Car Tire

[heavyd]

I got mine mounted at an independent car tire place...his only concern was clearance on the machine and voila done...he will get my car tire business as well...and I am running Toyo Proxes R1R 205/55-16 with 140 AA A

That is a pretty sweet looking tire. Does it work as well as it looks?

[Relax]

I got mine mounted at an independent car tire place...his only concern was clearance on the machine and voila done...he will get my car tire business as well...and I am running Toyo Proxes R1R 205/55-16 with 140 AA A

That is a pretty sweet looking tire. Does it work as well as it looks?

 
 
Really cool look, looks also pretty rounded ..

[h13man]

As near as can calculate the Austone is a 175/80-16 thus 5mm/.200 narrower & 28mm/1.100 larger dia. (14mm/.550 less clearance under fender) Now it seems I read in the past that there was some inner fender mods to be made? I strongly considering this tire in the future.

The inner fender mods amount to the removal of the nut cages on the sides of the fender.  The Austone
Taxi Tire, being narrow, does not require this mod...

Thank you. I was more concerned about "top" clearance issues but I assume adjusting the preload (presently running #3) will resolve this issue if any. Our Indiana roads really suck but Pence finally let go of the $$$$$$$ to fix our miserable roads with "chip & seal" method. 

[Jess from VA]

As near as can calculate the Austone is a 175/80-16 thus 5mm/.200 narrower & 28mm/1.100 larger dia. (14mm/.550 less clearance under fender) Now it seems I read in the past that there was some inner fender mods to be made? I strongly considering this tire in the future.

The inner fender mods amount to the removal of the nut cages on the sides of the fender.  The Austone
Taxi Tire, being narrow, does not require this mod...

Thank you. I was more concerned about "top" clearance issues but I assume adjusting the preload (presently running #3) will resolve this issue if any. Our Indiana roads really suck but Pence finally let go of the $$$$$$$ to fix our miserable roads with "chip & seal" method. 

As it is taller (akin to a 65), the concern should be the wiring harness under the (center of) the rear fender (rather than the cages).  Mine came a bit loose and got a bit rubbed with just a std 205 60 CT, and that was with 12.5" inch 440 shocks and solo riding.  It was discovered and repaired at a Ujoint change, before I lost any tail lights or shorted.  But that would have happened in time.  I will never know if the wiring got a bit loose on it's own before the rub, or was all caused by tire rub/suspension/big bump.  I repaired, shrink wrapped and tied it all up tighter/stronger than OE and it's never been a problem since.

[BoJonJovi]

I got mine mounted at an independent car tire place...his only concern was clearance on the machine and voila done...he will get my car tire business as well...and I am running Toyo Proxes R1R 205/55-16 with 140 AA A

That is cool. It is cut almost like a MC tire.

[falconbrother]

I have the Yokahoma, and I love it. I have about 6-7k on it so far, and just got back from riding the Cabot Trail with it. 3rd time on the trail, first time with a car tire and it handled at least as good as the bike tire did on the pavement and much much better in the loose gravel of construction.

For everyone that doesn't know what the Cabot Trail is, it is like the Canadian East coast version of the Dragon.



Not the crazy amount of corners, but most of the corners are marked for 30km/h and there is frequently a 500+ft cliff on the other side of the guardrail.

I totally want to go up there!!  Stop by and see Pema Chodron while I'm there. 

[JC]

I put 25K on a Bridgestone Potenza, which handled well but required a considerable amount of counter-steer. I'm on the Austone Taxi now and I feel like I'm back on a MC tire, and I love it! Larger diameter means a 200rpm drop at highway speed, and sits maybe an inch higher.

[Bambam650]

I realize this is a very old thread and this subject has been beaten to death, but I thought I would chime in with some additional information that may help others who are deciding on which car tire they should go with.  My current MC tire is about toast again and I vowed that for the next tire change I would go with a car tire.  I've done a ton of reading on the subject and thanks to threads like this, have narrowed my selection down to five tires.  All of these tires are currently available for the prices I've listed.  They are, in no particular order:

1) Yokohama Avid Envigor:  205/60-16, V rated, Tire Rack - $102 (w/ free shipping)
2) GT Radial Champino VP1, 205/60-16, H rated, Simple Tire - $57 (w/ free shipping)
3) Lufen G Fit AS, 205/60-16, H rated, Tire Rack - $75 (w/ free shipping)
4) Triangle TR978, 195/65-16, H rated, Discount Wheel Warehouse - $52 + $17 shipping
5) Austone Taxi Tire, 175/80-16, speed rating unknown, Simple Tire - $204 (w/ free shipping)

Yeah, the price of the Austone Taxi Tire has really gone up and only appears to be available from Simple Tire.

[NewValker]

ATT is $164.00 at Universal tire.
Craig

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

ATT is $164.00 at Universal tire.
Craig

Universal isn't showing it anymore.  https://www.universaltire.com/175r16-austone-taxi-black.html

Haven't called them to find out what the deal is; whether they're getting more or not.

[NewValker]

??? Dunno, bought one last month with no problems...
Craig

[Jersey]

I have over 12k on the Envigor ad it looks brand new still.  Also, Amazon has it for $81 shipped if that helps.

https://www.amazon.com/Yokohama-ENVigor-All-Season-Tire-60R16/dp/B004QL6YMW

Just a word of caution on CT's.   DON'T FORGET to still do the routine maintenance on the Drive.  I just did this a few days ago since it's been so long since the last time.  It's easy to just let it go since the CTs can easily give you 30k+ miles.

