Gone are the days when training was limited to the same old traditional gym equipment.
While originally used in strongman and strongwomen competitions, tires have become a staple in well–equipped gyms throughout the world.
They allow for a unique kind of strength and conditioning training that readily transfers to a variety of sports.
This article lays out the best tire exercises, the muscles they work, and a sample tire circuit to get you started.
The key to performing tire exercises is selecting a tire of the right size and weight to meet your level of strength and experience, as well as to avoid injury.
Start with a smaller, lighter tire and work your way up to a larger, heavier tire as you progress in strength and skill. It’s recommended that women begin with a tire that weighs 100–200 pounds (45–90 kg), while men are recommended to start with a 200–300-pound (90–135-kg) tire.
As a rule of thumb, you should be able to do 2–5 repetitions of the exercises below with consistency. If you can’t, the tire is probably too heavy.
Estimating the weight of a tire is not an exact science. Still, there are some averages, according to size (1, 2).
| Tire size | Average tire weight |
| Car tire | 25 pounds (11 kg) |
| Commercial truck tire | 100–200 pounds (about 45–91 kg) |
| 17.5 x 25 foot tractor tire | 300 pounds (136 kg), maximum |
| 20.5 x 25 foot tractor tire | 400–500 pounds (181–227 kg) |
| 23.5 x 25 foot tractor tire | 400–800 pounds (181– 363 kg) |
| 26.5 x 25 foot tractor tire | 1,000 pounds (454 kg) |
It can be tricky to know how much a tire weighs because it’s difficult to put a large tractor tile on a scale. If you’re hauling it by truck, you can drive to a CAT scale, measure the weight of your truck with the tire, and then subtract the weight of your truck to find the weight of the tire.
Some specialized tires allow weights to be added or removed, making the process of adding resistance a bit easier.
SummaryTires can be hard to weigh, and their weights are often estimated. Select a tire size that allows you to complete at least 2–5 reps consistently.
Tire availability varies depending upon where you live.
Those in rural areas may find it easier to find old tires from agricultural equipment, which also tends to be the most cost-effective source.
You may want to check local online classified ads for listings of people selling used tires, as larger new tires tend to be quite expensive.
While car tires can work for some exercises, you’ll want a slightly larger tire to best perform most movements, especially as your strength and skill increase.
Fortunately, many gyms now have an outdoor or indoor turf area with access to tires.
SummaryThe tire flipTires are best found by searching local online classified ads or contacting a farm that has agricultural equipment.
Also, many gyms now have a turf area with tires of various sizes for members to use.
The tire flip is a classic tire exercise that enhances explosive power development from head to toe.
The key to this exercise is selecting the right tire size and weight to meet your level of strength and experience, as well as to avoid injury.
Muscles worked: glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, lats, traps, biceps, triceps, forearms, abs (to stabilize)
The tire deadlift with farmer’s walk is a unique tire exercise that provides all of the benefits of a traditional deadlift movement with an added conditioning aspect.
This movement requires excellent core and grip strength to stabilize the tire during the farmer’s walk portion of the exercise.
Muscles worked: glutes, hamstrings, quads, lats, traps, biceps, forearms, abs
This movement can also be performed without the farmer’s walk portion as a deadlift only for a designated amount of sets and reps.
Tire slamsThe tire slam is an excellent movement for developing upper-body power and endurance through various planes of motion.
This exercise requires a sledgehammer or mace as a training device with which to strike the tire.
You’ll want to use a tire that’s large enough to absorb the shock of the impact without moving around too much.
The tire slam can be performed in timed intervals, during which you strike the tire for a designated amount of time, or in sets, during which you perform a given number of reps or strikes.
Tire broad jump with tire flipThis is a dynamic exercise that combines two popular tire exercises to maximize your training adaptations.
For this exercise, it’s best to select a lighter tire that you can comfortably jump over repeatedly.
Muscles worked: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, lats, traps, biceps, forearms, abs
Box jumps are a common plyometric exercise in which your muscles exert maximal force for a brief period of time.
In this variation, a tire is used instead of a box, providing an added layer of difficulty, as you’ll need to stabilize yourself on the landing due to the flex of the tire.
Select a tire of an appropriate height for your skill level.
Two tires can be stacked on top of one another as you become more advanced.
