Michelin Pilot Road 3

[mogu83]

Competition Accessories is taking orders on these even though they aren't out yet. They look interesting, wish I was just a little closer to a set of tires. I wonder what kind of noise comes off that front tire with those horizontal lines. I've been happy with my PR2s except for the ridge where the two compounds come together. One has to assume these are an improvement over the PR2s.

[deilenberger]

Looks like the back one has holes in it for studs.. could use that right now.

I'm close enough to make these real interesting, since Conti can't seem to get their Road-Attack-2's out in the US.

[hjsbmw]

I wonder what kind of noise comes off that front tire with those horizontal lines.

I know nothing about engineering tires, but it seems these horizontal lines are more for initial looks and will get worn off pretty soon. I will need a new rear tire within 1k miles. These or the Pirelli Angels might be options.

Like deilenberger, I was keeping an eye on the new Conti Road Attack 2. For all it's worth, the Dennis Kirk website lists it as 'expected soon'.

[mogu83]

Being an 'Old Guy' brought up on Dunlop K70 Gold Seals/ Avon Speedmasters and Mark IIs, then moving on to Metzeler M33/M55s I really don't understand how these new steamroller tires with no thread work. To me they look like the cheater slicks we used to drag race on in the 60s, and the fact that they just don't slide off the road in the rain continues to amaze me (I know - it's the rubber compound). These tires seem to revert to full thread patterns across the tire, although it's a weird pattern - to say the least.
I think their available in Europe but I can't find any real world information on them.

[deilenberger]

There is some web chatter on them - but so far no one has admitted to riding on them..

Interesting pics here on the PR2's on a Versys..

http://www.fz6-forum.com/forum/fz6-gene ... -here.html

Guy got 2,600 miles from them..



PR3's supposedly for sale: http://www.tireexpress.com/prod.cfm/cid/6701/pid/35972

And CompAcc only lists the V rated one for sale - the Z is "coming soon"..

http://www.compacc.com/p/Michelin-Pilot ... es-V-Rated

Opps.. nope.. it says "Coming in March.."

[mogu83]

I think a 149MPH V rating would do it for me and you Don, but reading some of the posts on this list that wouldn't do it for a lot of people. It seems we even have one Jerseyman on the list that routinely exceeds the ton on his daily commute.
I'll usually pick the tire with the lower speed rating because I found a while back that the higher rated tires are usually lighter than the lower rated ones and one way to do that is by putting on less rubber.

[NakedRider]

Looks like the back one has holes in it for studs..

Don, those may be used as wear indicators - much like they do with slicks now. Just a thought.

[LumpyCam]

I really loved my Pilot Roads in the dry and they excelled in the wet. Lasted 17,000km too so can't complain. I replaced them with Pilot Road IIs and have been less happy, especially on the cold wet winter days where I ride. They inspire much less confidence in the wet.

I'd be up for trying the Pilot Road IIIs as my next set as they seem to combine some features of both. Else it's back to the original PRs for me.

[jess]

Interesting pics here on the PR2's on a Versys..

That's crazy. I'm up to 8000 miles on my PR2s, and they still look great. There's gotta be a back story there...

[hjsbmw]

Interesting pics here on the PR2's on a Versys..

That's crazy. I'm up to 8000 miles on my PR2s, and they still look great. There's gotta be a back story there...

Riding habits, weight, road surface, bike setup, bike model,... There are many variables, and results can vary drastically, ranging from 3k miles to 12k miles on the same tire.

[red baron]

I agree with Harald that there are so mamy variables which makes it impossible to compare lifespan of a tire. I mounted early December new Dunlop Roadsmart tires, which by the way I really like, but last week after I drove 3,500 miles the wearmarks are gone. I am sure there are riders who claim they got more than 5,000 miles out of the same tire. Road surface and speed alone will make a big difference. Anyway in my circle of driving friends not one gets more than 4,000 miles out of any rear tire.
Peter

[JohnM]

This posted on RoadRacingWorld.com's website.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/art ... icle=43020

[crazyhorse]

There is some web chatter on them - but so far no one has admitted to riding on them..

Interesting pics here on the PR2's on a Versys..

http://www.fz6-forum.com/forum/fz6-gene ... -here.html

Guy got 2,600 miles from them..

wow, hard to believe that one. i've gone through 2 rears, about 8,000 miles each, and i don't exactly ride them easy. if this guy was riding around on those tires he was about 100% past the wear indicators as well, so that mean he got about 1500 miles until the wear indicators were up in the center. something is atypical about this story...

wes

[deilenberger]

This posted on RoadRacingWorld.com's website.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/art ... icle=43020

Interesting - the "X" sipes (guess that refers back to the original Michelin radial car tire.. the "X").. go full depth, for water drainage. Considering how good the PR2's are in the rain, these have gotta be outstanding. That alone might make me wait until March to get some.. (that and the 6-12" of additional snow we're supposed to get tomorrow night..)

[hjsbmw]

Interesting - the "X" sipes (guess that refers back to the original Michelin radial car tire.. the "X").. go full depth, for water drainage.

Are those the thinner grooves in the profile? If they are full depth then I wonder how that is going to affect the wear pattern.

[deilenberger]

Interesting - the "X" sipes (guess that refers back to the original Michelin radial car tire.. the "X").. go full depth, for water drainage.

Are those the thinner grooves in the profile? If they are full depth then I wonder how that is going to affect the wear pattern.

I'd have to guess that's what they're referring to.. they are "sipes" (thin cuts in the tire) and they are in sort of an X pattern in spots. Dunno what the effect on the wear pattern will be - one might hope a positive effect (perhaps making the lumpy wear small enough that it doesn't create the howl the PR2's are known for..)

[Kieran R1200R]

I've looked all over the Michelin sites and can't see them.

[hjsbmw]

Interesting - the "X" sipes (guess that refers back to the original Michelin radial car tire.. the "X").. go full depth, for water drainage.

Are those the thinner grooves in the profile? If they are full depth then I wonder how that is going to affect the wear pattern.

I'd have to guess that's what they're referring to.. they are "sipes" (thin cuts in the tire) and they are in sort of an X pattern in spots. Dunno what the effect on the wear pattern will be - one might hope a positive effect (perhaps making the lumpy wear small enough that it doesn't create the howl the PR2's are known for..)

That makes me feel more critical about these tires. I generally observe at least some uneven height right along the grooves in the profile after the tire has a few k miles on it. Maybe that's different here, but some things seem to never change.

[deilenberger]

I've looked all over the Michelin sites and can't see them.

That's 'cause they're not on the Michelin sites yet.. what is around is a press releases on the tires with pics.. and of course blogs/websites/tire-dealers are all picking up on the press releases and making it sound like they're available. Not. March I think.

[LumpyCam]

If the CG models of the PRIII are similar to the final product it looks like they have overlapped the rain channels across the centre of the rear tire. On the PRII there's a treadless strip down the middle that I've found limits the grip in wet (I've had traction control kick on more on these tires than anything before). My guess is it was supposed to create a nice high-wear centre zone but the compromised traction wasn't worth it.