[VFRBulldawg]

Hey guys. I bought my 6th gen with Michelin Pilot Powers already on the front and rear. I've put about 3200 miles on them since October and the previous owner said he put about 300 - 400 miles on them. Based on what I'm reading on the forums regarding tread life at about 3500 miles I'm nearing the end on these tires. At what point should I replace them? Can someone tell me the min depth measurement on the rear tire tread groove (near the middle) I should take them off at? I do alot of slab riding down in middle Ga. I like the PP's but I need more tread life to be cost effective or I'll be buying 2-3 sets of tires per year at least. I've already decided to replace them with Metzeler Roadtec Z6's. If I ever decide to go back to supersports I would probably go with the Pilot Powers again. I plan on trying to do some 300 - 500 mile trips in the next month or so and don't want to get stranded far from home on a weekend with the new tires back home in Perry. Any help/suggestions y'all can give me would be great. Thanks.

[dutchinterceptor]

Whey they look like this it is time to replace them. I was able to go an additional 50 miles before it gave out.....200 miles from home.



Just keep an eye on the wear bars. Powers are fantastic tires especially in the twisties but aren't great as a high mileage tire.

[billyjackjimbob]

Many here love the Pilot Road as well. I have not seen "alot" of love for the z6. Personally, I go through about three sets a year and I'm not inclined to buy anything other than Power 2CTs. Rubber is cheaper than plastic and medical bills.

Kevin

[jeremy556]

Skip the Z6 and get Pilot Road2s. The 2 part is very important, as the original Roads are garbage.

I get anywhere from 1500-2400 miles out of a Pilot Power rear, depending on pressure, ambient temperature, and roads I am riding. Replace when you run out of tread, or hit the cords.

[VFRBulldawg]

Thanks for the pic! It appears that I could ride them to pretty close to having the tread depth at the center of the rear tire almost to zero before I need to swap them.

I really like the Pilot Powers but I just can't afford to spend $1000 per year on tires when I could spend $350. My roommate has an 07 GSXR 750 and he's been running Z6's ever since he replaced the stock tires and he ran Z6's on his R6 before that. I'm still learning to ride well and am still trying to keep things at a moderate pace. He's a much more experienced rider than I and rides more aggressively on a bike with more HP and more braking power. He's said the Z6's have never failed him. For now they should be enough grip for me. There seem to be enough people here whol like them and from what I read the Z6's were design tested on 6th gen VFR's so I'm feeling pretty good about them, though you do make a good point about rubber being cheaper than plastic and flesh.

Thanks for the inputs guys.

[spud786]

THe ORIGINAL (front) PPower has good value, there's not a tire on the market that outperforms it in performance snd life expectancy.

The rear ppower is a different story, life is short, try someting like a proad 2 on the rear or Bt21. The 21 rear is like glue in the rain, the road 2 has the best life/ perfomance of any rear tire on the market.

The z6 is a world behind on performance , I stopped running those a couple years back

while the z6 front is good for 20% more life over a Ppower front, that last 20% will not be quality performance, so why bother I ask

When you tires are flush with da wear bars change them, you cant go by what somebody else got milege wise

This post has been edited by spud786: 11 May 2009 - 11:00 PM

[Ryanme17]

dutchinterceptor, on May 11 2009, 11:09 PM, said:

Whey they look like this it is time to replace them. I was able to go an additional 50 miles before it gave out.....200 miles from home.



Just keep an eye on the wear bars. Powers are fantastic tires especially in the twisties but aren't great as a high mileage tire.

No NO NO! Don't let your tires get to this point! Sometimes you need to know when not to take us seriously. I think (hope) that what Dutchinterceptor was trying to say is that tire wear varies GREATLY depending on the rider, road surface, ride conditions, bike, riding type, and most importantly, your right wrist.

The owner's manual will tell you to get rid of you tires when there is 2 mm of tread between to the wear bars. We almost all agree that you can run your tires longer than that, but do NOT run them to the point that the cords are showing. Most people get new tires just before the wear bars become even with the top of the tire.

Yes, sometimes you can get a few more miles out of them, but is risking a blowout at 70 mph or while going around a corner worth it?

[Monk]

I'd say at your self-proclaimed riding experience, Go with the Z6's......see what kind of milage and handling you get from them.......Then get Some Pilot road 2's F/R and compare.........Myself, I like the Pilot Roads..... I get about 8k on them Rear, 10k front (but that was on a BMW/RT) ..... I like that they give me a little advance warning when they are ready to slide, but being that they are coinciderd "garbage" by some, I'm never to old to change. So I think the next set will be the PR2's, at least to give them a try.... Monk

This post has been edited by Monk: 12 May 2009 - 12:06 AM

[VFRBulldawg]

Now from what I'm getting in response y'all are making me reconsider the Z6's! Perhaps dropping an extra $50 on the PR2's is worth it. Is this the current consensus? I checked the "Best Tires" poll and it showed Z6's leading the PR's by a little. Though perhaps this is skewed due to the poll being from 2005 when the PR2's weren't out and from what I read the original PR's were not as popular. Any Metzeler fans want to chime in? Especially those that may have the new Z6 Interacs?

I'm not going to let my tires get that bad. The reason I posted this question was to avoid such a scenario.

I've found Z6's for $265, Z6 Interacs for $310, and PR2's for $300. (All with shipping costs included) I'm not trying to open an old can of worms. More responses would be great. I'm thinking that some of the research I did here included older posts that may not reflect the opinions currently held by most VFR riders.

[dogman]

Dont get the z6s.
The pilot road 2s are in a different class, far superior. I've had both.
The z3s are a good tyre.
I have currently a z3 front and a pr2 rear, and they work well. (my dealer was out of power fronts at the time)
Most people here run a power front and PR2 rear and get very good mileages.