Muscles worked: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, abs
Tire pushups are a versatile upper-body exercise that can be adjusted for your desired level of difficulty.
Beginners should perform torso-elevated pushups, which will decrease the resistance, whereas more advanced trainees may want to try leg–elevated pushups to crank up the resistance.
Muscles worked: pecs (chest muscles), anterior delts, triceps, abs
Torso-elevated pushups (easier)
Planks are a challenging exercise that targets your abdominal muscles.
In this variation, you’ll use a tire to increase or decrease the difficulty level.
To make the exercise slightly easier, you’ll perform an incline plank, or if you want to kick things up a notch, you can perform a decline plank.
Muscles worked: abs, obliques (side abs), lower back
Incline plank (easier)
Tire dips are a fantastic exercise for isolating the triceps, as well as a great addition to any well–rounded tire circuit.
For this movement, you’ll want to use a tire large enough to support your body weight without tipping over.
Muscles worked: triceps, pecs, shoulders
The tire squat and press is a dynamic exercise that targets multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
Muscles worked: quads, hamstrings, glutes, triceps, shoulders, chest, abs
This high intensity tire movement will be sure to get your heart pumping.
Side-to-side hops provide excellent conditioning while hitting several major muscle groups.
Muscles worked: quads, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, chest, triceps, abs
A tire circuit strategically combines a series of tire exercises to provide a high intensity, full-body workout.
The goal during a tire circuit is to keep your heart rate elevated by performing movements back to back with only brief periods of rest in between.
Tire circuits can be performed as a training session on their own or added to a strength training program as additional conditioning work.
Here’s a sample tire circuit to get you started, incorporating the above movements.
Start with a 5–10-minute warmup to get your blood flowing and joints loosened up. Some suggested warmup methods include jumping rope or hitting the treadmill, elliptical, or spinning bike.
Follow this with some dynamic stretches to prime your joints for the high intensity movements to come.
This tire circuit is not for beginners. You’ll want to make sure you can perform each of the movements individually before attempting the circuit.
If you’re using a heavy tire, start with a total of 10 reps maximum of each exercise. That can be accomplished with 2 sets of 5, or 3 sets of 3. If you’re using a lighter tire, you can do 3–4 sets with 6–10 reps each.
Feel free to swap out a movement if you’re unable to perform it. Always begin your workouts with more complex, compound exercises.
The main eventAfter an intense workout like a tire circuit, static stretching can help your muscles recover more quickly, reduce muscle soreness, and improve flexibility (3, 4).
Perform some general stretches to boost the recovery process and cool down after your workout.
SummaryThis intense tire circuit will put together all of the exercises previously introduced to give you a full-body workout that promotes both strength and conditioning.
Tire exercises are unique in that they provide a muscle stimulus unlike most other movements.
Completing tire exercises regularly comes with several potential benefits.
Multiple planes of movementThere are three planes of movement you move in during daily activities and exercise. These include frontal (side to side), sagittal (front to back), and transverse (rotational movement).
Many traditional exercises only work in one plane of movement, whereas most tire exercises utilize multiple planes of movement simultaneously.
This makes tire exercises transfer more efficiently to various sports, which also require you to move in multiple planes of motion.
Therefore, athletes training for their given sport may benefit from incorporating tire exercises into their exercise regimen.
Another notable benefit of tire exercises is their ability to provide both strength and conditioning training simultaneously.
Strength training, also known as resistance training, refers to moving your muscles against an external resistance as a means to increase muscle mass, metabolic rate, and bone mass, as well as prevent injuries (5).
Conditioning, on the other hand, refers to performing high intensity movements specific to your sport that improve aerobic endurance, speed, skill, agility, and balance.
Most tire exercises tick both boxes, providing enough resistance to improve strength, while also providing high intensity movements that enhance conditioning applicable to a wide variety of sports.
That said, other methods of weight training should also be incorporated into your training program to maximize muscle and strength gains (6).
Power, or the ability to rapidly create maximal force, is an important aspect of athletic training.
Research suggests that power development is best trained with explosive movements at 30–50% of your one-repetition maximum (1RM), or the amount of weight you can lift for one rep of a given movement (7).
Many tire exercises fit this category, making them excellent for training power development.
