Car tire report

[old2soon]

      Converted to M/C use. Since I took on a car payment money IS a little tighter but doable. I mentioned awhile back I wuz due new tags a Missouri inspection and the rear A T T were down to the wear bars. After a bit of lookin about I purchased a Douglas-Wal Mart built by Goodyear in America-Performance M&S in 205-60-16. It has an asymmetrical tread and from clutch release from a stop to over 125 M P H the tire has performed flawlessly and neutrally. No silly chit in left or right leans and flicks easily-esses-from side to side as the A T T did. Bit over 300 miles on it now and I'm happy with my choice. Let loose of the bars at about 75 M P H and Phatt Ghurl just tracked straight and true. On a hard launch tire just hooks and goes. Should Anything change my mind or Anything go wrong with this tire I WILL resurrect this post and make known my findings-Good or Bad. Fer a bit under 60 bucks out the door Maybe difficult to beat. RIDE SAFE.

[Valkorado]

Interesting.  Does this tire require the nut cage mod?

This one?

Nice profile, asymmetrical but looks very doable.  Looks like a good find!

[old2soon]

          Right after I got Phatt Ghurl the dunflop e-3s scared the kaka outa me in the rain. Did the nut cage mod soon as I decided to go D/S. And that pic looks right. RIDE SAFE.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Interesting.  Does this tire require the nut cage mod?

This one?

Nice profile, asymmetrical but looks very doable.  Looks like a good find!

Probably not. But, I did the nutcage removal long ago and don't know for sure. I've run several 205's. But I've found I like this 195 best.



Radar Argonite RV4 195/65

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

Radar Argonite RV4 195/65

Hey Rob. Question about that tire you bought. I've been looking at 195-65 s now that the Austone won't be returning, and I found a few on Simpletire.com that look interesting. One is a 4-ply passenger rated tire, but most in that size are heavy duty LT type tires, which I believe your Radar brand one is. Dare I ask? Seems like severe overkill on a motorcycle, and maybe even a spine tingler due to the stiff sidewalls. I'd love to hear your opinion on your Radar tire in comparison to tires you've used previously.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Radar Argonite RV4 195/65

Hey Rob. Question about that tire you bought. I've been looking at 195-65 s now that the Austone won't be returning, and I found a few on Simpletire.com that look interesting. One is a 4-ply passenger rated tire, but most in that size are heavy duty LT type tires, which I believe your Radar brand one is. Dare I ask? Seems like severe overkill on a motorcycle, and maybe even a spine tingler due to the stiff sidewalls. I'd love to hear your opinion on your Radar tire in comparison to tires you've used previously.

I`ve used Yokohama Avid Envigors, Yokohama Avid Ascents, Nexen N500s, Achilles Platinums. And all have been good tires. Some were 205/60, some 205/65, some 195/60, now this one at 195/65. I`m no tire expert by any means. But it has seemed to me the most important thing with car tires is getting the pressure at the right sweet spot. I was not sure if this Radar would work, being that it`s designed heavy duty for trucks. But, it`s been good. For me the sweet spot with this tire has been 32-34 psi. Some of the others were a little more. I`m a little hesitant to reccomend tires, everybody is very individual in their tastes. All I can say is, after 10k on this one I`m sticking with it. It`s never lost grip on me and it is probably good for another 8k. I did the Tail of the Dragon, the Cherahalo (sp), and a few other windy roads with it and always felt comfortable with it. I`m sure I`m not as an aggresive rider as some, but I get with it a little.

[Valkorado]

Just did the nut cage mod on the Silver Bullet.  Now I have to find that perfect car tire to replace my beloved Austone.


EDIT: Think I'll pull the trigger on that Douglas.  NICE price.  Have you found a sweet spot on PSI yet?

[nogrey]

Radar Argonite RV4 195/65

Hey Rob. Question about that tire you bought. I've been looking at 195-65 s now that the Austone won't be returning, and I found a few on Simpletire.com that look interesting. One is a 4-ply passenger rated tire, but most in that size are heavy duty LT type tires, which I believe your Radar brand one is. Dare I ask? Seems like severe overkill on a motorcycle, and maybe even a spine tingler due to the stiff sidewalls. I'd love to hear your opinion on your Radar tire in comparison to tires you've used previously.

