Dunlop E3 - loss of grip as they wear?

[8Track]

Hi all,

I have a pair of these tyres which have done about 10,000 miles on my standard Valk. Whilst the tyres don't look worn out (reasonable amount of tread left above the wear indicators, no cupping, no pronounced flat spot), I have noticed that handling and grip is becoming less dependable than it used to be. I am getting a falling sensation in low speed corners and the bike has slid a couple of times in smooth bends where the surface is coarse.

The  tyres have always been well maintained with pressures at 38psi front, 42psi rear.

Is this normal for a tyred performance to decline before it hits the wear indicators?

Have you had similar experiences with these tyres, and if so, have you found a better alternative?

Thanks,

Mark

[hubcapsc]

If you can get Avons or Metzelers, it might be better... they might wear out faster...

-Mike

[biguglyman]

I just replaced a worn out set of e-3's with Avon's and the difference is remarkable. I think there is something in the way the e-3's wear. Now that you mention it I can say there was a definite decrease in handling between when I bought the bike and when I replaced the tires. Maybe the profile changes with wear.

[Michvalk]

Many here have reported poor performance from E-3's. They are a touring tire made for mileage, and do not corner like a softer compound tire. I have tried most tires for the Valk, and never found a good balance between mileage and grip, so stuck with grip. My last tire was a Bridgestone on the front and a car tire on the back.

[signart]

If you like less wear & more grip, lower the pressure.

[Valkpilot]

Tread depth isn't the only factor in grip as tires get older.  I just replaced a front Avon that still had a couple of thousand miles of tread on it, but it would no longer help stop the bike reliably.  Instead, it would break loose and skid in just moderate hard braking situations.

The rubber compounds degrade as tires go through repeated heating and cooling cycles, are exposed to oxygen in the atmosphere, UV from sunlight, etc.  One consequence of this aging is hardening of the rubber compound, which results in less grip.

[old2soon]

Up to this point in time the only tires that have ever given me cause for concern were the Dunlop E-3s. The Metz 880 and the Shinko S E 890s(I'm on my 2nd one)have never given me any concern right down to the wear bars. RIDE SAFE.

[salty1]

I'm not a fan of E3s or Shinkos. The best tire for me has been Avon Cobras and Metzler next.

[Lyle Laun]

Also not a fan of E3s, their handling is pathetic. Switched to Avon Cobras and had far better grip, it's like riding a different bike.
Just installed a set of the new Metzelers on my other Valk and after 3,000 miles have decided that these will be my "go to" tires in the future.

[Icelander]

I'm replacing my barely worn set of E3's as they're 6 years old and in the little over two months I've had my bike, the rear has slipped or come out from behind me six times.

I'm going for a car tire on the rear and still shopping for a front.

[8Track]

Wow it sounds like the E3's are the worst tyre of teh bunch. I'll be sure to change to Avon Cobras or Metzlers in the future.

[biguglyman]

Wow it sounds like the E3's are the worst tyre of teh bunch

That depends on what you want in a tire. They wear like iron. It's the longest lasting m/c tire I've ever experienced.

[98valk]

no problems in 15k miles for my rear E3. With a Conti-Go! rear tire on the front handling is outstanding. Yes weird name for a tire but completely made the bike handle like it never did before.

[8Track]

Well my requirements of a tyre are grip and handling first, wear and noise last. I ride 80% of the time on twisty roads in the Adelaide Hills, often with a group of café racers, so I really do need to have complete confidence in my tyres grip and the best handling I can get.

Sounds like the Avon Cobra is the one to try next.

[8Track]

I kept going with the Dunlop E3's over summer. No more loss of grip situations thankfully, but the handling did get noticeably worse at a quicker rate, the closer I got to the wear indicators.

So this week I bit the bullet and put on a new set of Avon Cobras. We are coming into our winter months now and I did not want to get caught out on wet roads.

The difference between the Avons and the Dunlops is like night and day. Even when they were new the Dunlops were noisy and gave a harsher ride. The Avons by contrast are so smooth and quiet, and the bike just rolls into corners so nicely now. I am carrying 10km/h higher corner speed than before with less effort and greater confidence.

So far so good. These seem like great tyres.

[Bighead]

They are good tires but will wear pretty quickly. But I would rather it feel good and wear than not.

[Valkpilot]

I kept going with the Dunlop E3's over summer. No more loss of grip situations thankfully, but the handling did get noticeably worse at a quicker rate, the closer I got to the wear indicators.

So this week I bit the bullet and put on a new set of Avon Cobras. We are coming into our winter months now and I did not want to get caught out on wet roads.

The difference between the Avons and the Dunlops is like night and day. Even when they were new the Dunlops were noisy and gave a harsher ride. The Avons by contrast are so smooth and quiet, and the bike just rolls into corners so nicely now. I am carrying 10km/h higher corner speed than before with less effort and greater confidence.

So far so good. These seem like great tyres.

Keep the Avons aired up to 40 psi (perhaps 42 psi in rear) and they'll wear longer and IMO ride and handle better.

[Bocephus]

Can't figure out why everyone is having problems with Dunlop E3 Radial tires. Unless you are running the E3 bias ply. I am on my second set and love them. I ride 80% on twisty curvy roads in dry and rain and have never had a problem. Great mileage and performance. 44 psi rear and 42 psi front.

[8Track]

Can't figure out why everyone is having problems with Dunlop E3 Radial tires. Unless you are running the E3 bias ply. I am on my second set and love them. I ride 80% on twisty curvy roads in dry and rain and have never had a problem. Great mileage and performance. 44 psi rear and 42 psi front.

My E3s were radial, and I ran 42 rear, 38 front. I found them noisy, harsh, poor grip in the wet, and difficult to handle when 70% worn.

[Steve K (IA)]

Can't figure out why everyone is having problems with Dunlop E3 Radial tires. Unless you are running the E3 bias ply. I am on my second set and love them. I ride 80% on twisty curvy roads in dry and rain and have never had a problem. Great mileage and performance. 44 psi rear and 42 psi front.

I agree with this statement 100%.  Only difference is I run 40 psi in front and 42 in the rear. 
Now this is on my I/S and it is the 2nd set for me also.  They give me lots of confidence in wet or dry and get right at 20,000 miles.

My Std. has Metzlers.  I feel they handle similar to the E3's.  When they wear out, it will get E3's also.

It's interesting how different people can get a different feel for the same tire.  I guess if you had a bad experience, that will color your perception.  With me it was Avons.  I thought they had a "tippy" feel to them like you were riding on a razors edge.  Just think about a turn and the bike would fall into it.  But when the rear started to slip on dry pavement while turning into a drive,  and when both tires wanted to put me down in wet while on Interstate 70 in Indiana, that's when I said no more Avons.

[Farther]

I started out with E3s, thought they became cupped too soon and were noisy.  Then to Metzler and thought they wore out too soon too but never became noisy like the Dunlops and the handling was better.  Now I have a new set of Avons and I think the Metzlers were better handling.  Time will tell although after a 1k miles the Avons are starting to make noise in a turn already.  Maybe a Metzler front with Avon rear would be the sweet spot for handling vs. wear.  I always run 45 front & rear.

[Hoser]

Everybody has his favorite tire, and all tires' performance degrades as they wear.  It is normal.  use what works best for you. Hoser