To further enhance the power-developing effects of tire training, perform the movements explosively, providing maximal effort with each rep.
SummaryTire exercises provide a unique muscle stimulus that offers several benefits. These include providing movement through multiple planes, contributing to both strength and conditioning, and boosting power development.
While tires are an excellent tool to boost your exercise intensity, there are some precautions you should take to avoid getting injured.
Tires can be awkward to work with, especially the larger ones, and tire workouts require a great deal of skill to perform properly. As such, it’s important to focus on good technique throughout the movements.
One of the most common tire–related injuries is a bicep tear (8).
These often occur during the lifting portion of the tire flip, during which the biceps are in a stretched and compromised position.
To avoid a bicep tear during the tire flip, make sure to press your shoulder into the tire at the bottom of the movement and use the stronger muscles of your posterior (glutes, hamstrings, back muscles) for momentum. Avoid lifting the tire solely with your arms.
Other common injury–prone areas include the lower or mid-back, shoulders, and knees (8).
The best way to avoid injuries from tire exercises is to choose the right size tire for your level of strength and experience.
Work with a partner when possible to help you manipulate the tire and prevent it from falling on you.
SummaryGiven the size and weight of large tires, there’s a risk of injury when completing tire exercises. Select the right size tire for your level of strength, and work with a partner when possible to best avoid injuries.
Tire exercises have emerged as a training strategy for athletes and recreational gym-goers alike.
They can be strategically combined to create a tire circuit that provides a well-balanced, full-body workout, hitting all of your major muscle groups.
Regularly performing tire training comes with several potential benefits, including providing movement through multiple planes, contributing to both strength and conditioning, and boosting power development.
Considering the large size and weight of many tires, they present a significant risk for various injuries. Therefore, it’s best to start with a lighter tire and gradually progress as you become stronger.
Whether you’re an athlete looking to improve your performance or a recreational gym-goer looking to improve your fitness, tire exercises may be an excellent addition to your training program.
To start the workout with flipping tractor tires, you need to know their weights, right? In this article we will look at the standard weights of tractor tires without rims that are suitable for training. We will also look at how to flip the tires correctly for the best effect (there is an instructional video in the article).
Why you should use tractor tires for workout? Strength and endurance are well trained through wrestling bouts. But if you do not have a sparring partner, and the desire to strengthen your body is present, then… tire will help you. Some fitness instructors believe it’s better than the bench press. Follow this workout and roll over those old plateaus.
Why you should use tractor tires for workout? We will tell you why it is useful, what tire weight you should choose, etc.
You’ll need a tractor tire. Typically, these tires weigh from 300 to 600 pounds.
It’s pretty heavy “stuff,” but once you decide to turn your body into a strong armor, then this is what you need. Used tractor tires can be picked up for free or cheap to buy in service stations for the repair of wheels and tires for machinery.
Sometimes they can be found in a landfill. Ask around. The solution may appear by itself.
Each tire is different and feels various turning. Treadwear patterns on the tire can make an effect. If there is no place to grip the tire effectively, what relatively must be a simple tire weight to flip might not prove real in reality. Some tires are taller; some are fatter, etc. All of these aspects change the feel of the same weight tire.
Select a tire measurement that sits flat on the ground and turns up near your knee. This height is necessary because it will enable you to effectively “push” into the tire to flip it. As soon as you have a concept of how fat the tire needs to be, begin taking a look at some tire sizes and weights on a chart.
Bear in mind depending upon the use of the tire; there will be substantial wear on the tire that will change it’s weight significantly. From there, call your local tire store that brings business tires. Describe what you’re searching for. They should be happy to help you out considering that they have to pay to get rid of the vast, old used tires.
In order not to get injured or sprained, and just for the effectiveness of training with a tractor tire, you will need a proper warm-up. If you have been doing sports for a long time, we are unlikely to open something new for you, but beginners should pay attention to our advice. Stretch your muscles, stretch your legs, arms, torso. Also, give a preliminary load on the muscles before you start pushing and flipping the tire: push-UPS and squats are a great solution.
Keeping your weight in your heels and your arms outside your legs, squat down and scoop your hands under the tire.
Next, press up (to standing position) with your legs (as you would with a squat) to raise the tire up. Lean your chest towards the tire, keeping your back straight and your spine in a neutral position. And then flip it, thrusting your hips forward as you push the tire over. Voila!
