Pilot Road 2's As A Sport Tire Review!

[Baileyrock]

So, BR, will you go with a PP front and PR2 rear next time, or put PR2s on both ends again? Do you see significantly faster wear of the PP front over the PR2? And if so, is there enough difference in grip and feel to justify the shorter life? Derby has the PP front at $101.99 and the PR2 front at $113.99 right now, so cost difference is negligible. I'm about to pull the trigger and order, so your feedback will help me decide.

Thanks!

Well I may play around with both some more, but I just ordered a second PP/PR2 set.

The PR2 front will for sure outlast the PP by 1 or 2k miles and IMO has the same grip as the PP, they say the outer compound on the PR2's is PP rubber anyway.

The Only difference is steering quickness with the PP falling in quicker. I guess it depends on what tires your currently run and what profile they have. If your used to and like rounder profile fronts where you have to increase bar pressure to increase lean angle then for sure go PR2. If you like and run more crowned/pointed fronts that fall into a turn then the PR2 will take a little adjustment in tune-in point, this took me 1/2 day(on PR2's) before I could ripe as fast as I've ever run on any tire.

My current PP/PR2 set is basically at the wear bars front and rear with 3200 miles on them and that's kind of what I expected, change them as sets. During the first 2000-2500 miles on this set-up I thought my bike felt better then it has at any previous time(loved it), BUT during the last 1k miles it seemed to have lost a bunch of feel on the front and my confidence faded rapidly! :fing02: I could still haul butt, but something just didn't/doesn't feel right???

I have not isolated just exactly what is causing this issue so I have not posted my tire ride report yet on that PP/PR2 combo, my plan is to slap a new PP front on as soon as I get one mounted and change nothing else on the bike to see if in fact it is a worn PP front causing this problem. If in fact it is, I will most likely go back to a PR2 front and adjust my steering input to suit.

As soon as I know for sure what is causing the poor front end feel I'll post up about it. :pissed:

[Joker]

So, BR, will you go with a PP front and PR2 rear next time, or put PR2s on both ends again? Do you see significantly faster wear of the PP front over the PR2? And if so, is there enough difference in grip and feel to justify the shorter life? Derby has the PP front at $101.99 and the PR2 front at $113.99 right now, so cost difference is negligible. I'm about to pull the trigger and order, so your feedback will help me decide.

Thanks!

Well I may play around with both some more, but I just ordered a second PP/PR2 set.

The PR2 front will for sure outlast the PP by 1 or 2k miles and IMO has the same grip as the PP, they say the outer compound on the PR2's is PP rubber anyway.

The Only difference is steering quickness with the PP falling in quicker. I guess it depends on what tires your currently run and what profile they have. If your used to and like rounder profile fronts where you have to increase bar pressure to increase lean angle then for sure go PR2. If you like and run more crowned/pointed fronts that fall into a turn then the PR2 will take a little adjustment in tune-in point, this took me 1/2 day(on PR2's) before I could ripe as fast as I've ever run on any tire.

My current PP/PR2 set is basically at the wear bars front and rear with 3200 miles on them and that's kind of what I expected, change them as sets. During the first 2000-2500 miles on this set-up I thought my bike felt better then it has at any previous time(loved it), BUT during the last 1k miles it seemed to have lost a bunch of feel on the front and my confidence faded rapidly! :fing02: I could still haul butt, but something just didn't/doesn't feel right???

I have not isolated just exactly what is causing this issue so I have not posted my tire ride report yet on that PP/PR2 combo, my plan is to slap a new PP front on as soon as I get one mounted and change nothing else on the bike to see if in fact it is a worn PP front causing this problem. If in fact it is, I will most likely go back to a PR2 front and adjust my steering input to suit.

