Wanting to test the waters of the darkside.

[ROCKETHEAD]

What about ultra high performace?

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=Firehawk Wide Oval Indy 500&partnum=45WR6FHWI5&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

and thank you.

Some ultra high performance tires tend to loose grip in extreme cold weather until they are good and warm...

 

[kblahetka]

Is that the right size though? What dimensions would be to big and to small?

I used a rickon Raptor as have a lot of folks on this forum and in the 245 size it was very tight. I went back to a bike tire but somewhere is a write up on the car tire I did called my year on the darkside. The raptor is a safe bet for you as many have used it.

 

[Rich Brewer]

Thank you guys for the awesome info. I feel a little bit better about switching over. I will look for your write up @kblahetka.

 

[Wrecka]

that would be a better choice but not having actually used that one I can only say try one be cautious at first till you get used to it, and a bit of advice and also to answer Wrecka's question there are somethings you need to know
a) start the tyre pressure at about 28 - 30psi and adjust to suit your weight, to give the tyre enough give without wallowing, there are many threads in the past about this so do some reading
b) you will notice at lower speeds over rough ground, ruts hollows in the roads etc will cause the tyre to track or to use another word follow them, this is easy to correct as soon as you know to expect it
c) you will need to use a bit of countersteer to initiate turns but once on line it will stay on line just fine
In fact for the first few miles you will wonder why you did it, some take a little longer then others but most DS'ers will tell you they love it I have found they are just great in all weather conditions and offer good grip even when cranked over
This is of course is My Opinion only and others will state thiers but I never felt unsafe in the 40,000+ km's I have used them infact felt safer than I did on a Metz

Mate sounds like it'd suit my application perfectly , simply because i commute between Gold Coast and Brisbane for work and traffic is rancid most times on the way home, which means i spend alot of time moving up the verges , already picked up on puncture and im guessing a car tyre would be a bit more sympathetic to sharp objects than a soft bike tyre , am i wrong ?

Also who would you get to fit it ? Would it be a matter of me removing the rear wheel and getting it fitted at the tyre shop , just asking as i dont think i'd like to let some numpty looose on my bike with a rattle gun

 

[CanberraR3]

Mate sounds like it'd suit my application perfectly , simply because i commute between Gold Coast and Brisbane for work and traffic is rancid most times on the way home, which means i spend alot of time moving up the verges , already picked up on puncture and im guessing a car tyre would be a bit more sympathetic to sharp objects than a soft bike tyre , am i wrong ?

Also who would you get to fit it ? Would it be a matter of me removing the rear wheel and getting it fitted at the tyre shop , just asking as i dont think i'd like to let some numpty looose on my bike with a rattle gun

Someone should tell you the facts. Car tyres make the bike a bigger handful over uneven ground, they rob you of power and you'll use more fuel. If you follow someone with one on you'll notice that very rarely does it have much of the whole tread touching the ground and if the road has any camber, you'll either need to lean or counter steer or both, just to go in a straight line. You need to under- inflate the tyre so as to make it manageable and while you probably won't be running on the sidewall, each time you lean the bike over, you're exposing the sidewall to any sharp objects. The bead on car tyres is different to bike tyres so a car tyre may not seat properly on the rim and because a bike is so much lighter than the vehicle the tyre was designed you, you really won't get more traction; in reality it will be less.

On the other hand, they are cheap and come fully backed up by lots of opinions about how great they are.

 

[Wrecka]

Someone should tell you the facts. Car tyres make the bike a bigger handful over uneven ground, they rob you of power and you'll use more fuel. If you follow someone with one on you'll notice that very rarely does it have much of the whole tread touching the ground and if the road has any camber, you'll either need to lean or counter steer or both, just to go in a straight line. You need to under- inflate the tyre so as to make it manageable and while you probably won't be running on the sidewall, each time you lean the bike over, you're exposing the sidewall to any sharp objects. The bead on car tyres is different to bike tyres so a car tyre may not seat properly on the rim and because a bike is so much lighter than the vehicle the tyre was designed you, you really won't get more traction; in reality it will be less.

On the other hand, they are cheap and come fully backed up by lots of opinions about how great they are.

Can the RTA canary your bike for having the wrong sort of tire ?