Tire flips are specifically fun to do with a friend, as you can flip the tire backward and forward to each other. Just bear in mind that tires shouldn’t replace a fitness center, and if you plan to flip them, you ought to warm up, first. Do ten minutes of bodyweight crouches, lunges, and chin-ups to prep your muscles for the huge flip.
There’s no doubt about it: Tire flips are among the coolest-looking exercises you can potentially do. It’s likewise one of the worst moves and a perfect example of a contest-specific exercise produced for advanced-strength athletes that just got too popular.
Tire flips are best used for folks who’ll have to flip tires in some strong competition.
Additionally, barely anyone has the hip mobility to do it right. Just about everyone, including Strongman competitors, goes into back kyphosis – a rounded lower back– when they bend down to grip the tire.
Most people do not have bad backs. They’ve got bad hip movement, which triggers their lousy back.
When it’s utilized as a training workout, the goal is to work the posterior chain muscles, like the lower back and the hamstrings. That’s something you can achieve effectively with deadlifts.
You may be interested in our review of the best wearable fitness trackers for training.
The only genuine advantage to doing tire turns is the truth they’re often done outside, where other individuals can see you doing these strikingly badass exercises.
Always try to remember that the factor you’re working out in the first place is to enhance – your health, your strength, your body, or your mindset. So focus on workouts that help you advance towards this objective, and skip those that do not.
Tire flip does exactly what is says on the tin. It needs the strongman to flip a bloomin’ heavy tire. The event is normally for optimum repetitions or for the quickest time to cover a specified distance. With tire weights can be found in at over 1100 lbs (500 kg) it doesn’t bear to believe the kind of vehicle is should have originated from.
We recommend starting with small tires that are already available. It is desirable that the weight of the selected tire from a tractor, excavator or truck is no more than 100 lbs. If this weight does not seem heavy enough to you, then pay attention to the larger tire, up to 300-500 lbs. Don’t forget that working with a tire is also a workout of muscle stamina. Therefore, it is better to do 8-12 flips of the tire than 2-3.
Truck tires are much heavier than automobile tires.
The weight of a truck tire without RIM can range from 66 lbs (30 kg) to as much as 180 lbs (80 kg). Everything depends on the size, as 24-inch wheels are usually the heaviest.
How much does a 17-inch tire weigh without RIM? Approximately 80 lbs (35 kg). For another popular size (22.5 inches) it is 135 lbs (60 kg).
When exercising with large tires, it is important to follow certain rules so as not to get injured. Therefore, we suggest you watch this video, where a fan of flipping tires from tractors and trucks tells and shows what is right and what is not.
As we wrote earlier, first of all, the tire should be convenient for the workout. But first, it is better to choose not heavy. Try to lift one side of the tire and flip it over. If you see that you can flip it about 2-5 times per approach, then with a high probability – this tire is for you. The weight of such a tire can be either 80-120 lbs or 200-500 lbs.
We recommend that you focus not on the average data for beginners, but on your own feelings. If it’s heavy, then pick up a lighter tire. And then change it to a more heavy one in future.
Like numerous functional lifts, a tire flip involves lots of muscle groups through your body. It is not about isolating a particular muscle, but using your muscles together effectively to perform a genuine world task.
At the start of a tire flip, you are essentially doing a deadlift. It works out mostly your back, glutes and hamstrings. By the end of the flip, and to a lesser degree you utilize your biceps, triceps muscles, pectorals and even abdominals.
Tire Flipping = Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, Biceps, Pecs.
On the final phase of the press up … it’s Delts, Traps & Triceps. Overall Tire Flipping is among the very best Fullbody Exercises you can do!
A flipping a tractor tire (regardless of whether it is a large, medium or small tractor) is a heavy load on the entire body, on the joints and spine.
Choosing the right tire weight is an important point. And you need to choose individually for your physical capabilities and initial training. You can have strong hands, but problems with the lower back and you will just be dangerous to do flip heavy tires.
In General, these are very effective universal exercises to strengthen the entire body, from the hands to the leg muscles.
By the way, you can also use tires from an excavator, truck or bus – the main thing is that you are comfortable and efficient to do your workout.
