Road6 tire pressure

[tnman]

I am seeing a few posts online about running 50psi on the new Road 6 for better life. What are your thoughts? I have run numerous PR4GT's and would get about 7,000 miles out of them at 42PSI. I check the pressure every time before I ride, anything more than 1 PSI difference is adjusted before I ride.
What are your thoughts?

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

Give it a try and don’t think about 1psi

 

[dduelin]

I don't think it is necessary and I wouldn't do it. The Road series introduced the newest generation of Michelin's dual compound construction which reduced the earlier Pilot Road series tendency to scallop and cup. With CT2+ the hard compound underlays the soft compound all the way out to the edge of the tread face which stabilizes the transition from soft to hard - the transition being where the tires develop the lumpy wear patterns. I have used every generation of Michelin sport touring tires from 2006 and the Roads just plain wear better and longer than the Pilot Road series. All generations of Michelin MC tires feature a soft compliant ride and 50 psi cold works against that.

 

[Slydynbye]

Consider that a tire that starts out at 42psi cold will go up to 50 psi when warmed up.
You might try a slight increase like 44 cold but remember the pressure changes with temperature.

 

[SMSW]

Tires are designed to accommodate the increase in pressure from cold to normal running temps. I've been surprised to see the higher temps and pressures on my TPMS in the summer, and have to remind myself of that first sentence. If the 50psi you mentioned is within the tires' specs, then you can do it, but your ride will be harsh. Running a tire at higher pressures will not necessarily give you a longer tire life, unless as mentioned above, it corrects an inherent problem with the tire's construction. The manufacturer will likely tell you to use the bike's recommended tire pressure - so no help there.

Consider that the tire patch on the road is designed to give the most traction under all conditions and reasonable life. If you increase the pressure, you will probably be shrinking the size of said contact patch under some circumstances. This is less than optimal to squeeze a few extra miles out of the tire (an understatement).

 

[Al st1100]

Rebate time

 

[Firstpeke]

Regarding 50 lbs/psi in rear tyre..... there is a manufacturers maximum pressure for the casing on the sidewall, which if memory serves me is going to be 42 lbs/psi for almost all Michelin radial rear tyres....
If you consider that the air in the tyre is you primary suspension then running at 50lbs/psi is akin to you carrying a heavy back pack and running everywhere on tiptoes.....

The other thing to remember is that it is the volume of air at the correct pressure that matters, the volume stays constant and so as the temperature increases so will pressure.

I would strongly advise against putting the higher pressure in as it decreases your contact patch also and in the wet that could get...... interesting......

All that said I do tend to run my front tyre one to two psi above recommended as it helps to reduce adverse wear under braking, which is caused by the tyre being technically under inflated for the loads under heavy deceleration!

Slight, and I mean slight, overinflation has a far less catastrophic effect on a tyre than underinflation.
As little as 10% underinflation can result in wear rate increasing by up to 25%.

HTH

 

[ASPC]

Measure the contact patch.

 

[TerryS]

I have been running my Road6 at 46R and 44F cold pressure, and I believe this has contributed to a marked improvement in tyre life. I did this in consultation with a very good friend who is the adviser for the local Metzeler and Dunlop importers. As others have stated the pressure rise noted through a TPMS is significant, and much greater on the rear of my ST than on my other Road6-shod bikes (e.g. MT-10, VFR800). I asusme the weight and shrouded-by-panniers location plays a big part here.

The lower the starting pressure, the more tyre deflection there is which generates more heat and gives a greater pressure rise; this is why a comon failure mode for car tyres is to keep driving when they are going flat, which seriously overheats and eventually shreds the carcass. "GT" spec bike tyres use a stiffer construction which reduces this heat build-up to prolong tyre life. I can't say that I notice any difference in ride quality at higher pressures, and there's certainly no shortage of traction. Anything that you do that reduces the tyre temperature will be beneficial for mileage, but YMMV.

I might take a different tack if I lived somewhere seriously cold, but lucky me, I don't.