 

[idk]

I don't feel qualified to comment, as I only have 110,000 miles on the DS. But nevertheless, as far as size goes, 245/50 is about as big as you would go, 245/55 may bit a bit of a tight squeeze, depending on your exhaust setup - It won't fit with mine. 225/55 is the most popular choice. A 215/55 or 215/60 is about as small as you can go - I tried it and didn't like it.

The wider tyres will need more input on cambered roads. Around 30 psi (plus or minus a little) will probably be where you end up. This is not (as some would claim) under-inflated. It is just less than you have to put in a MC tyre. A MC tyre needs more pressure because it has less footprint on the road. (The weight that the tyre supports can be (almost) worked out by multiplying the air pressure (PSI) by the number of square inches on the road.) Many cars run 28 to 35 PSI in their tyres.

Slow speeds on rough roads are the most difficult, but you get used to it and then it is no problem. A little more counter-steering input is needed. I have been very happy with my little use of them - others not so happy. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances.

 

[ROCKETHEAD]

Someone should tell you the facts. Car tyres make the bike a bigger handful over uneven ground, they rob you of power and you'll use more fuel. If you follow someone with one on you'll notice that very rarely does it have much of the whole tread touching the ground and if the road has any camber, you'll either need to lean or counter steer or both, just to go in a straight line. You need to under- inflate the tyre so as to make it manageable and while you probably won't be running on the sidewall, each time you lean the bike over, you're exposing the sidewall to any sharp objects. The bead on car tyres is different to bike tyres so a car tyre may not seat properly on the rim and because a bike is so much lighter than the vehicle the tyre was designed you, you really won't get more traction; in reality it will be less.

On the other hand, they are cheap and come fully backed up by lots of opinions about how great they are.

There are facts and opinions,

Fact gas mileage stayed the same
Fact 0 to 60 and 0 to 100 times are faster
Fact way more traction in wet weather than stock
Fact way more contact patch than stock
Fact faster through turns than stock by 5 to 10 mph
Fact hand full on slow dirt or uneven roads

 

[STRIPES]

Canberra says "Someone should tell you the facts. Car tyres make the bike a bigger handful over uneven ground, they rob you of power and you'll use more fuel."

He is right. The bigger the passenger car tire, the bigger the problem. However, I can tell little difference in a 225 darkside.

Canberra says "If you follow someone with one on you'll notice that very rarely does it have much of the whole tread touching the ground and if the road has any camber, you'll either need to lean or counter steer or both, just to go in a straight line."

He is right again. But, if you look at how much tire is left on the ground, it is still more than the iddy biddy contact patch of a Mettz.

Canberra says " You need to under- inflate the tyre so as to make it manageable and while you probably won't be running on the sidewall, each time you lean the bike over, you're exposing the sidewall to any sharp objects.

He is right again. But, I have never heard of anybody here or anywhere else having a problem or sustaining damage to the sidewall (yet).

Canberra says "The bead on car tyres is different to bike tyres so a car tyre may not seat properly on the rim and because a bike is so much lighter than the vehicle the tyre was designed you,

He keeps on being right. BUT again, no reports of tires not functioning properly due to bead failure that I have heard of.

Canberra says "you really won't get more traction; in reality it will be less."

I have owned two R3's concurrently. One with a car tire, the other with a Metz. The car tire performed better (traction wise) to the point that I would have to be very careful of getting off the darkside then onto the Metz bike. I would try to ride it like it had a car tire and it got in trouble more than once. I found the Metz would break loose sooner and would scared the b jeezus out of me.

There are those who attend the RAA events and about 50 percent of the bikes are darkside. Likewise, the bikes at the front of the pack in the twisties are always about the same percentage. If traction were an issue, that would not be the case.

Canberra says "On the other hand, they are cheap and come fully backed up by lots of opinions about how great they are.

Right again.

 

[HansO]

Mate sounds like it'd suit my application perfectly , simply because i commute between Gold Coast and Brisbane for work and traffic is rancid most times on the way home, which means i spend alot of time moving up the verges , already picked up on puncture and im guessing a car tyre would be a bit more sympathetic to sharp objects than a soft bike tyre , am i wrong ?

Also who would you get to fit it ? Would it be a matter of me removing the rear wheel and getting it fitted at the tyre shop , just asking as i dont think i'd like to let some numpty looose on my bike with a rattle gun

get in touch with @Gothlander he has been a DSer for some time and lives up your way hopefully he can steer you to a shop that can fit for you, I am lucky here in that there are two car tyre shops close by that will do it