Well, for starters, we ignore the advertising descriptions of a wonderful “hold” on any surface (“universality” of rubber is a myth, and a highway declared as such holds much worse than a special one in difficult conditions). The principle of “taking the most expensive and popular one” is also not suitable for choosing motorcycle tires: if you choose the wrong type or profile, the same advantages can turn into a serious problem, therefore, we carefully study the characteristics.
And here it is important that you know about the types, tire design, features of the choice of operation (oddly enough) and the timing of changing tires. Let's fill in the thematic gaps together. nine0003
Each class of motorcycle has its own type of “shoe”, designed for efficient transmission of torque, better grip, stability when maneuvering in the conditions in which a particular bike is most of its life. Conventionally, motorcycle tires can be divided into road, off-road and racing. Within the class, tires are divided according to tasks: road, slick, rain, cross (endur), mud, studded, and dual-use. Diameter and width - depend on the class and dimensions of the equipment. By class, we will consider it. nine0003
In this category, most of the products are designed for limited use and have an extremely small resource - just one race or training session. Provides the best grip on asphalt. Their profile allows you to lay the bike almost parallel to the ground in the turn, however, only after warming up.
They start to “work” at lower temperatures than slick or cut, but do not “catch up” with them in tenacity, cope with water quite effectively, and are less susceptible to wear. Used for everyday riding with infrequent trips to the track "on their own". nine0019 These motorcycles mostly "live" on the track, observing the primer only from a distance, from the height of the main road, so their "shoes" are designed for asphalt: the most durable, designed for the heavy weight of the motorcycle (passenger + luggage), and "all-weather".
The resource, depending on the pace, is 10-20 thousand km. The scatter of equipment in this category is very large - from "evil" tuned fifty dollars for mini-cross to light enduro for travel, so there are a lot of models here. You can combine them into classes according to their purpose: purely sports, amateur and rally:
nine0019 For medium-sized classics, small-capacity, retro and custom motorcycles, various road tires are produced with a low semicircular profile, moderately developed tread, revealing working properties at temperatures below 80 about C. There are a lot of options, as well as specifics (all-season, rain, universal).
Motor tires are designed for high side loads. Its profile - even for the widest models - is more rounded than that of an automobile, consists of a working part responsible for traction, and a side part that “works” only when tilted in a turn.
Parts not in contact with asphalt are also very important. It depends on them how much the tire will weigh, how much it will be washed under the weight of the bike, how long it will last. nine0003
Hidden part between the inner and outer layers of rubber, which gives rigidity and takes on the load. The structure of the cord is multi-layered. Steel wire, or threads made of polyamide, aramid fibers (Kevlar), or polyamide are arranged in dense rows either across the tire, or - intersect at an angle of 30–40 degrees in the direction of its rotation.
The edge of the tire, going inward, into the grooves of the edges of the rim, having an annular metal (internal) reinforcement. The reliability of its fixation in the rim determines the life of a motorcycle tire, and sometimes a motorcycle with a driver. nine0003
The working part, covered with an intricate pattern, the size, shape and depth of the grooves of which depend on the purpose of the product.
A larger high tread is typical for off-road and cross-country motor tires, a lower, smooth one - for road and racing.
A zone connecting the tread and the bead that is not inferior to them in strength, but does not work with either the road surface or the rim. It is on it that “letters” are applied that reveal the properties and characteristics of the tire. nine0003
The three main indicators of motor rubber - width, profile (height), seat diameter (internal) - are measured in millimeters and inches. There are about a dozen markings adopted in different countries, but only four systems are widely used: Metric, Alpha, Standard (inch), Low profile (inch). For each of them, corresponding tables are available. For our market, more characteristically - Metric. nine0003
The name of the manufacturer (brand) and the name of the model are written in the largest letters on the product.
The next in size is a "sausage" of numbers and Latin letters, indicating the width, height of the profile, the diameter of the rim for which the tire is intended, the weight limit per axle (rear / front), and the speed to which you can accelerate on this rubber. A little smaller - the country of origin, certificate, information about the material, design. Further, “small print” indicates no less important properties, which we will also consider separately. nine0003
I’ll immediately note the most common mistake in reading the rubber size index: the letter R is not a “radius”, as some motorcycle and car owners believe. This letter means "radial" model and indicates the radial direction of the inner carcass reinforcing layers of this tire. There are two main designs - radial - when the cord layers run across the tire, and diagonal - when they cross. nine0003
You don’t see the letter “R” in the index, but you see a gap, or “B” - it means the rubber is diagonal, and if “reinforced” or “reinf” is written nearby, it is also reinforced with an additional layer of cord.