The Chinese austone is no longer available, but the original Dunlop version still is: https://www.universaltire.com/175r16-dunlop-taxi-black.html

[old2soon]

Just did the nut cage mod on the Silver Bullet.  Now I have to find that perfect car tire to replace my beloved Austone.


EDIT: Think I'll pull the trigger on that Douglas.  NICE price.  Have you found a sweet spot on PSI yet?

          I started with 33 P S I with my digital Craftsmen tire gage. Leavin at 33 P S I fer now. Seems to be werkin fer my 235 pound svelte frame!  Let us know what you finally end up with. RIDE SAFE.

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

The Chinese austone is no longer available, but the original Dunlop version still is: https://www.universaltire.com/175r16-dunlop-taxi-black.html

For now. It says discontinued as well, but 2 left in stock.

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

I`ve used Yokohama Avid Envigors, Yokohama Avid Ascents, Nexen N500s, Achilles Platinums. And all have been good tires. Some were 205/60, some 205/65, some 195/60, now this one at 195/65. I`m no tire expert by any means. But it has seemed to me the most important thing with car tires is getting the pressure at the right sweet spot. I was not sure if this Radar would work, being that it`s designed heavy duty for trucks. But, it`s been good. For me the sweet spot with this tire has been 32-34 psi. Some of the others were a little more. I`m a little hesitant to reccomend tires, everybody is very individual in their tastes. All I can say is, after 10k on this one I`m sticking with it. It`s never lost grip on me and it is probably good for another 8k. I did the Tail of the Dragon, the Cherahalo (sp), and a few other windy roads with it and always felt comfortable with it. I`m sure I`m not as an aggresive rider as some, but I get with it a little.

Thanks. I used to be the guy that wouldn't use a tire that wasn't built here in the USA, but that's pretty much gone, out of necessity. There just aren't many tires made here anymore, so you sort of have to trust that the tire you get from China, Turkey, Vietnam, or Thailand was built with enough care to keep you from perishing before your time comes. That, and the tires built here have had plenty of issues as well, so it's a total crapshoot now. I'm thinking of trying this: https://www.simpletire.com/otani-p195-65r16-s181v-tires   I Googled the company, and at least they have been making commercial tires for awhile, rather than a startup company, or a renamed one due to a lawsuit that destroyed the previous name. The price is right, that's for sure.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I`ve used Yokohama Avid Envigors, Yokohama Avid Ascents, Nexen N500s, Achilles Platinums. And all have been good tires. Some were 205/60, some 205/65, some 195/60, now this one at 195/65. I`m no tire expert by any means. But it has seemed to me the most important thing with car tires is getting the pressure at the right sweet spot. I was not sure if this Radar would work, being that it`s designed heavy duty for trucks. But, it`s been good. For me the sweet spot with this tire has been 32-34 psi. Some of the others were a little more. I`m a little hesitant to reccomend tires, everybody is very individual in their tastes. All I can say is, after 10k on this one I`m sticking with it. It`s never lost grip on me and it is probably good for another 8k. I did the Tail of the Dragon, the Cherahalo (sp), and a few other windy roads with it and always felt comfortable with it. I`m sure I`m not as an aggresive rider as some, but I get with it a little.

Thanks. I used to be the guy that wouldn't use a tire that wasn't built here in the USA, but that's pretty much gone, out of necessity. There just aren't many tires made here anymore, so you sort of have to trust that the tire you get from China, Turkey, Vietnam, or Thailand was built with enough care to keep you from perishing before your time comes. That, and the tires built here have had plenty of issues as well, so it's a total crapshoot now. I'm thinking of trying this: https://www.simpletire.com/otani-p195-65r16-s181v-tires   I Googled the company, and at least they have been making commercial tires for awhile, rather than a startup company, or a renamed one due to a lawsuit that destroyed the previous name. The price is right, that's for sure.

I hear you. I used to be strictly a Michelin guy. That tire looks good to me. I'll be interested to hear how you like it. 

[RWhitehouse]

Looking around, it seems the Austone and Dunlop taxi tires have become unobtanium, at least here in the US.  They're still all over European based websites (there's a good 5-6 brands that make the 175/80 taxi tire size)although none I checked offered shipping outside of Europe. Some rule about sending tires overseas?

