a little low along the way.... Will try to keep these pumped up to get the most out of them.

No steering shake with these tires at all, as was the case with 5k miles on the original Stones.

 

[HotRodZilla]

A little bit of ridge on the front, but that seems to be common with dual-compount fronts. Is the front wearing as well as the rear?

Oh yeah Skooter...Eat a bowl of dicks!

 

[Fred W]

I would bet that some of that scalloping was from when the tire was somewhat under-inflated.

And that central ridge pattern seems to show up on even non-dual compound tires like Pirelli Stradas and Dunlop Roadsmarts (where the front is single compound, rear is dual)

 

[stew71]

Just under 2000 miles on the PR3's and I love 'em. No complaints at all about how they handle the slabs on my daily commute or the Sierra mountain roads on the weekends.

 

[allrider]

All i keep seeing is folks saying they have a few k on em and they look OK. Has anyone put any real miles on a pair of pr3's, or worn out a pair yet? Or are they so good they don't wear out?

 

[kevinw]

Both of the dealers I spoke to about the wear rate looked at the rear tyre and said the wear looks like an under-inflation issues although I'm quite anal about tyre pressures so they are always run at the recommended 42PSI. The last tyre that was taken off has been sent to Michelin for comment so I'll be interested in what they say.

The response from Michelin, by letter, was that it was it was an under-inflation issue so I called them as I'm running the tyres at the pressure Kawasaki recommends. During the long conversation that ensued the Michelin UK technician, Mark, wouldn't recommend that I run them at a higher pressure - "We wouldn't want to recommend anything contrary to what the motorcycle manufacturer says" - and told me the PR3s were not designed for constant two-up riding! Like most tyres, he said, they are designed for mostly solo riding with occasional pillions or luggage. I had never heard of such a thing in my life. I wasn't sure whether I was most surprised that this may be the case or that he was prepared to say so; I really wished I had recorded the conversation.

I wrote them another, polite, letter afterwards explaining what I had just been told and suggesting they should make this clear in their advertising. I closed by suggesting a couple of changes to their UK advertisements:

Tyre Life 40% Longer (but only for solo riders)

Unbeatable Tyre Life (but not if you're carrying luggage)

They didn't bother to reply.

I surprised myself by buying yet another set as I really do like how they handle, particularly in the wet. I'm running the rear at 44PSI to see if that helps but it's not been on there long enough to arrive at any conclusion yet.

Kevin

 

[roger dodger]

I rode a new set from Minneapolis to Boston and back. Rally in Vermont....added a few twisties for variety, and hit heavy rain and standing water (before the Hurricane).

After 5000 miles (mostly hwy ) they look, act, and feel better than the set of PR2's I had before (9.5k miles). I prefer the softer feel, better cold and wet traction, and long life of the PR3 to ANY other tire I know of.

I also check pressure regularly (w/ 2 guages for accuracy) and ride w/ 42 front/44+ rear.

 

[HotRodZilla]

All i keep seeing is folks saying they have a few k on em and they look OK. Has anyone put any real miles on a pair of pr3's, or worn out a pair yet? Or are they so good they don't wear out?

Dude...The tire hasn't been out that long, and it's frigging November. I know where you live, that means its a cold bastard most of the time. Here, it means the flat sunny places are tolerable, but the mountains are freezing balls.

I have around a thousand on mine, but they're going on a little bit at a time. I also don't ride as hard in the winter as I do in the summer cuz the tires stay cold. I'm riding to Chandler AZ from Albuquerque tomorrow, and will have another thousand on them by the time I get home. I'll keep my eye on them, but so far, the riding I have done has been pretty good. No slips, nothing unexpected, and they seem to be wearing good.

I run them at 42 front, 43 rear.

 

[Brentman]

Answering a request to see pics of the rear tire.

It has between 7K and 8K miles on it.

 

[Bill]

All i keep seeing is folks saying they have a few k on em and they look OK. Has anyone put any real miles on a pair of pr3's, or worn out a pair yet? Or are they so good they don't wear out?

Go back to post #28 and see what a set of PR3s looked like at 10,752 miles. Today, with 12,565 miles on the tires, they still have the same appearance as they did when I took those photographs. The rear tire has between 5/32" and 4/32" of tread depth remaining while the front still has 4/32" remaining.

If 10,752 miles on a set of PR3s doesn't represent "REAL MILES", maybe 12,565 is getting closer to what you consider to be legit miles on a set of Sport Touring tires.

 

[TomInPA]

Today I put the first miles on a set of PR3 tires after the PR2 set went bald in 11K miles. Nice to feel the easy turn-in and confidence in the corner again. Some of the mileage reported here is truly impressive. Installed at 27,260. Talk to you at 40 K and see where we are.

 

[hppants]

Tom - I'm kind of in the same boat you are. Just installed a new PR3 rear, the PR3 front has about 2K on it with no signs of cupping and no really visible signs of wear. I really like the way the PR3 handles. I'm running 42psi rear, 40 front. If I get anything above 10K on my rear, I'll be thrilled. Fingers crossed.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I really like the way the PR3 handles...If I get anything above 10K on my rear, I'll be thrilled. Fingers crossed.

You and me both! We'll see what happens.

 

[jwmead72]

Ordered a set this past Monday at the competition accessories website...

Order page stated that they were in stock and would ship in 24 hours, but now it's Friday and they still have not shipped. So gave them a call and got the "We're so sorry, sir..." answer from a guy that sounded like he did a Sham-wow commercial the night before. Will be another week before I se the new tires.

Well Compitition Accessories won't be getting any more business from me! Take that!

Hoping that these wear longer than the PR2's I have been religiously getting for the past 3 years

 

[Geezer]

I have been a fan of PR2s for long distances since they first came out. All this positive feedback about the PR3s made me want to try them. So, I have a set in the garage waiting for me to spoon on before heading out to NAFO in June. I ordered them from SWMoto. I received the front in 2 days and the rear came a few days later.