As soon as I know for sure what is causing the poor front end feel I'll post up about it. :pissed:

No offense, but this thread has entirely too much talk about PPs and PP rubber. :pissed:

[dutchinterceptor]

My current PP/PR2 set is basically at the wear bars front and rear with 3200 miles on them and that's kind of what I expected, change them as sets. During the first 2000-2500 miles on this set-up I thought my bike felt better then it has at any previous time(loved it), BUT during the last 1k miles it seemed to have lost a bunch of feel on the front and my confidence faded rapidly! :fing02: I could still haul butt, but something just didn't/doesn't feel right???

I have not isolated just exactly what is causing this issue so I have not posted my tire ride report yet on that PP/PR2 combo, my plan is to slap a new PP front on as soon as I get one mounted and change nothing else on the bike to see if in fact it is a worn PP front causing this problem. If in fact it is, I will most likely go back to a PR2 front and adjust my steering input to suit.

As soon as I know for sure what is causing the poor front end feel I'll post up about it.

That's what I was getting on that combo when I ran with you and HS. I couldn't ever pin it down but it just didn't feel 100% to me. I would like to try a PR2 front and rear some time but as long as my trips are only 1500 miles I definitely prefer the powers.

[Baileyrock]

My current PP/PR2 set is basically at the wear bars front and rear with 3200 miles on them and that's kind of what I expected, change them as sets. During the first 2000-2500 miles on this set-up I thought my bike felt better then it has at any previous time(loved it), BUT during the last 1k miles it seemed to have lost a bunch of feel on the front and my confidence faded rapidly! :fing02: I could still haul butt, but something just didn't/doesn't feel right???

I have not isolated just exactly what is causing this issue so I have not posted my tire ride report yet on that PP/PR2 combo, my plan is to slap a new PP front on as soon as I get one mounted and change nothing else on the bike to see if in fact it is a worn PP front causing this problem. If in fact it is, I will most likely go back to a PR2 front and adjust my steering input to suit.

As soon as I know for sure what is causing the poor front end feel I'll post up about it. :pissed:

That's what I was getting on that combo when I ran with you and HS. I couldn't ever pin it down but it just didn't feel 100% to me. I would like to try a PR2 front and rear some time but as long as my trips are only 1500 miles I definitely prefer the powers.

I remember you saying that Dutch, but like I said the first 2/3's of the sets life felt fantastic then one day it was gone!

[magellan]

My current PP/PR2 set is basically at the wear bars front and rear with 3200 miles on them and that's kind of what I expected, change them as sets. During the first 2000-2500 miles on this set-up I thought my bike felt better then it has at any previous time(loved it), BUT during the last 1k miles it seemed to have lost a bunch of feel on the front and my confidence faded rapidly! :fing02: I could still haul butt, but something just didn't/doesn't feel right???

I have not isolated just exactly what is causing this issue so I have not posted my tire ride report yet on that PP/PR2 combo, my plan is to slap a new PP front on as soon as I get one mounted and change nothing else on the bike to see if in fact it is a worn PP front causing this problem. If in fact it is, I will most likely go back to a PR2 front and adjust my steering input to suit.

As soon as I know for sure what is causing the poor front end feel I'll post up about it. :pissed:

That's what I was getting on that combo when I ran with you and HS. I couldn't ever pin it down but it just didn't feel 100% to me. I would like to try a PR2 front and rear some time but as long as my trips are only 1500 miles I definitely prefer the powers.

I remember you saying that Dutch, but like I said the first 2/3's of the sets life felt fantastic then one day it was gone!

I look forward to hearing your thoughts after you replace the set. I think what you're experiencing is pretty common with lots of brands and models. I loved my last Z6s and got great mileage out of them, but the last 1000 miles felt pretty sketchy. Then I went to Diablos (which I'm still on) and low-sided early this summer at a speed I thought was pretty reasonable. It took 2000 more miles on those tires to get my mojo back, just in time for them to be 1000 miles from worn out and starting to feel kind of weird, just like the Z6s and your combo.

I've kind of narrowed my shopping to PP/PR2, PR2/PR2, Dunlop Roadsmart, or Z6s again. The Roadsmarts are pretty new and I know nothing about them, but I suspect I can't go wrong with the other choices.

