Tire pressure

[wiplash269]

I have been running Avon Cobra's on my 2000 Interstate. I have been running 40 to 42 psi in rear tire but the tire will ware out a patch just to the left of center the rest of the tire looks new. Am I running to much air or is it just the way the big girl wares the rear tire

[Bighead]

No not too much pressure how many miles when you notice wear patch? Also is most of your riding on straight roads? And don't understand why it would be off center unless something is out of square.

[Jess from VA]

Many tires wear left of center just because of road crowns (you are on the right and the crown goes uphill left, so you get more left contact patch in straight and level riding).  Also, you go through longer, faster, wider sweeping left turns, leaning over to the left side of the tire.  But when you turn right (from the right), you have to slow down to make sharp 90* rights.  It is as old as dirt. 

It obviously also has a lot to do with your area of the country geography (straight and level-vs-winding, twisty, elevation changes, which tend to even out the wear).

I rarely get it, but I have had it, but only on the fronts.  Car tires don't do it (that I have ever seen).

Keeping your pressures up helps. 

[Patrick]

Yep, what Jess said. More crown, more wear.

I run more pressure in the rear [about 45] than front [ 40-42].

[cookiedough]

I do have 10K on my now shot avon cobras and the rear tire does have a middle flat spot, more so just left of center as you.    The grooves (swirly edges) on the sides of the tire still have near new tread.  Not uncommon I would imagine, that just means I need to do more canyon carving on my next new tire I guess?  I too run 44-45 psi in rear and 38-40 psi in front tire and my front tire easily has another 1 year of riding on it, possibly 2 if I push it. 

I guess I don't scrap pegs nearly enough which am sure is the case. 

[Six-Cylinder Hooligan]

I like 44psi rear & 41psi front on my Interstate. I have 10k miles on rear Cobra & 15k on front currently. I'm hoping to get another 2k from the rear... We'll see, I'm not exactly easy on the throttle! 

Cheers!
-Art

[Willow]

Many tires wear left of center just because of road crowns (you are on the right and the crown goes uphill left, so you get more left contact patch in straight and level riding).  Also, you go through longer, faster, wider sweeping left turns, leaning over to the left side of the tire.  But when you turn right (from the right), you have to slow down to make sharp 90* rights.  It is as old as dirt. 

It obviously also has a lot to do with your area of the country geography (straight and level-vs-winding, twisty, elevation changes, which tend to even out the wear).   

Jess, that would be an incredibly steep crown to do what we observe.  The second part of your explanation is accurate.  Longer leans through left turns wears that side of the tires.  Not only are the tires leaned over, but due to the stress during turns they will generate a bit more wear than going straight down the road.  Level versus winding roads will have nothing to do with wear on just one side of the tire.  Winding versus level roads may explain wear on both sides as opposed to only down the middle.

Please don't anyone argue with me on this.  I do want to continue some level of respect for your logic skills.    

[Jess from VA]

I'm not going to argue Carl.  Many tires wear left of center.  It is not defective tires (though some are better than others).  It is geography, roads ridden, riding style, and maybe chronic under inflation.

The crown in my subdivision street does not look significant, but last fall you could have canoed down the side (torrential rain), and walked down the center.  I once stopped on Skyline Drive in the middle of my lane, cause there was a black bear sitting just off the edge up ahead.  I put my right foot down only, and almost went over (I'm a short 5'9", but the crown was tall).  But I'm not arguing.  

Chet Waters of Rattlebars  in his (good) tire article wrote.... ROAD CROWN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LEFT SIDE TIRE WEAR!

Here is another opinion from a BMW forum:  Attempting to ride straight down a crowned road with a perfectly balanced bike in zero wind conditions would still cause that motorcycle to tend to steer to the right, toward the downhill edge of the road.  The rider corrects for this by holding slight uphill steering to the left.  This causes the front tire to wear more, left of center.  Interestingly, for many models of motorcycles this phenomenon is reversed in England, Japan, and other countries where motorists use the left side of the roadway.  Of course, they also make longer, faster, sweeping turns to the right.

[sandy]

I run Avon Cobras at 42 F and 46 R. I get excellent wear with no cupping or odd wear patterns. Oh yeah: '98 Tourer at 750 lbs.

[pancho]

   [/quote]

Please don't anyone argue with me on this.  I do want to continue some level of respect for your logic skills.    
[/quote]


That's pretty funny Willow,,,   reminds me of the guy who was taking someone out of the bar to beat him up and said no one better come out to help him.