The 175/75 and 175/80-16 also seem to be much more common sizes with European cars, as there's loads of options beyond the "taxi tires" on European retailer sites, including tire brands/treads available here, just not in those sizes.

Looking at Tire Rack's listing of 16" size options-


16" Options
125/70-16   195/55-16   215/65-16   245/45-16
125/80-16   195/60-16   215/70-16   245/50-16
125/90-16   195/75-16   215/75-16   245/70-16
135/70-16   205-16   215/85-16   245/75-16
135/80-16   205/40-16   225/45-16   255/50-16
135/90-16   205/45-16   225/50-16   255/60-16
145/90-16   205/50-16   225/55-16   255/65-16
155/90-16   205/55-16   225/60-16   255/70-16
175/50-16   205/60-16   225/65-16   255/85-16
175/55-16   205/65-16   225/70-16   265/70-16
175/60-16   205/70-16   225/75-16   265/75-16
185-16   205/75-16   235/55-16   275/45-16
185/50-16   205/80-16   235/60-16   275/70-16
185/55-16   215/40-16   235/65-16   285/65-16
185/60-16   215/45-16   235/70-16   285/75-16
195/40-16   215/50-16   235/75-16   295/75-16
195/45-16   215/55-16   235/80-16   305/70-16
195/50-16   215/60-16   235/85-16   315/75-16



One of the high points of the Taxi Tire was it's taller than usual profile of 80, coupled with it's relatively narrow 175 width. Narrower tires give more natural handling, and the taller profile effectively gives you a bit of an overdrive on the highway (I noticed about 300rpm less at 75mph vs the oem MC tire).



Stock 180/70-16 MC tire- sidewall height 123mm
So the ATT was a 175/80 so that gives a sidewall height of 140mm.
205/60 is 123mm- effectively the same as stock
195/65 is 126mm-
205/65 is 133mm,
205/70 gives a sidewall height of 143mm, although I suspect that profile coupled with the width would cause rubbing issues at full suspension travel.

[Valkorado]

Good info RW.  I went ahead and ordered the Douglas 205-60 based on OTS' stellar review, Goodyear/Kelly roots and price.  Also found this, what the "experts" think-- likely the manufacturer or a Wal-Mart rep.

https://www.reference.com/vehicles/expert-reviews-douglas-tires-say-b656f00de4b15505

I know it's not a skinny Minnie but if it handles "well" and holds up I'll be a happy camper.  Hope it'll be a good 'n!

[old2soon]

            I've been on Douglas tires for awhile now going back bout 20 years or so. First set I had was on an 84 G M C conversion van. Right after I retired and got that 94 Olds it needed tires so down to wally wurld and a set of 4 Douglas went on. After those wore down i tried some Goodyear Viva. NEVER could get them to balance out. Back to the Douglas tires. Fast forward Oct of 18 when i got the 06 Pontiac Grand Prix. The tires that were on the Pancho were fair BUT the tires on the Olds were better and hellz bellz both cars used the same size. Down to my local tire shop and presto chango swapped them out. When i was up with my Brother and S I L over Christmas and New Year we pulled the wheels took off all the static balance lead and put BBs-yes Those BBs-into each tire. VERY Happy with the results of the BBs on my cage and Phatt Ghurl. So while this IS my first Douglas on a M/C it is NOT my first experience with this brand. So in a nutshell i am Not a stranger to this brand. BUT i will say this-your experience(s) may not be the same as mine. Yup-that old disclaimer thingy!  RIDE SAFE.

[old2soon]

        There is a current thread askin bout D/S tires and our experiences with them. Found this from May of 19 when I first posted bout it. Still happy with this particular Douglas tire I've mounted on Phatt Ghurl. I wish I could tell y'all Zackly how many miles I've put on this tire BUT I neglected to write it down in my maintanence log.  As a pure guess 5 or 6000 miles. Still handles good wet or dry traction very predictable as are the lean angles. For some reason when I Ride I feel a need to get to the ton or exceed it. And-YUP-I duz pick my spots. This tire has Never given me Any cause fer concern. As most of us here are aware-We ARE test Riders!  And while I do Indeed recommend this tire yer results impressions performance and other variables may differ from mine-in other words that disclaimer thingy Again!                                     RIDE SAFE.