[spud786]

I only run pilotpower fronts

I put alot of miles on z6 rears, they met a minimum level of performance and life, I went to the bt 21 rear and it turned the bike into a complete snake, and gets every bit of milege a z6 rear does, but perfomance is 2 worlds ahead.

The proad2 rear is a longer life tire but not as quick cutting as the Bt21 (rear), those are the only 2 rears I' run now, I'm going back to the Bt rear to confirm my thoughts.

I thought the bt21 was much better bump wise right off the bat, and excellent rain tire , the proad2 less bump compliant until a few thousand mile, then gets better.

But I do agree the Proad2 rear is the longest life and provides an excellent level of performance

[magellan]

I only run pilotpower fronts

I put alot of miles on z6 rears, they met a minimum level of performance and life, I went to the bt 21 rear and it turned the bike into a complete snake, and gets every bit of milege a z6 rear does, but perfomance is 2 worlds ahead.

The proad2 rear is a longer life tire but not as quick cutting as the Bt21 (rear), those are the only 2 rears I' run now, I'm going back to the Bt rear to confirm my thoughts.

I thought the bt21 was much better bump wise right off the bat, and excellent rain tire , the proad2 less bump compliant until a few thousand mile, then gets better.

But I do agree the Proad2 rear is the longest life and provides an excellent level of performance

Interesting. I ran my Z6s like they were Powers :idea3: and they never let me down. And yes, I ride very hard once I reach the twisties. I never thought of them as "minimum spec", and I sure like them better than Diablos! I suppose I'll have to see just how much the latest and greatest make a difference... :comp13:

[spud786]

I'm wondering what the difference is?

The full proad 2 package seems to have gotten very favorable results, yet the ppower front and road2 rear combo seems to have gotten mixed results.

what I found the rear proad 2 goes really south performance wise once around 2/3mm to the wear bars, almost at the flip of a light switch.

It may be the case where the slower turning front proad 2, makes degrading of rear tire this less noticable. Where as the PPower, points out the rears degrade.

Over all the proad2 will give the life of a z4 met rear, quite a feat for its performance level

[Wheatie]

$300 for a set? :fing02:

That's the cost of the rear tyre only here.

Freekin' Int'l inflation .........

[wera803]

Is there anything on the bike you can change to take some of the quickness out of the PP turn in?? The first set I had were used on my track bike and I loved them on that thing. After 3 track days, I then put them on the VFR and it was kind of scary. Couldn't go in a straight line because the edges were just about worn out and the centers were almost new. Of course then I took the 5 mm shim out of the shock and it helped. I then slid the forks back down into the triple trees 5 mm and it was still better, but not that great. I wore those down pretty quick and put a brand new set of PP's on. Handling was better yet, but still not to the comfort level I had with the Pirelli's that were on it.

So, is there anything else I can do or is it just the profile of the tire and I'll have to get used to it or change tires??

I'm not sure about how many miles I will get out of these yet either. With the Pirelli Diablo's, I consistently got 3,500 out of the rear. Corsa III's I think I got about 2,800.

Maybe PR2 front and rear would be a better match for me?? A change in front profile and longer life out back?

Thanks.

[jeremy556]

I hear you on the worn out Powers. If I do the trailer up to the good road thing, my Powers are worn into a V shape even more severe than they come from the factory, and straight line stability is well, nonexistant. I have not found any way to counter it other than to ride superslab, and I would rather deal with the weaving back and forth before riding highways.

[WERA910]

Maybe PR2 front and rear would be a better match for me?? A change in front profile and longer life out back?

Thanks.

I haven't tried the PR2 front yet, but I'm at about 2k miles on the PR2 rear and it's holding up incredibly well! Probably the best rear street tire I've ever used.