"Sausage of letters and numbers", for example, 120/70 ZR17 (73W) TL, stands for:
The arrow with the words "wheel rotation" strictly regulates where the tire should rotate during operation. If there are letters ND (non directional) on board, it can be placed in any direction.
If the manufacturer clearly limits the installation location of the tire, he writes “Front” on it for the front or “Rear” for the rear.
Without this marking, rubber can be placed on either side. nine0003
TL or tube less - as we have already deciphered earlier - tubeless. TT stands for tube type, or "suitable for camera use."
All manufacturers unanimously recommend “not wearing” rubber for more than five years, and if the equipment has been “shod” in it for ten years, even mothballed, urgently change the “bagels” without hesitation. A couple of decades ago, the resource of tires was regulated only by their external condition and the courage of the driver, but this was even before the mass “epidemic of planned obsolescence of goods”.
Now, two years are taken into account in the calculation of the service life, and five years is the allowable storage period for rubber in a warehouse, as a result of which it should not be sold, but disposed of. The release date is marked with two two-digit numbers enclosed in a circle or oval. The first is the week number from the beginning of the year, the second is the year of production itself. nine0003
It is a common practice to buy lightly worn race slicks or cuts - only makes sense for training on the "ring" or karting track, but not on the DOP. In addition to poor handling, longer stopping distances on slippery surfaces, and increased risk of blown tires at high speeds, riding old tires carries legal risks. When passing a technical inspection, a cracked or worn protector (hypothetically) can cause a refusal to issue a diagnostic card. In fact, this is the same malfunction as badly worn brake pads. Also, in the event of an accident, due to the unsatisfactory condition of the rubber, the insurance company may refuse to pay you, referring to your favorite excuse - speeding (based on the increased stopping distance).
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"From the factory" modern motorcycle tires are covered with a preservative silicone impregnation that prevents drying out during storage. It is slippery and penetrates deep into the pores of the rubber. Until you wipe it on the asphalt - do not count on a good "hold" and "sharp" brakes. It is not necessary to wash off the grease with gasoline or other solvent (it is useless), just ride measuredly for the first couple of hundred kilometers. By the way, after long-term storage of used road motor rubber, it is also recommended to “run in” it in order to remove a layer of coarsened material from the surface. nine0003
Even if you provide ideal storage conditions, motor rubber still ages over time, becoming covered with microcracks. If the "age" of tires has exceeded 10 years or more - do not buy them, despite their attractive appearance.
Signs of critical wear:
The principle of evaluating the residual depth of the tread grooves is now outdated - most manufacturers add an integrated tire wear indicator to the options, which is worth focusing on.
Let's start with what happens if you put a wider tire back without changing the "native" rim. This question worries many inexperienced motorcyclists who want to look more "sporty".
Firstly, you will not wait for the expected increase in traction due to the increased area of \u200b\u200b"support". Wider rubber, squeezed by the edges of the rim not in size, will tend to “up”, so the calculated wheel profile will be violated. It will be higher, respectively, the contact patch will not increase. Secondly, the controllability in corners will worsen, the speedometer will “lie”, the weight distribution will change due to the rear of the motorcycle raised.
This is highly discouraged for most modern sportbikes that hit the track, but many classic models, nakeds and cruisers are often fitted from the factory with a combination of radial front and diagonal rear tires. Unlike the radial, the diagonal one is a little “softer”, allows for moderate overload, is sold a little cheaper, so why not?
The choice of how much to inflate the wheels to is a constant compromise between the loads on the rubber and its capabilities.
