29K miles on this front tire

**Jared** · 06-17-2015, 12:41 PM

Swapping out my front tire. I've run it for 29K miles. I am running a Metzeler 880 in the stock size of 150/80 x 16. BUT I am actually running a tire marked as a "rear" tire. Rear Metzeler tires have 2mm deeper tread than the front in the exact same size. On the Q&A sections of Metzeler's site they use to comment on this topic saying, "It is not allowed to mount front tires at the rear wheels. In case you intend to mount a rear tire on the front wheel it has to be assembled contrary to the driving direction declaration (direction of the arrow at the tires sidewall)." I understand that to mean that it is NEVER allowed to run a front on the rear, but that a rear on the front is okay as long as you reverse the direction of the tread. If you look at the front and rear tires in the picture, you'll notice that the tread patterns are almost identical, but reversed. I have run two sets of tires this way will over 50K miles and have not noticed any ill effects. Thought I'd share.

napom · 06-17-2015, 12:48 PM

Impressive!!!!

RACNRAY · 06-17-2015, 06:40 PM

How bout that! Good info. I have had 2 Michelin C2'S on the front, both got over 24,000 mls but would not have gone 29k for sure.

RACNRAY

DD's DM Voyager · 06-18-2015, 01:12 AM

You da man! I've never heard of anyone getting that many miles out of a Metzeler tire.

captj3 · 06-20-2015, 09:01 AM

Sounds great, you have to stop riding on 1 wheel...lol

06-17-2015, 12:41 PM	#1
Jared Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Greeley, Colorado Posts: 6,772	29K miles on this front tire Swapping out my front tire. I've run it for 29K miles. I am running a Metzeler 880 in the stock size of 150/80 x 16. BUT I am actually running a tire marked as a "rear" tire. Rear Metzeler tires have 2mm deeper tread than the front in the exact same size. On the Q&A sections of Metzeler's site they use to comment on this topic saying, "It is not allowed to mount front tires at the rear wheels. In case you intend to mount a rear tire on the front wheel it has to be assembled contrary to the driving direction declaration (direction of the arrow at the tires sidewall)." I understand that to mean that it is NEVER allowed to run a front on the rear, but that a rear on the front is okay as long as you reverse the direction of the tread. If you look at the front and rear tires in the picture, you'll notice that the tread patterns are almost identical, but reversed. I have run two sets of tires this way will over 50K miles and have not noticed any ill effects. Thought I'd share. __________________ Jared VBA #1051 (Former President) Login or Register to Remove Ads
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06-17-2015, 12:48 PM	#2
napom Advanced Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: VA Posts: 566	Impressive!!!! __________________ 2011 Voyager ABS Thunder Air Kit Power Pro Cobra Tri-Ovals Wrapped Header Pipes Heat Deflectors (from ebay) CB/Rear Speakers Avon grips with Throttle Magic by RACNRAY Shiny Chrome stuff Michelin Commander IIs Kury T/S Mirrors Sagebrush Design tank bib w/pouch Russell Day Long Seat w/Backrest Lots of Miles and Many More Smiles! Blue Knights - Virginia II Ride With Pride
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06-17-2015, 06:40 PM	#3
RACNRAY Sr. Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: SOUTH FLORIDA Posts: 1,210	How bout that! Good info. I have had 2 Michelin C2'S on the front, both got over 24,000 mls but would not have gone 29k for sure. RACNRAY __________________ "TRUE HAPPINESS IS IN THE HEART, NOT IN THE OUTSIDE FIXES" WITH OVER 46 YEARS AS A MOTORCYCLE TECHNICIAN/HI-PO SHOP OWNER I AM A PURVEYOR OF FACT NOT FICTION! "WE LIVE OUR LIVES IN CHAINS NEVER KNOWING WE HAD THE KEY"
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06-20-2015, 09:01 AM	#5
captj3 Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Florida Posts: 309	Sounds great, you have to stop riding on 1 wheel...lol __________________ 2012 Vaquero 1700 Nomad (Deceased) Cobra Tri-Ovals Racnrays Invention (Throttle Mod) Ivan's flash Thunder Tornado Big Air Kit Login or Register to Remove Ads
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06-18-2015, 01:12 AM	#4
DD's DM Voyager Jr. Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 27	You da man! I've never heard of anyone getting that many miles out of a Metzeler tire.
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