Who among us has experience in Trike tires?

[Boscoporp]

I am going to replace my tires this spring and I don't want to buy the wrong tires. I have always put a Michelin Piolet (OOPS) mounted backwards on the front. Is that good? If you know, give me the answer!

Let me tell you what is important to me. First, of course is safety. Second, I want tires that will perform well but also be quiet. I hate noisy tires. I am willing to sacrifice longer miles to get quiet and better handeling! I want to be able to push hard in the curves and know the tires are helping!!!

I read a thread one time with someone named John saying which type of tires should be on the rear. I don't remember his name or which forum I was reading!

Safety!

Great Handeling and Quiet!

That is a big order, I'm sure!

Boscoporp

[Tony T of I V E]

I just had my Trike serviced and I too had them put on a Michelin 130 x 70 x 18 tire on the front backwards. I like the ride. I have a 2003 Candy Apple Red GL1800 Motor Trike with only 16K miles.

[Gorilla]

I've read that it is a good setup. Have not done it yet, waiting for the tire to need replacing.

[RiderRick]

Morning Bosco
I am putting a Michelin Activ on the front of mine soon. Ordered it last week and should be delieverd today. (ON A SLED). Everything I read pointed to this tire. I also read the forum but don't remember where it is now. I'm sure you will get some good advice, the folks here are great at sharing wisdom.

[John Luciano]

That John was not me (just for the record ) I am also needing advice on rear tire selection. I would love white walls or the raised white letters.

[ben721364]

For the front on a GL1800 based trike, the Michelin Pilot Activ is a good choice as is any other bias body rear sport bike tire. Some think such tires work better when mounted in reverse.

For the rear, automotive tires in the same size as the originals are generally recommended. Given the light weight of trikes as opposed to passenger cars, open tread designs are preferable to assist in evacuating water to minimize hydroplaning. If you can find narrower tires that are the same overall diameter as the originals, they will also help minimize hydroplaning. Given the substantially greater surface area, a 1F/2R trike is much more likely to push than become loose regardless of the tire compound used on the rear. Asymetrical tires are usually quieter but the difference is not likely to be noticeable on a trike due to the other sources of noise on an open vehicle.

I am going to replace my tires this spring and I don't want to buy the wrong tires. I have always put a Michelin Piolet (OOPS) mounted backwards on the front. Is that good? If you know, give me the answer!

Let me tell you what is important to me. First, of course is safety.

Second, I want tires that will perform well but also be quiet.

I hate noisy tires. I am willing to sacrifice longer miles to get quiet and better handeling! I want to be able to push hard in the curves and know the tires are helping!!!

I read a thread one time with someone named John saying which type of tires should be on the rear. I don't remember his name or which forum I was reading!

Safety! Great Handeling and Quiet! That is a big order, I'm sure!

Boscoporp

[John Luciano]

I think we are looking for a brand preference.. I was told don't spend a lot on a rear tire.

[ben721364]

I think we are looking for a brand preference.. I was told don't spend a lot on a rear tire.

OK. I am not prepared to recommend a specific 'brand' as virtually all passenger tire manufacturers/private branders offer different tread patterns and compounds in many of the more popular sizes. As I recall Michelin for example (only) offers at least 5 different 205/60x16 'summer' tires. Add in 'all season' and 'winter' tires and the list is considerably longer. Some are totally inappropriate in my opinion for trikes. That's why I suggested the type of tire that I think is best for trikes rather than a brand.

[wingking51]

The Michelin tire that you all are running on the front of your 1800 Wings mounted backwards is a bias ply tire correct? Does it affect the handling of the trike with radial tires on the rear?

[ben721364]

The Michelin tire that you all are running on the front of your 1800 Wings mounted backwards is a bias ply tire correct? Does it affect the handling of the trike with radial tires on the rear?

Yes the sport bike rear tires used by many on the front of GL1800 trikes does have a bias ply cord body. I had the same question about mixing bias and radial construction tires. It doesn't appear to adversely affect handling.

[John Luciano]

What does an open tread pattern look like?

[ben721364]

What does an open tread pattern look like?

The Michelin Hydro Edge is one example. There are several from several manufacturers. Such tires have channels to evacuate water.