Jersey

[..]

I have over 12k on the Envigor ad it looks brand new still.  Also, Amazon has it for $81 shipped if that helps.

https://www.amazon.com/Yokohama-ENVigor-All-Season-Tire-60R16/dp/B004QL6YMW

Just a word of caution on CT's.   DON'T FORGET to still do the routine maintenance on the Drive.  I just did this a few days ago since it's been so long since the last time.  It's easy to just let it go since the CTs can easily give you 30k+ miles.

Jersey

 

[Bambam650]

Okay, I just got off the phone with a salesperson at Universal Tire.  They still carry the Austone Taxi Tire and it is still $164.  I didn't ask if that includes shipping or not.  The salesperson said they weren't permitted to advertise it any longer on their website for some reason, but they still have it.

[Bambam650]

FWIW, I was searching for the Yokohama Avid Envigor on Amazon and they currently have the 205/60R16 for $73 with free shipping and the 195/55R16 for $62 with free shipping.  Seems like a great deal to me.

[Bambam650]

…………….and the winner is:  YOKOHAMA AVID ENVIGOR 205/60R16

I just pulled the trigger on purchasing this tire from Amazon.  After doing a lot of research, I selected this tire for the following reasons:

1)  Great price from Amazon for $73, including free shipping.
2)  Nice aggressive, symmetrical tread pattern.
3)  V speed rating.
4)  Highly recommended by many other Valkyrie riders.
5)  Very good rating in dry, wet, and comfort categories on Tirerack.com.
6)  Quality tire made in the USA; not China junk.
7)  Take a look at the photos from Mallet in post #13.  Need I say any more?

I also strongly considered the Vredestein Sportrac 3 and the Austone Taxi Tire.  However, the Sportrac 3 is an older version of the tire and is very hard to find and I just didn’t think I would like the look of the Austone on the back of my Valk.  Call me shallow I guess.

Now us fans of the Envigor need to band together and persuade Yok to make a 195/65R16 as I think that would be a better fit for our bikes.

[RWhitehouse]

Okay, I just got off the phone with a salesperson at Universal Tire.  They still carry the Austone Taxi Tire and it is still $164.  I didn't ask if that includes shipping or not.  The salesperson said they weren't permitted to advertise it any longer on their website for some reason, but they still have it.

Interesting. I noticed that it'd vanished off their site as well, and the "Dunlop Taxi Tire" in the same size shows they're low on stock and supposedly will not be getting more. Searching for "austone taxi tire" only turns it up at one other site, but it's considerably more expensive. It's also gone off their eBay page, but good to know it's still available on request.

[Valkorado]

Okay, I just got off the phone with a salesperson at Universal Tire.  They still carry the Austone Taxi Tire and it is still $164.  I didn't ask if that includes shipping or not.  The salesperson said they weren't permitted to advertise it any longer on their website for some reason, but they still have it.

Interesting. I noticed that it'd vanished off their site as well, and the "Dunlop Taxi Tire" in the same size shows they're low on stock and supposedly will not be getting more. Searching for "austone taxi tire" only turns it up at one other site, but it's considerably more expensive. It's also gone off their eBay page, but good to know it's still available on request.

I'm hoping they keep fresh Austones available.  There are many of us who swear by 'em.

[nogrey]

Current most recommended tire is the Austone Taxi tire.

$152

Universal tires

https://www.universaltire.com/175r16-austone-taxi-black.html

The Austone Taxi is a little more money than some of the other CT’s folks run, but it is such a great tire that I personally think it’s worth it. Love that it lowers RPM’s because it’s taller and it will far outlast a MC tire.

[nogrey]

Okay, I just got off the phone with a salesperson at Universal Tire.  They still carry the Austone Taxi Tire and it is still $164.  I didn't ask if that includes shipping or not.  The salesperson said they weren't permitted to advertise it any longer on their website for some reason, but they still have it.

Interesting. I noticed that it'd vanished off their site as well, and the "Dunlop Taxi Tire" in the same size shows they're low on stock and supposedly will not be getting more. Searching for "austone taxi tire" only turns it up at one other site, but it's considerably more expensive. It's also gone off their eBay page, but good to know it's still available on request.

I'm hoping they keep fresh Austones available.  There are many of us who swear by 'em.

I had the same problem this time last year. Waited months for one. I was told by the folks at simpletire.com that the manufacturer only does one run a year and when they’re out, they’re out. I got smart on the last one I bought. They had a 20% off plus free shipping in Nov/Dec. I bought one then. If you can wait, I think they do it every year. Did the same thing with my clearview windshield.

[Jess from VA]

I like my 205s fine.

But if you wanted to stock up, couldn't you buy extra Taxi tires and keep them in your temp controlled house without much usual aging?  You could even hang it on the wall in place of one of those boring wedding photos.   

I always keep an extra ME880 front hanging in my shed, and even a year plus later, it's fine.  

[Bambam650]

I received my Yokohama CT yesterday.  I'm impressed with how rounded the shoulders are.  Whether it stays like that when it's mounted and inflated remains to be seen.  Don't know when I'll get around to mounting it.  I still have some useful tread left on my MT.

EDIT: I took pics down because Photobucket was letting anyone see my entire photo library if they clicked on the pic.  I need to find a way to fix that.

Okay, figured it out.