I have a similar problem with the front of the Tuono... a new PP on the front gives a very predictable, stable feel that leads to a lot of confidence... slapping on a track tire gives me some fresh rubber up front... but the stability is not there, takes away some of the predictability an thus confidence...

I don't know if I'm gonna go with a PR2 front... since I still have a couple of PP front take offs laying about.... hard to justify buying another front tire just for street use. As much as I like the PR2 rear, the next two rears on the Tuono will be PP's because they're the tires I wasted at Jennings and Mid Ohio... Don't want to throw them away... and thier use on the track has been questioned for the last time.

Can't you sell them to Gixxa riders in Athens for us? They don't lean over anyway.

Michael

[Guest]

Maybe PR2 front and rear would be a better match for me?? A change in front profile and longer life out back?

Thanks.

I haven't tried the PR2 front yet, but I'm at about 2k miles on the PR2 rear and it's holding up incredibly well! Probably the best rear street tire I've ever used.

I have a similar problem with the front of the Tuono... a new PP on the front gives a very predictable, stable feel that leads to a lot of confidence... slapping on a track tire gives me some fresh rubber up front... but the stability is not there, takes away some of the predictability an thus confidence...

I don't know if I'm gonna go with a PR2 front... since I still have a couple of PP front take offs laying about.... hard to justify buying another front tire just for street use. As much as I like the PR2 rear, the next two rears on the Tuono will be PP's because they're the tires I wasted at Jennings and Mid Ohio... Don't want to throw them away... and thier use on the track has been questioned for the last time.

Can't you sell them to Gixxa riders in Athens for us? They don't lean over anyway.

Michael

Someone has questioned the use of PP's??? :huh:

[spud786]

Is there anything on the bike you can change to take some of the quickness out of the PP turn in?? The first set I had were used on my track bike and I loved them on that thing. After 3 track days, I then put them on the VFR and it was kind of scary. Couldn't go in a straight line because the edges were just about worn out and the centers were almost new. Of course then I took the 5 mm shim out of the shock and it helped. I then slid the forks back down into the triple trees 5 mm and it was still better, but not that great. I wore those down pretty quick and put a brand new set of PP's on. Handling was better yet, but still not to the comfort level I had with the Pirelli's that were on it.

So, is there anything else I can do or is it just the profile of the tire and I'll have to get used to it or change tires??

I'm not sure about how many miles I will get out of these yet either. With the Pirelli Diablo's, I consistently got 3,500 out of the rear. Corsa III's I think I got about 2,800.

Maybe PR2 front and rear would be a better match for me?? A change in front profile and longer life out back?

Thanks.

I luv the ppower fronts, only with stock front supension did they have too quick turn in(beef it up) dont run low air pressures, I dont have any issue with slab instability issues with Ppower fronts

[leanit]

Great review! On another site, I read that one member got 13,000(+) miles out of the same model rear tire. I responded and asked what type of riding did he do. I have been riding since 1980 and the most mileage I ever got out of a rear was 6,300 miles and that was a Honda 400. Thanks, JD

[turtlecreek]

Maybe PR2 front and rear would be a better match for me?? A change in front profile and longer life out back?

Thanks.

I haven't tried the PR2 front yet, but I'm at about 2k miles on the PR2 rear and it's holding up incredibly well! Probably the best rear street tire I've ever used.

I have a similar problem with the front of the Tuono... a new PP on the front gives a very predictable, stable feel that leads to a lot of confidence... slapping on a track tire gives me some fresh rubber up front... but the stability is not there, takes away some of the predictability an thus confidence...

I don't know if I'm gonna go with a PR2 front... since I still have a couple of PP front take offs laying about.... hard to justify buying another front tire just for street use. As much as I like the PR2 rear, the next two rears on the Tuono will be PP's because they're the tires I wasted at Jennings and Mid Ohio... Don't want to throw them away... and thier use on the track has been questioned for the last time.

Can't you sell them to Gixxa riders in Athens for us? They don't lean over anyway.