[Tango]

Good Year has a tire called the "Assurance Triple Tred" with an 80,000 mile tred rating. Put them on my Daughters car 55,000 miles ago. Still lots of tred left. Tom

Goodyear Tires | Find The Right Tire | By Vehicle | Results

[ben721364]

Good Year has a tire called the "Assurance Triple Tred" with an 80,000 mile tred rating. Put them on my Daughters car 55,000 miles ago. Still lots of tred left. Tom

Goodyear Tires | Find The Right Tire | By Vehicle | Results

That tread design should be good on a trike as well. It is a long lasting tire though the tread compound is harder than I prefer.

[Nauga Mok]

If I was ready for tires, I'd look hard at either the Goodyear Triple Tread or the Michlin Hydro Edge. Both are reported to have a good "bite" on both wet & dry pavement and are both designed with the low rolling resistance, which should = better fuel lileage. Check the reviews on both on Discount Tire's website. Until one of us tries them we won't know for sure. My origional tires are Generals. I HOPE these work better than the Generals I've tried in the past!

NM

[Bob Witte]

While I don't claim to be an expert on tires, I have some observations after putting a lot of tires on a lot of trikes. As observed above, using car tires on trikes makes it very easy on the tires. Even the most inexpensive have specifications that far out strip the demands most of us will place on them and will last for years -- and through a number of regular bike front tires.

So far, all Trinity Trikes have been equipped with fenders (we do offer a body, but so far nobody has opted for one). Anyhow, those fenders tend to amplify the tire road noise, certainly over what one would experience with a heavier weight fiberglass body "shroud" to muffle the road noise.

Therefore, we have settled on a couple of factors when selecting tires. First, we look for a straight up "highway" tread vs. the usually preferred "all weather" type treads. For us the best (and quietest) treads are those with the grooves running parallel to each other.

And, since we run lower pressures than cars in these tires, we prefer tires with a "softer" side wall (we want the extra absorption in the ride, and of course, we're not carrying the heavy loads all those tires were designed for). By brand, we been happy with a number of both domestic & Asian tires (e.g., Uniroyal, Michelin, Douglas, Kumho and Falken have all been good for us.)

Bob Witte
The Trinity Trike

[Dwight]

I went with one size smaller than stock Goodyear assurance tires on the rear of my Goldwing/Hannigan. I had several instances of hydro-planeing with the stock tires. They were also pretty worn when I changed them. The one size smaller got me a little taller and narrower tire which helped get the speedo closer to the true mph and helped in the wet. I would reccommend any good "rain" tire for the rear. Use a rear (bike) tire of the same size on the front, backwards or not (I couldn't see any difference). They have a less rounded profile which gives you a bit more tread on the ground and they also have thicker rubber. Try around 40 psi in the front, whatever you think you can get away with in the rear. I've gone down to 16 psi on straight axel trikes but your results may differ!

Dwight

[ben721364]

I went with one size smaller than stock Goodyear assurance tires on the rear of my Goldwing/Hannigan. I had several instances of hydro-planeing with the stock tires. They were also pretty worn when I changed them. The one size smaller got me a little taller and narrower tire which helped get the speedo closer to the true mph and helped in the wet. I would reccommend any good "rain" tire for the rear. Use a rear (bike) tire of the same size on the front, backwards or not (I couldn't see any difference). They have a less rounded profile which gives you a bit more tread on the ground and they also have thicker rubber. Try around 40 psi in the front, whatever you think you can get away with in the rear. I've gone down to 16 psi on straight axel trikes but your results may differ!

Dwight

Thanks Dwight. Was your GL18/Hannigan fitted with 185/65x15 reat tires from the factory and what size tire do you now have? There is no question [in my mind at least] that a narrower tire with an open tread design does the best job of reducing the tendency of a trike to hydroplane.

[Dwight]

I'm pretty sure it had the 185's on it. I went to a 175 but can't remember if it was a 65 or 60. Don't own it anymore but the 175's made about 3 mph difference on the speedometer. The wing read about 6 mph faster than it was going (checked against a stationary radar speed sign), with the new tires it was 3.

Dwight

[ben721364]

The 175 width is more than ample for the trike. The key is to select a tire with the proper diameter and that falls within the 'measured range of the wheel rim width. Most trikes come with wider tires that Hannigan for what can only be cosmetic reasons.