On most motorcycles, the recommended pressure for each axle is indicated on a sticker (on the fork and swingarm), but this value is only relevant for the rubber model that was supplied from the factory. On a new model, look for a designation on the tire (next to the max load load) indicating the maximum allowable cold pressure. Do not take a tire if this value is lower than recommended for your motorcycle. nine0003
Let's say your bike has a sticker with the recommended 2.25 bar for the front and 2.5 bar for the rear wheel. If you ride mainly with a passenger, with luggage, making long “flights” along the track, your motorcycle weighs 200 or more kilograms, and its volume is close to a liter, keep the pressure in the rear wheel at least 2.8–3.0 bar, and in the front 2.5 bar. If you ride around the city, alone, with almost no luggage, and are not fond of “flights”, it would be optimal to set equal pressure in both wheels at 2.2 bar. nine0003
For lightly loaded medium-sized engines, the interval varies from 2.
0 to 2.3 bar, and for slender "Chinese" 2.1 bar - in the front, 1.9 bar - in the rear cylinder (especially if the tires are also Chinese). The pressure in road tires must not be lowered below 1.9 so that the motorcycle does not start to “float” in corners or on bumps - this is dangerous.
The more we inflate the closed volume of the wheel, the more “round” it becomes and the smaller the area in contact with the asphalt. A larger contact patch means greater rolling resistance and accelerated tire wear, a smaller one means worse stability, lower braking and acceleration efficiency. Up to a certain point, these nuances are compensated by the tread, so on motocross and enduro bikes, the wheels can be lowered to 1.2 bar - front and 0.8 bar - rear. However, air is an unreliable business, therefore, in hard enduro and trials, a gel filler is now more often used, which allows maintaining a pressure of 0.4 and 0.9bar. Such a set will not live long, but this is a sport in which, as we remember, rubber consumption is not considered.
Definitely yes. The older the cylinder, the harder its surface and the lower the residual tread height, the worse the bike “holds” the road. Bald or improperly matched tires increase the braking distance, and can cause an unexpected “leaving” the track into a ditch. On an over-inflated tire, the fork or pendulum will “beat” hard, and on a flat tire, the motorcycle will become less predictable in corners and “gobble up” more gasoline than in a normal ride. nine0003
No, because their rims are not sealed and you simply cannot inflate the tire. Not all alloy wheels are suitable for tubeless, so always check what type of rubber was on the bike before. In addition, the hole in the rim designed for the camera nipple may not match the size of the new nipple.
Only if the damage to the wheel does not allow you to inflate the tire, and you still need to get to the “repair”.
In all other cases, the idea is controversial. The inner surface of a tubeless rim is not designed for other rubber to constantly rub against it, creating additional heating, and the inner part of a tubeless rim may have protrusions that injure the chamber. It is possible to get a “beautiful” wheel by putting a tubeless tube on a spoked rim, but objectively, this will increase its weight (remember the unsprung masses), and reduce the life of the camera. About when it frays to break - you will know already on a flat tire. You can repair a puncture of a tubeless tire without removing the wheel, but you will have to remove and patch the tube with its disassembly. nine0003
Undesirable. Even if it does not look worn yet, its resource is already less, from frequent “heating-cooling” cycles, it becomes rougher than new, frays or cracks faster. The old tube may not fully expand and fold if the new rubber has a lower profile (and internal volume) than the previous one.
If it belongs to the Racing Street or Street Legal class, this is a completely justified choice for the owner of a sport, street, naked or classic with claims to “aggressiveness”. In other cases, it is not recommended. Firstly, the use of racing slicks or cross-country tires is not allowed on the DOP. Secondly, sports tires are designed for intensive work with a certain warm-up. At competitions, before the race, they are warmed up in special covers, and then they are “given” one warm-up lap so that from the first seconds of the test race they can provide the bike with good contact with the asphalt (sticking). nine0003
In the city, even if you ride aggressively, the slick simply does not have time to warm up to operating temperature (more than 80 about C). Or even before it does not heat up for the whole trip, given the ragged rhythm of traffic lights and possible "toffees". Accordingly, it will not give adequate grip when trying to “give a corner”, the wheels will be demolished during braking, and instead of an energetic start, the bike will “grind” on the spot.
Ideally, pre-washed, treated with a silicone spray, complete with a disk and in special cases. Naturally - in a dry, dark place with a constant temperature, away from fire, children and animals. nine0003
Change your shoes for the winter, or find and set aside good rubber in reserve - make sure that during storage it:
Few people can provide all these conditions, so remember at least the main thing: protect the motor rubber from drying out and deformation - do not hang it, but lay it horizontally, wrapped in waterproof fabric. nine0003
This is only the main part of the answers to popular questions about motorcycle tires, collected in one material. Without "deepening" in the topic - a little about everything.