[Lee 2002]

VFRBulldawg, on May 11 2009, 09:57 PM, said:

I do alot of slab riding down in middle Ga.

VFRBulldawg, on May 12 2009, 12:16 AM, said:

Any Metzeler fans want to chime in?

Based on your original post, I assume you mostly pull commuter duty.

I run Z6's normally. I got 6,100 out of my last rear. I have done a track day on them, the occasional sporty ride on the weekend with Hondalover and find them to be more than adequate.

I currently have PP front and PRoad2 on order... only because I want to try them. With the Summer Summit coming up in the mountians, I will have a great opportunity to really try them out.

Unless I am just completely and uterly impressed with the Michelins, I will probably go back to the Metzlers, beacuse I also pull mostly commuter duty.

[V4 Rosso]

From reports I heard the Metzeler Z6 interact gives more feedback than the Z6, so you might want to get the interacts.

Monk, on May 12 2009, 07:03 AM, said:

but being that they are coinciderd "garbage" by some, I'm never to old to change. So I think the next set will be the PR2's, at least to give them a try.... Monk

For some riding styles they may be garbage. Me I liked the PR but think the PR2 is a far better tire that when almost worn is still grippy. The PR2 has a bit sportier profile, somewhere between the PR & PP, that may also explain why guys like Jeremy and Baileyrock like the PR2 better.

[Purvis]

Bailyrock has a great review of the pilot road "2" that you should read.

I have been running the road 2 and have around 9k mile on it, still lots of center left, needs more twisties.

I really like the Pilot Powers, but like you cannot see spending good money to square them off commuting.

[wera803]

If you decide to go with Pilot Powers, I have access to some at a cheaper price. I'm in Athens, GA as well.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.p...ic=50588&hl=

[bill220]

I just ordered a Z6 rear yesterday ($135 at dennis kirk) and hope that I'm happy with it both from a grip and wear perspective. I have M1's on both ends now. Front has plenty of tread but the rear is almost to the wear bars. I didn't want to replace the front just so I could run a different brand. Maybe next time.
The rear M1 on my bike was almost new when I bought the bike in November. Since then, I put about 2000 miles on and it won't last much longer. 3K out of a tire just seems ridiculous to me. I don't race, do burnouts or wheelies etc. I like windy roads at a somewhat spirited pace (no knee draggin here) and enjoy the occasional hard launch but by no means would I consider my riding style to be sport, more like fast touring most days and boring old cruising when the wife is on board.

[Rice]

I ride my tires until cords just begin to peek through.
My last set of Pirellis gave out 1 day before they were supposed to be replaced.
According to Dutch's picture, PPs hold out much longer.

To put some of the above advise into perspective, most folks that commented above are not new to riding. They need every bit of traction and performance at every chance they get.
Since you appear to be a relatively new rider, I don't think that you need to buy the best (and the most $$$) tires. The extra cost and performance will just be lost on you. Buy something cheaper and learn how to ride. Any major brand tire will be up to the task.

[gradus]

VFRBulldawg, on May 11 2009, 11:29 PM, said:

Thanks for the pic! It appears that I could ride them to pretty close to having the tread depth at the center of the rear tire almost to zero before I need to swap them.

Keep in mind that your tires can go from almost zero to looking like dutchinterceptor's picture in less than 100 miles.

Put a Pilot Power on the front and a Pilot Road 2CT on the rear. Your tires will wear at close to the same rate. The Road 2CT has a harder compound in the center, but the sides are softer and perform close to the Powers you have now.

[teleskier]

Forget the Z6's....period. I have run PP for ever and love them but for your level and type of riding the PR2 would be an excellent choice. I switched to a set of them on my new concours1400 and the handling is superb. As of last weekend I have 4K miles on the rear and its going strong. Fortunately I ride lots of twisties with it so it wears pretty even around the tire. Tread life is good, grip is good, you can lay on the throttle on corner exits and know its gonna grip. Go PR2's.

[sweet97]

I amrunning Z6 Interacts on my 4th gen, and they are fine for my skill level. Just put a new Z6 on the front - took a worn Pilot Power off. I will say that I like the quicker turn-in of the PP, but the Z6 feels planted and stable in a corner also. The Z6 was $60 cheaper than the PR2 - that was the deciding factor for me. BTW - the PP I took off had about 3300 miles on it. I've had an Avon Storm last 11,000 miles on the front of my other bike, but the rears aren't a dual compound, and don't last long enough - very good tires though - may try them on the VFR....

Dave P.

[Tightwad]

Just to be different, I like the BT021. I put Pirelli Diablo on last fall from the deal Cycle Gear was running, but they just didn't last. Mine got close to what Dutch showed in no time, but the front has worn much slower. Since I commute 95% of my mileage the BT021 is perfect fit....fair price, good center wear, sticks ok on the corners, I did alright in Arkansas with them.

[VFRBulldawg]

Well y'all have got me thinking now that the PR2's may be better for me than the Z6's. Wera, your offer is also pretty good. I'll send you a PM and get some more info. Thanks for the input everyone.

[DougFromIndy]

I have a PP 2ct rear and must say its getting excellent mileage, even has been pushed very hard. I paid some big money $215 mounted for it while on a road trip in dalton, GA because I did get lazy and run on an underinflated bstone bt 56/57 tire...so my advice to get best miles and save $$$ is to check air pressure b4 every ride. I run my tires until threads just start to show and then change, 5000 miles is about my average. To save money, keep an air guage with bike and use it, Doug (happy with Michelins although have a stack of lesser tires that are fine with me, cheap, so I will be missing the pp 2ct. )
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=1KwIVpOtqHA
heres a cute ad
Rossi is on Bridgestones now I believe...he is not a tire guy, rides well on anything