Tire Width??? Pics requested!

[mattwitt]

Went to CycleGear and saw my 2 choices in tires next to each other and was very surprised how much wider the Angel is than the PR4.. It was like it was a completely different tire size, I pulled them both down and checked the sidewall to be sure they are both 180/55/17 and sure as heck are..

What do you think of this? I know a lot of people on here run the PR3 or PR4, have you noticed it? Do any of you have pics of the rear of your bike with either tire, the PR4 or Angel, on it? Also just the shape of the PR4 is different than about anything else I saw there. Very round as opposed the shape of the Angel. I recently bought the PR4 but haven't installed them yet, and based on reviews and feedback here on the forum, not going to send them back.

Yes- both of these tires are 180/55/17!!

 

[The_Paragon]

Once seated to the wheel and filled with some air i bet the PR4 expands out and is the right width.
Could be simple as the pr4 you have pictured there was on the bottom of pile of tires and got a little compressed.

 

[greg]

if you look at the profile of the PR4 it's a lot more steep than the other, once the pirelli is fitted it will probably have an equally steep profile.

 

[FinalImpact]

Agree with comments above ^^...

Rim and Air! But, good for you for noticing as different profiles change how the bike responds.

 

[mattwitt]

Agree with comments above ^^...

Rim and Air! But, good for you for noticing as different profiles change how the bike responds.

Thanks guys.. That was my main concern, how the bike would respond with the way the tire is shaped..

 

[summerb37]

This is the first time using Tap Talk to post/reply, so hopefully the picture will attach--a picture of PR4S installed. The first thing that I thought when I saw the PR4s (i never looked at them before the installation) installed on my bike was they look narrower than the OEM tires.

 

[mattwitt]

This is the first time using Tap Talk to post/reply, so hopefully the picture will attach--a picture of PR4S installed. The first thing that I thought when I saw the PR4s (i never looked at them before the installation) installed on my bike was they look narrower than the OEM tires.

Thanks! How do you like them??

 

[summerb37]

I wrote the following a few weeks back.

begin excerpt:

I have less than 100kms on my PR4s, and I cannot believe how different my bike feels on the road. I am not sure if I really like it too much yet. I put on over 23,000kms on the original OEM tires, and yes, I would say the original tires are a harder tire with less traction, but, in a way, I liked it more because my bike glided/rolled better with less resistance. An analogy is rolling a marble on a floor versus a gum ball. The marble rolls quickly, easily and further over a floor versus a gum ball that had the same initial thrust provided to it. That said, I live in an area that is a rain belt, so the PR4s are ideal. I had my rear end slide around on multiply occasions before due to the slippery conditions (rain and frost on a few occasions), and it will be interesting to see how different the new PR4s will be in all seasons in the Pacific West Coast. That said, I will miss the ease of gliding and rolling over the surface of the road. I imagine that once it gets warmer/hot that the PR4s will stick even more to the road, which will mean it will feel like I'm sticking to the road even more or sinking in quick sand. Maybe I will get use to it by then--we will see.

http://www.600riders.com/forum/tire-tech-talk/54431-pirelli-angel-gt-michelin-pr4.html#post602281

End Excerpt.

Since then, I have noticed that the PR4s absorb a lot of the jolts/bouncing that come from bumps in the road. It is such a big difference that I can ride on a portion of a road (badly patched road) that I had trouble riding on before because the bike would be bouncing all over the place, and I would have to switch lanes or slow down a lot. I can ride over that portion of the road with no problem now with the PR4s.

With regards to the roll resistance that I felt after the installation, I don't notice it as much any more. Considering how the bike feels now since switching to the PR4s, I would have to say I feel much more confident in the handling of the bike because of how the tires absorb a lot of the road noise/bumps. In addition, I have gone out to test hard braking, and the front tire never locked up once whereas locking up the front tire was really easy under hard braking conditions with the OEM tires. It is another big improvement over the OEM tires and is why I like the PR4 tires.

I hope that helps.

Thanks! How do you like them??

 

[SweaterDude]

I wrote the following a few weeks back.

begin excerpt:

I have less than 100kms on my PR4s, and I cannot believe how different my bike feels on the road. I am not sure if I really like it too much yet. I put on over 23,000kms on the original OEM tires, and yes, I would say the original tires are a harder tire with less traction, but, in a way, I liked it more because my bike glided/rolled better with less resistance. An analogy is rolling a marble on a floor versus a gum ball. The marble rolls quickly, easily and further over a floor versus a gum ball that had the same initial thrust provided to it. That said, I live in an area that is a rain belt, so the PR4s are ideal. I had my rear end slide around on multiply occasions before due to the slippery conditions (rain and frost on a few occasions), and it will be interesting to see how different the new PR4s will be in all seasons in the Pacific West Coast. That said, I will miss the ease of gliding and rolling over the surface of the road. I imagine that once it gets warmer/hot that the PR4s will stick even more to the road, which will mean it will feel like I'm sticking to the road even more or sinking in quick sand. Maybe I will get use to it by then--we will see.

http://www.600riders.com/forum/tire-tech-talk/54431-pirelli-angel-gt-michelin-pr4.html#post602281

End Excerpt.

Since then, I have noticed that the PR4s absorb a lot of the jolts/bouncing that come from bumps in the road. It is such a big difference that I can ride on a portion of a road (badly patched road) that I had trouble riding on before because the bike would be bouncing all over the place, and would I have to switch lanes or slow down a lot. I can ride over that portion of the road with no problem now with the PR4s.

With regards to the roll resistance that I felt after the installation, I don't notice it as much any more. Considering how the bike feels now since switching to the PR4s, I would have to say I feel much more confident in the handling of the bike because of how the tires absorb a lot of the road noise/bumps. In addition, I have gone out to test hard braking, and the front tire never locked up once whereas locking up the front tire was really easy under hard braking conditions with the OEM tires. It is another big improvement over the OEM tires and is why I like the PR4 tires.

I hope that helps.

That sounds like a difference in air pressure. Also, a new tire will be stickier than an old one. At 23000km those stock skins were probably wearing pretty thin which would decrease resistance. I'm assuming that you had the Dunlops as OEM, which would be a single compound tire. The PR series tires are dual compound which means that they should be firm toward the center of the tread and stickier toward the sidewalls. My PR3's are all around better than the OEM tires, and I only had 5000mi on the OEMs so they weren't dead yet.

 

[FinalImpact]

Adding to the above -

Although I've never ran PR's - I'll throw this in there. Look at the tires construction. All nylon vs some steel belts makes a big difference in "what you feel". A soft carcass (all nylon) lets you feel everything. This is not for everyone. The steel belts can let you focus more on the ride than the feel yet the grip is the same.

Running B'stones - the 016 Pro is like the "point and shoot" of tires. Great tire, but it doesn't last long. I love how the 016's fall in. You don't even need your hands on the bars and bike just goes where you want it.

But maybe some PR's should come into play for me one day.. .. ..