What in blue blazes?

[VmaXXX]

While putting on the bike cover I noticed the weirdest looking wear pattern on the front tire. The tread had a raised strip running along the center. This ain't no chicken strip, it's raised. Pretty uniform too. WTH is going on with this Metzeler ME888?
Edit: Both pics are of the front tire.

 

[Fire-medic]

I'd take that back to where you mounted it/bought it. It appears to be some-sort of a defect in the ply wrap. I don't believe it's a separation, that usually results in a non-uniform bubble and swelling of the rubber, sometimes even what appears to be a fissure.

You didn't do a dyno run with it, did you?

 

[user 16790]

could that be caused by some underinflation or is it one of those 'touring' tyres that have a harder wearing centre for mileage and softer edges for cornering

 

[Bruiser1198]

That would be taken back if it was me , something is wrong just my .2 cents !

 

[VmaXXX]

I'd take that back to where you mounted it/bought it. It appears to be some-sort of a defect in the ply wrap. I don't believe it's a separation, that usually results in a non-uniform bubble and swelling of the rubber, sometimes even what appears to be a fissure.

You didn't do a dyno run with it, did you?

Agreed. It's only the front at this point but no, it's not been on a dyno.

 

[VmaXXX]

could that be caused by some underinflation or is it one of those 'touring' tyres that have a harder wearing centre for mileage and softer edges for cornering

I bet this may be it. It's a touring cruiser tire that boasts high milage. That makes perfect sense. I do corner a little on the aggressively. I've never seen this pattern on any of my past bikes. I keep the front and rear both at 40 psi.

 

[Radioguylogs]

Dual compound tire?

The product description doesn't mention "dual compound".

 

[VmaXXX]

Dual compound tire?

The product description doesn't mention "dual compound".

Yeah same. I can't find it described as dual compound anywhere.

 

[02GF74]

Never seen any thing like that before. My reaction was dual compound too.

Be worth contacting metzeler or the place you bought it from to verify it is not a sign of imminent self destruction.

 

[MaxMidnight]

Lots of hard braking which has worn the middle section?
What is the tread depth at the centre compared with the edges?

 

[one2dmax]

We've seen that a number of times before so I am not sure it's a "bad" tire. Could be a combination of air pressure, riding habits, or even offset of the wheels to the chassis (the Vmax has a little offset on the rear by the way).

 

[Parminio]

Looks to me like it's been run overinflated. A lot.

 

[Aces High]

I agree with one2dmax. I’ve seen this before over the years on different bikes and other brands of tires. Most of the time caused by prolonged riding on the outer section of the lane due to the slope built in for water roll off. 40 psi doesn’t help either.

 

[VmaXXX]

Thanks guys. I'd never considered how a road's surface curvature might influence wear pattern. Fellow Carolina member Jerry Klay also mentioned that possibility in an email this a.m. My riding consists almost exclusively of back roads. Lots of leans with frequent front braking.
I started running 40psi in the front after seeing a blurb in the owner's manual recommending 42 for high speed riding. Without defining exactly what "high speed" was, I figured I must surely get close to the definition nearly every ride.
My plan now is to back the pressure down 36 and take it easy until Jerry gets his tire changer set up in December. I like Metzeler but think I'll try a set of Shinkos this time. Thanks again!

 

[Parminio]

I don't know why on earth anybody would recommend higher pressure at higher speeds.

The reason the tire has a pressure setting is for performance across it's operating range. Overinflating the tire increases the wear and stress on the middle of the tire and leaves marks exactly like you have.

What's more, at higher speeds the friction is greater causing the tire to run hotter causing the air to expand and increase the pressure even more.

I would like to see a picture of that recommendation. I've never even heard of something that counter-intuitive being put into print.

 

[VmaXXX]

I don't know why on earth anybody would recommend higher pressure at higher speeds.

The reason the tire has a pressure setting is for performance across it's operating range. Overinflating the tire increases the wear and stress on the middle of the tire and leaves marks exactly like you have.

What's more, at higher speeds the friction is greater causing the tire to run hotter causing the air to expand and increase the pressure even more.

I would like to see a picture of that recommendation. I've never even heard of something that counter-intuitive being put into print.

 

[Parminio]

That's screwed up. Completely.

Always inflate the tire to the correct pressure. Be sure to check cold inflation pressure frequently, i.e. once a week. Although most motorcyclists love to work on their bikes, many seldom remember to check their bike's tire pressures. Correct pressures are critical for safe handling. Over inflation or extreme tire pressure will impair your riding comfort and decrease the size of the contact patch of the tire with the road.​

​

Tires safety and maintenance | Metzeler​

 

[Fire-medic]

You need to assume that the manufacturer has engineered the bike's specs to provide optimum results. About the only time I wouldn't follow the manufacturer's tire pressure recommendation for high-speed riding is if I was riding solo, and was 100 lbs lighter than I am!

The pic I saw, I interpreted the center band to be 'standing proud' of the rubber on either side, and the first thing I thought-of, was, "dual-density/hardness" compound. However, I've used Metzler tires going back nearly 50 years, and I didn't recall the spec for the ME880 to be a dual density/hardness compound.

If you want to search the internet there are plenty of anecdotal accounts of abnormal wear due-to crowned roads. 'Cupping' and asymmetric wear are commonly-cited. From my prior reading, manufacturers discount crowned roads as a cause, and usually attribute it to under-inflation.

 

[VmaXXX]

You need to assume that the manufacturer has engineered the bike's specs to provide optimum results. About the only time I wouldn't follow the manufacturer's tire pressure recommendation for high-speed riding is if I was riding solo, and was 100 lbs lighter than I am!

Yeah. Even in my ignorance I was unable to overcome my skepticism for 42 psi. Hence only going to 40.
You're correct that the center is pronounced.
These are actually 888s which are supposed to be an updated 880.

 

[02GF74]

What's more, at higher speeds the friction is greater causing the tire to run hotter causing the air to expand and increase the pressure even more.

I don't know the answer but am going to throw out the opposite happens.

Higher tyre pressure results in a slightly smaller footprint so less contact with the road, so less friction = less heat.

Secondly the higher pressure means less side wall snd tyre flex, flexing uses up energy that has to be dissipated as heat.