Stickiest radial tires for stock 18" front and 18x5.5" rear?

[TheFleshRocket]

My '03 has a stock front wheel and an 18x5.5" in the rear. It's currently got a Battlax B023 110/80R18 up front and an Exedra G850 180/55R18 in the rear.

I've found some decent 110/80 front tires like the Pilot Roads or Angels but none of the have matching 18" rears. With the 5.5" wheel, a 180 would be best but a 190 ought to be doable as well.

What have you guys found is the stickiest 18" radial tire combo?


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[one2dmax]

Shinko Verge

 

[soundguy]

I have that wheel set myself , and want to change the front rim , either getting a widened version of the stock rim ( takes a 120/70/18, same as a gen2) or burn the mutha and stick a complete busa front end. ( 17" rim with 6 pot brake and usd forks).
I used the Bridgestone bt30, was good but lost its shape and was unstable after 4000ks. Got the wobbles over 180.
Now have a metzler z6, stable again, but as was the issue with the Bridgestone, the profile is incorrect. Large chicken strips on each side of the tyre , so it's a small contact patch. The stock rim is too narrow, needs a 100 width tyre, tricky to find.
Either I ll change rim or front end. Not happy with the tyre now.

 

[gamorg02]

Shinko Verge

not with a stock front eh?

 

[PATMAX]

Road racers have the stickiest rubber but they are mostly slicks. Do you care if it is a slick or is "sticky" the primary deciding factor?

 

[srk468]

Think he's got the front tire covered if I understand correctly, he's just asking about the rear. If your going 180 then a Shinko Stealth 003 would be softest but the Verge is a damn good tire too and that's what I run on my 18x6 Kosman rear but I run the 200

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[Traumahawk]

Well I have the same set up as his......do you have to have the same manufacturer for front and rear.......or can you mix and match?

Say like a Shinko for the rear, and an Avon up front?

 

[srk468]

Yes you can, I run a Michelin Pilot 110/80-18 up front and a Shinko Verge 200/50-18 in the rear with no issues.

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[TheFleshRocket]

After a little more thinking, my biggest point of concern at this point is cornering capabilities--or lack thereof--while running a 110/80 front tire. Despite the fact that it more-or-less fits, it's still pinched at the edges meaning that the contact patch gets smaller the farther leaned over you are on the tire.

I'm worried that if I get the bike leaned over enough that it might start scraping pegs or hard parts, I'll have almost no tire left to provide cornering traction.

I shoehorned a 180/55 onto a 5" wheel for my track bike, when conventional wisdom says that you need a 5.5" wheel for a 180. Well, it looked decent so I took it out on the track. After a couple of laps at a moderately-increasing pace, the back end stepped out on me significantly and I wasn't even accelerating much. Back into the pits I went, and I mounted up my spare 160/60 on a 4.5" wheel and went back out with no further problems.

Back end slides can be catchable, but front end sides, unless you've got a knee puck on the deck to hold up the bike til the front tire comes back on duty, you can plan on kissing asphalt.

I fear my only real recourse will be to have my stocker enlarged from 2.15" to 3.5" wheel, so I can run 120/70R18 rubber

But hey, if any of you are dragging pegs in 110/80s, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[one2dmax]

I've run the 100-90 I think it is but can't remember the sizes of radials I've used on the OEM front wheel. None of them are ideal for that narrow of a rim but they did still handle well.

 

[PATMAX]

Just to add to Sean's point, I've have leaned over the Max to the pegs and whatever other hard points we have and my tires held fine. Metzlers, Avons, not stock Dunlop Qualifriers though.
I've run the Shonko 003 rear as my drag tire for stickiness/traction. They wear OK but faster as the trade off. I have free tire changing and balancing so I don't mind burning up some rubber!
Check out Marcus Hickum blasting the Dragon video. I doubt you out ride him and his 200 HP Max.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

Just to add to Sean's point, I've have leaned over the Max to the pegs and whatever other hard points we have and my tires held fine. Metzlers, Avons, not stock Dunlop Qualifriers though.

What size front did you run? 110/80?

 

[sdt354]

What size front did you run? 110/80?

The 110/80/18R I ran for a few sets. I never got great mileage and changed them with lots of thread left. They wore a little strange, scalloping, and very done by 5k. With the correct rim width I notice a big difference in handling. Also, I've been running too little pressure in my tires in past seasons. 40psi, on Rusty's advice, seems to work very well front and rear, as far as handling goes. I'm running a 120/70/17R on a wider wheel, and like it. I've got an inclination tire wear will improve as well.
Steve-o

 

[redneksoldier]

I have been running a 110/80/18 Michelin Pilot Road 2 on a stock front rim for a few sets now. It has happened exactly like you said. At moderate speed, the front tire starts to give out long before the back and I have had scalloped wear patterns on every one of these front tires. I have been weighing the options for a better tire size up front as well. I had been leaning more toward a USD conversion and 17" front wheel but if I could have the stock one modified to fit my current tire size, I would rather go that route. I have a 17x5.5 rear that has a similar pattern to the stock front and both wheels are show-polished. I really like that look and would like to keep it that way.

 

[m-cman]

Kosman used to mod the front by widening to 3.5". Don't know if they still do. I bought an extra 85/86 style front wheel just to have that done. Just waiting till have the funds. Will widen, powdercoat gloss black and stripe to match the rear.

 

[Traumahawk]

Kosman used to mod the front by widening to 3.5". Don't know if they still do. I bought an extra 85/86 style front wheel just to have that done. Just waiting till have the funds. Will widen, powdercoat gloss black and stripe to match the rear.

If they dont.....Boxenstop still advertises they do.

 

[robmac]

I'm running the Pirelli Night Dragons on my 18" Carro's and they are quite grippy (180/55 and 130/70). The front definitely lets go before the rear, just how it is with this bike even with the lowered front end and standard height rear (anyone know the weight distribution for info?)

One thing that helps is the weather over here that sees the tyres usually getting a good amount of heat in them easily so grip is normally never an issue even with harder tyres.

 

[grimmie]

I use the Shinko Verge tires with the Carr rims and Morley's rear end setup with the 3" over swing arm braced and notched. 120 up front and 200 on the rear. Night and day difference from stock bias tires but the first set of tires I ran on this set up was the Metzler 880's in the same size. The Verge tires are way more sticky, like WAY more sticky. I thought the Metzlers ran really well until I got the Verge tires on there. Metzlers seem to run a little better in the rain but everywhere else the Shinkos have it hands down. Now the Metzlers were a little wider in the same sizes, especially the rear tire.

 

[TheFleshRocket]

I use the Shinko Verge tires with the Carr rims and Morley's rear end setup with the 3" over swing arm braced and notched. 120 up front and 200 on the rear.

Is this on a 1st gen? Judging from mine, 180 is about the limit because of swingarm and brake arm clearance issues.


'99 VFR800, '08 1125R, '06 1050, '03 Vmax, '03 DRZ400

 

[sdt354]

Is this on a 1st gen? Judging from mine, 180 is about the limit because of swingarm and brake arm clearance issues.


'99 VFR800, '08 1125R, '06 1050, '03 Vmax, '03 DRZ400

I could squeeze a 190 in with a washer swap. Stock swing arm.