180 or 190

[NONE_too_SOFT]

Originally Posted by DLIT

Negative. You lose more of a contact patch which is needed on the liter bikes to handle the power delivery. In fact, a lot of 600 and 750 owners/racers will go up to the 190 for that reason. So they can get on the throttle quicker and harder. They just have to set their suspension up to compensate for the rear being raised more because it's a taller tire.

So stay with the 190, T. It's what is meant for that bike.

fahk, forgot he got the liter. 600's typically stock a 180/55/17 , I've heard anything bigger would hinder cornering at extreme angles but dont really buy into it. my man Dlit, as is most often the case, is correct.

[Trip]

Some of the liter riders at the gap go with 180 for a quicker turn in, that's about the only place I would even suggest running a 180 on a liter. Stick with the 190.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by t-rock

I was talking to some guys on r1-forum.com and they said some had tried a 180 but it didn't make a noticable difference in turning. They said go with a 190/55.

Be careful asking that on a forum... they might not know how to turn in the first place. I know, that sounds mean, but seriously.

To illustrate the difference between the 180 / 190

[PiZdETS]

Originally Posted by azoomm

To illustrate the difference between the 180 / 190

Nice find, here's the same type of illustration from this article.

Here's a stock 180 tire on an f4i' rim, notice how round it is


Now compare that with the flattened look of a 190 put on the same rim. It looks wrong because it is wrong

Effectively, the wider tire will give more rake and trail when the bike is vertical, while keeping close to the original geometry when the bike is leaned over. Accounting for one (by changing ride height) will unduly affect the other.....
With no changes to suspension or geometry, the F4i felt substantially different with the wider tire. With the bike straight up and down, steering was slightly sluggish in comparison, but just off vertical, the F4i was quite tippy and darted into corners. The light, neutral steering of the Sportecs was completely changed and the bike lost its balanced feel. The sensation was very much like riding on a tire squared off from too many freeway miles. At higher lean angles, performance was less affected, although making transitions from side to side was unpredictable. And, contrary to the popular myth that the wider tire puts down a bigger footprint and gives more traction, we felt no improvement in that department from the properly sized tire.

My suggestion? On a 2000 R1 a swingarm stretch and 400 series tire will seriously improve handling.

[t-homo]

azooom, i tried to find somewhere non VS, but that was all i could find. I am planning on going with a 190/55.

[Dnyce]

pizdets post was good info-but since hes got a r1 it would be the opposite. a f4i rim is 5.5 inches, r1 is 6inches.

[Mr Lefty]

actually it wouldn't be the opposite... it'd just not be as pronounced a diffrence..

[Dnyce]

wasnt clear on that-not opposite effect- piz showed a 180 to 190 on a 5.5 rim, o.p. asked about goin 190 to 180 on a 6inch rim. thats what i meant.

as far as actual effect i have no clue- i always thought if i put a 180 on a 6in rim, it would have more straightline contact patch, and if you squeezed a 190 on a 5.5in rim, you would have less straightline contact, and more contact when leaned over. pizdets pic seems to show the opposite

[Mr Lefty]

your right... a wider tire on a narrow rim will be more curved. (done this many times with my truck tires as it makes the beads harder to blow out on the trail when I run reduced pressure)

I just looked at the pics... yeah the 190 will be more curved the 180 will be flatter to fit in the same width rim

[PhiSig1071]

Originally Posted by PhiSig1071

190 refers to the rear tire width in mm's. A 190 is slightly wider than a 180. I'd say keep the 190. A 180 will give you quicker handling at the expense of some traction, you need traction more than handling on that bike. At least for now.

The explanation of the rest of the code:

190/50/ZR17

190 is tire width,
50 is aspect ratio at max lean
ZR is speed rating
17 is rim size.

Originally Posted by t-rock

Yeah, i knew what it meant as far as size. Just wondering if one was better than the other or what.

I figured you did, I just wanted to illustrate why I thought a 190 would be better. Rather than just posting "Keep the 190"