Michael

xactly why i use pp/pr2 combo. my track bike use 120 front, but 160 rear, so i end up with used 120 pp's and just buy pr2 180 rear for the VFR....apparantly, i only ride straight on the track too, 'cause I really haven't noticed the issue with th side wear. the pp ALWAYS falls in fast to me.

anyway, while i like the diablo's better, the performance vs wear is not good enough to justify buying them over the PP/PR2.....so back to Michelin. :huh:

[wera803]

I have a similar problem with the front of the Tuono... a new PP on the front gives a very predictable, stable feel that leads to a lot of confidence... slapping on a track tire gives me some fresh rubber up front... but the stability is not there, takes away some of the predictability an thus confidence...

Exactly my problem with the PP on the front for some reason. I really like the tire, but my confidence is shot with them on the street. On the track they perform great.

Can't you sell them to Gixxa riders in Athens for us? They don't lean over anyway.

You have no idea how many fronts I've sold for $30 or $40 AFTER I'm done with them. :huh:

[WERA910]

I don't know if I'm gonna go with a PR2 front... since I still have a couple of PP front take offs laying about.... hard to justify buying another front tire just for street use. As much as I like the PR2 rear, the next two rears on the Tuono will be PP's because they're the tires I wasted at Jennings and Mid Ohio... Don't want to throw them away... and thier use on the track has been questioned for the last time.

Michael

Someone has questioned the use of PP's??? :biggrin:

My problem with PP's is rear end traction on the track only... and track worn fronts on the street.

I'm a huge PP fan, and right now five of the six tires I have mounted on bikes are PP's... but I've really run out of rear traction on the track (this is JenningsGP running about 1:27's)... Two of the biggest slides of my life happened a couple of weeks ago on my gsxr600 at Jennings... one at about 90mph coming out of turn 6, and one at about 120 mph coming out of turn 2...

Oh, BTW, I really had no front end problems... I know where I can still pick up time by entering turns faster.... that's all rider dependent and areas that I need to improve upon.

[wera803]

My problem with PP's is rear end traction on the track only... and track worn fronts on the street.

I'm a huge PP fan, and right now five of the six tires I have mounted on bikes are PP's... but I've really run out of rear traction on the track (this is JenningsGP running about 1:27's)... Two of the biggest slides of my life happened a couple of weeks ago on my gsxr600 at Jennings... one at about 90mph coming out of turn 6, and one at about 120 mph coming out of turn 2...

Weren't you running 2CT's as well?? Those should be better grip on the sides than a regular PP would have.

[jeremy556]

My problem with PP's is rear end traction on the track only... and track worn fronts on the street.

I'm a huge PP fan, and right now five of the six tires I have mounted on bikes are PP's... but I've really run out of rear traction on the track (this is JenningsGP running about 1:27's)... Two of the biggest slides of my life happened a couple of weeks ago on my gsxr600 at Jennings... one at about 90mph coming out of turn 6, and one at about 120 mph coming out of turn 2...

Weren't you running 2CT's as well?? Those should be better grip on the sides than a regular PP would have.

In my experience the Power 2CTs overheat on the sides at the track and slide a lot more than the regular Powers.

I think about 1:26-27 is about the limit for what most people can do on Powers at Jennings, anything better needs DOTs.

[WERA910]

In my experience the Power 2CTs overheat on the sides at the track and slide a lot more than the regular Powers.

I think about 1:26-27 is about the limit for what most people can do on Powers at Jennings, anything better needs DOTs.

Thats a great piece of information Jeremy... I thought that myself, but I keep trying to convince myself that they must be better than the regular PP's... I had a similar problem at Mid Ohio running these tires... and again at Jennings last year. I guess it's just not gonna get any better.

So, I guess I'm back to Supercorsas... or PR3's... or Travis' Bridgestone race take offs... Anybody got a feel for the new D209's? I loved the D207gp's back'n-the-day, but they sure haven't got any fans lately.

[Auspanglish]

Well, I feel I can now report in.

