First, a qualifier. The following are purely my seat-of-the-pants impressions and opinions after putting at least 70k miles on several different 195-55 run flat CTs.
I got to log about 350 miles of mountain twisties this afternoon on the 175-60 Dunlop Wintersport 3D DSST. Most were at a pace that I consider "spirited" to "quick". Yesterday I logged about 450 miles of interstates and flat 2-lanes at a normal riding pace..
Yesterday led me to believe what I confirmed today. The 175-60-16 is "The Bridge" between the handling of a 195-55 CT and the handling of a 180-60 motto tire.
I have, in the past, kept a motto tire on my second rear rim for when I wanted to "play hard" in the curves, because I preferred it slightly to the CT. That won't be necessary anymore. The narrower 175-60 feels, to me, about as close to a motto tire as you're gonna get.
I believe that most 1800 owners, if not told what they were riding on, wouldn't notice the difference. If the handling of a new 180-60 motto tire is an "A" and a new 195-55 CT is a "D", then the 175-60 is a "B" to "B+" depending on one's sensitivity and experience.
I ran it both days at 30 psi cold, which is what I like in the 195-55.
Yesterday, I noticed it does throw the speedo off a little more, but the increase in rpms is almost imperceptible. Since I have a GPS, this isn 't a factor.
In my humble opinion, this is a really good choice for the 1800 owner who prefers the handling of a motto tire. The benefits of the CT with handling characteristics very close to the oe tire. Thank you, Darksider #1, Tom Franken, for finding this tire and being the first to test it.
The only question is: tread life. From what I've read, the Wintersport 3D gives very good mileage, so I don't expect a problem there. The only downside is the fact that it retails for around 200 bucks. Still, that's about the same a new motto tire.
Don't get me wrong, I think the 195-55 is a great tire for the Wing, especially for those who aren't carving mountain twisties every weekend. It is probably a "great choice" for those folks, because of the slow-speed stability it offers.
When I get my "loaned out" 195-55 back, I'll measure the two and post what I find.
As an aside, I found that it's a little less likely to try and follow the high spots on uneven roads.
I got to log about 350 miles of mountain twisties this afternoon on the 175-60 Dunlop Wintersport 3D DSST. Most were at a pace that I consider "spirited" to "quick". Yesterday I logged about 450 miles of interstates and flat 2-lanes at a normal riding pace..
Yesterday led me to believe what I confirmed today. The 175-60-16 is "The Bridge" between the handling of a 195-55 CT and the handling of a 180-60 motto tire.
I have, in the past, kept a motto tire on my second rear rim for when I wanted to "play hard" in the curves, because I preferred it slightly to the CT. That won't be necessary anymore. The narrower 175-60 feels, to me, about as close to a motto tire as you're gonna get.
I believe that most 1800 owners, if not told what they were riding on, wouldn't notice the difference. If the handling of a new 180-60 motto tire is an "A" and a new 195-55 CT is a "D", then the 175-60 is a "B" to "B+" depending on one's sensitivity and experience.
I ran it both days at 30 psi cold, which is what I like in the 195-55.
Yesterday, I noticed it does throw the speedo off a little more, but the increase in rpms is almost imperceptible. Since I have a GPS, this isn 't a factor.
In my humble opinion, this is a really good choice for the 1800 owner who prefers the handling of a motto tire. The benefits of the CT with handling characteristics very close to the oe tire. Thank you, Darksider #1, Tom Franken, for finding this tire and being the first to test it.
The only question is: tread life. From what I've read, the Wintersport 3D gives very good mileage, so I don't expect a problem there. The only downside is the fact that it retails for around 200 bucks. Still, that's about the same a new motto tire.
Don't get me wrong, I think the 195-55 is a great tire for the Wing, especially for those who aren't carving mountain twisties every weekend. It is probably a "great choice" for those folks, because of the slow-speed stability it offers.
When I get my "loaned out" 195-55 back, I'll measure the two and post what I find.
As an aside, I found that it's a little less likely to try and follow the high spots on uneven roads.
I was stunned to find out how much better it ran even compared to the 195's.