If any of your questions still remain unanswered - ask it in the comments, we will definitely analyze it.
This question often arises for beginners, when, having skated on their native rubber for some time, they are surprised to find a spread in prices for new road tires. nine0003
The cost of two outwardly identical tires can differ several times, and first of all, the difference in price puzzles a novice cyclist. I must say that by road tires I mean tires for road bikes - high-speed bikes designed for riding on flat surfaces.
I think that high-quality rubber is a must for a road bike and the amount that is asked for the best models is fully justified.
The price of tires from proven manufacturers "bite", and many people have a question: what are we buying - comfort and quality or beautiful letters on the sidewalls.
Without looking at the manufacturer's advertising brochures, an experienced cyclist will immediately name three significant differences between cheap and expensive rubber: weight, tire structure and resource.
Tire weight is the determining factor. Even if your road bike never runs more than a dozen miles at a time and you never race, you still love the speed and ease of a road bike. Otherwise you wouldn't have bought it. nine0003
When accelerating, you have to overcome the inertia of the wheels, which, like a flywheel, are in no hurry to spin up. And the less the tires weigh, the more willingly the bike picks up speed, the easier it goes uphill. At distances of kilometers, extra grams of wheel weight slowly eat away forces, your average speed drops.
There are many factors to consider when designing a road tire. The tire should be light, keep contact on any roads, plus it should have a good roll, withstand the weight of the rider and be protected from punctures. nine0003
It is very difficult to combine light weight and strength in a rubber tire, which is why composite materials have long been used in road tires.
When designing this tire, the engineers did not try to create the lightest, or the strongest, most rolling tire.
Maybe they would have succeeded, but the price of the finished product is also important. The beauty of Grand Prix is the combination of qualities and stability of behavior on any road. Composite carcass, Kevlar-reinforced cord, anti-puncture Vectran layer - as a result, the tire easily holds pressure 8-9atmospheres, weighs 250 grams and rolls like the wind.
Another advantage is the pleasant price – you can buy more advanced models. But twice the price.
Tire falls into the category of a reasonable compromise. Buying something cheaper will give you an even lighter but more puncture-prone tire, or a heavier but more puncture-prone tire. The marketing ploy used in cheap tires is very simple. We need less weight - we make a thinner tire and save materials. The weight of the tire is not important - we don’t bother with expensive materials at all. nine0003
Resource is an important factor. Not ideal road surface and the heavy weight of the rider accelerate wear.
Spending money on a product in the upper price range from Continental or a competing brand, I can expect 5-7 thousand kilometers of trouble-free driving in previous experience.
Having played a couple of times in the lottery with cheap rubber, I saw that the rear tire wears out under my weight for 2 thousand kilometers, almost to zero, after which punctures are not long in coming. I had to buy twice as many tires for the same mileage. I spent not only money, but time on purchases and conversions. Although I could buy high-quality tires once and just ride. nine0003
Good tires cost about $50 a piece, you can often get a pair on sale for $70-80. A cheap one will cost 10-15 dollars, and such a price is more pleasant for someone. Personally, I am attracted to driving performance, which can not be displayed in numbers.
The contact patch of a road tire is very small and good grip of the front wheel on the asphalt is important when braking and maneuvering.
One and the same turn at the same speed can be passed easily and confidently, or ten times reinsured.
Good rubber keeps contact with the coating better - this is a proven fact. nine0003
I don't think it's worth skimping on tires. Buy quality, even for an inexpensive bike. You get excellent driving performance and confidence in your safety. Spend more time on the pleasure of riding, rather than fussing with maintenance.
For example, by reducing the weight of each road wheel by 150-200 grams with a Conti Gran Prix or Schwalbe Ultremo, by the end of a 100-kilometer ride you will arrive less tired, and perhaps more satisfied. This rubber will cling to wet asphalt even in those places where cheap makes you slow down and monitor stability. nine0003
You already know that road bikes can use tires of different widths. The most common sizes are 19mm, 23mm, 25mm and 28mm.
Narrow tires have less resistance but require better coverage. The pressure in narrow tires is much higher and therefore they transmit bumps more strongly to the handlebars and rims.