Have tried the PP 2CTs, the Original PPs, the PR 2CTs and the Original PRs, both front and rear of all types, and lately have a PP 2CT front and PR 2CT rear and I agree whole heartedly with BR. The optimum combination is the latter. The original PR, you can blow that one out your a$$. Harder that Chinese algebra and just not worth the mileage as the last half of the tyre has you slip-sliding away... The PR rear is a top rate tyre, but with the miles I pack on, just doesn't make the crisis any easier...

The final proof has been this weekend: 700 km in one day and 2/3 of them spirited twisties... they didn't let me down, and we're talking 10 - 18 ºC over the course of the day through some seriously challenging, twisted twisties which just beg you to flick her over and over, no remorse. Would've punished a PP rear. The deciding factor is that the PR 2CT produced not one slip or slide I didn't provoke on purpose, and that was accelerating WOT with the bike fairly upright, just for fun... I'll get almost double the mielage out of the rear and almost the same quality traction... just have to wait a smidgin more for her to heat up before taking the plunge (applicable in all areas of life!!).

I should add that on ocassion I throw on a set of Supercorsa Pro or Racetec take offs and naturally, for grip and flickability, there's no comparison, but they get chewed up faster than you can say Supercalafragilisticpsychomasochism. But that's the beauty of having two sets of rims... :rolleyes:

All in all, I'm chuffed with this combo, and it looks like the front and rear will wear out on par, will confirm a little further on, although my PP 2CT front has the disadvantage of having shared some time with a Supercorsa Pro rear... just to wear it down (I didn't check, but I boght it as a take off and it's a 190... fits on the 5th gen but rubbed on the swing arm just behind the rear shock on the 6th genner... it should now be worn down enough to spin freely on the VTECker... funny that, does the 6th gen have a shorter wheelbase?? Or just a differently set-up chassis??

What a brick I just threw at y'all!!

[Jovinski]

Okay, here's my problem... I don't have a tire installer, so I have to go to a dealer and they flat out refuse to mount "different" tires front and rear. I want the "Holy Grail" set up of PP front PR2 rear, but they won't do it. Blame liability issues. So, here's my dilemma, I am heading out in a few days for a mostly slab 800 mile ride. Do I get the PP set-up for 270 installed or the PR2 for almost a hundred dollars more. There is no rhyme or reason for the extra hundred dollar expense because everywhere on line there is only about a 40 dollar difference. I have checked everywhere in town and this is the best price hands down. I'm thinking of getting the PP's and running the back down and then taking just the rear wheel in for a Road2 in a few thousand miles. I have about 3000 miles on my current pp back and close to 8000 on the front. What do you all think?

[Guest]

Okay, here's my problem... I don't have a tire installer, so I have to go to a dealer and they flat out refuse to mount "different" tires front and rear. I want the "Holy Grail" set up of PP front PR2 rear, but they won't do it. .....

You live in Florida, why do you need the holy grail of tire combos :wheel:

I have run the PP's and now run the PR II's. Unless you are pushing your bike to the absolute max, street or track, I think you will find the Pilot Road II's will do a fantastic job for you, front and rear.

[Baileyrock]

Okay, here's my problem... I don't have a tire installer, so I have to go to a dealer and they flat out refuse to mount "different" tires front and rear. I want the "Holy Grail" set up of PP front PR2 rear, but they won't do it. .....

You live in Florida, why do you need the holy grail of tire combos :cool:

I have run the PP's and now run the PR II's. Unless you are pushing your bike to the absolute max, street or track, I think you will find the Pilot Road II's will do a fantastic job for you, front and rear.

Agreed, the Pilot Road 2's as a set are great and the front steers quicker than most OEM tires on the VFR.

The only reason I like/run the PP front is that I'm used to the quicker turn-in and love it after over 50,000 miles running PP fronts. I could pretty much go as fast on the PR 2's, just took a little time for me to adjust to the slower steering.