Metzler ME880s on Rear?

[el rider]

Bought this trike a couple months back & it has these Metzlers on the rear 210/50ZR17..Only seen car tires on a trikes rear before..I'm new to the trike world & have not been able to ride this yet..Trike has a Lehman conversion that was set up for a paraplegic rider..Just been working on it occasionally to spruce it up & change it back to a more stock type of riding controls & configuration.. Now for the questions > Does anyone run motorcycle tires on their trike rear end?? What are the pros/cons between running car or bike tires on rear?? Should I replace the ME880s before I take it out for a ride?? Anyone?? Thanks

[Woolie]

I think I would wait and ride it before making a decision if it were mine. They may be Ok but I don't think I would put 880's back on when those wear out, which probably won't take long. I would think car tires would give a lot better surface contact and would give a softer ride because you should be able to use lower pressure. What kind of pressure was the previous owner running. Just my thoughts on the subject.

[el rider]

Wooli, Thanks for comment..The previous owner mentioned he ran 35psi in the front 18" Metzler & the 17" rears too..Tires have about 1500 miles on em..The contact patch on the 210s' looks like 2 to 3 inches maybe..Not much and I'm pretty sure @ 35psi they ride hard & the middle will wear out of them pretty fast..He did have the original 15" wheels when he got the trike but later on he had some custom work done of which the wheels & tires were one..Looks like the trike could even tip over easy..Not much rubber appears to be on the ground now..I just don't understand why these were used since the trike doesn't lean like a bike..Maybe better or faster handling?? Hope someone here can enliven me on this subject.. enlivenless

[Gorilla]

The big difference is in the contact area. The normal car tires run on the back of most trikes will have anywhere from a 7 to 9 or even more contact patch. we run about 20 to 28 lbs of air in the rear for the softer ride. My wifes stallion has 32k of the rear tires and they have 9/32 of rubber still on them. (thats alot by the way) I have also about 35k on my Harley/Champion and the rears have 7/32 still on them. The bike tires on the rear of your trike probably will only go about 15 to 20k is my guess and will ride harder.

[Woolie]

If the original owner still has the original wheels I would try to talk him out of them, call it safety reasons. I think the bigger wheels were added strictly for looks and I bet it does look good. You could use a large car tire with a very low profile sidewall (like what is on a Corvette) but the trike will probably ride really rough. The tires will probably cost 3 or 4 times what you are willing to pay too. I don't think the lesser contact patch will make it more likely to turn over but it might make it more likely to lose traction in sharp higher speed turns or on wet roads.

[el rider]

Thanks for the responses so far..Anyone have an opinion on running the rear Metzlers @ 20-24 psi since they are motorcycle tires?? I do have a nice set of 225/55ZR17 Hankook performance car tires that I could put on the wheels if/when needed..Looks like there would be enough fender clearance on side & above..Also I believe that would raise the back end up a little but I don't know how much exactly..Anybody care to guesstimate that?? Please keep the thoughts coming..Need the schooling ya know..

[Mr Orange]

I wouldn't run motorcycle tires at all on a trike including the front even though that appears to be the common trend. Ditch the 880s and put some decent sticky car tires on the rear. Oh and while you're at it convert the front over to a nice sticky car tire too!

[el rider]

Gargoyle I just might..OK, still looking for more answers to my questions..Any comments or ideas out there?? Why would someone put these on their trike?? For $258.00 each (have his receipt) there must be a reason..

[el rider]

bump up

[keepinon]

It could be that the prior owner just liked the look of the MC wheels? Did he drive it much on roads that weren't high & dry?

Like Woolie, rear traction on curves & wet roads would be my worry.

[el rider]

Trike came from Wisconsin & looked like it was ridden a bit in other than fair weather.. Anyone think of some pros for motorcycle rear tires??

[Mr Orange]

Only reason I can think of is looks. The owner of the custom Spyder below put motorcycle tires on his Spyder just to achieve a certain look. As you can see by that rear tire wear pattern there is an awful lot of wasted rubber on that monster tire.


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