I recently replaced my car tyres and the bike will need a rear before long and it got me thinking.
On the car (front wheel drive) I got at least 20K miles from the front tyres. On the bike I will be lucky to see 6.5K from the rear, bike tyre costs 1.5 times as much as car despite the quantity of rubber.
I realise that bikes have a smaller contact patch with the ground more ponies so the rubber will wear quicker as a result but I couldnt help wondering what the difference is between the tyres?
Is is possible that the rubber used for a bike tyre costs that much more than the car? or is it economies of scale-more cars than bikes on the road so more tyres sold-R&D costs spread.
Is it possible that bike tyre manufacturers could create compounds that last longer without affecting grip but dont?
Any thoughts?
PS. This isnt a who gets most/least miles to a tyre, just wondering if there is a reason for this that I cant think of
My car tyres are £160 each (about 12,000 miles average) and are much harder than bike tyres, my std bike tyre, BT015’s are about as soft as a soft track day or sprint car tyre. Tyres on my Dax are R888’s and the rears are shot after 4000 miles (they spend a lot of time spinnig ) but the fronts would last 10,000 miles probably if I left them. I change them more frequently because they go hard with age/use and get a bit flightly in the wet.
where the hell are you lot buying your tyres? :w00t: What do you drive that needs a £160 per tyre ffs! answer to bike tyre question: ride a bit better and your tyres will last longer. Same as with car tyres. If you burn rubber, wheel spin etc etc they will not last. Thats not aimed at anyone specific but it’s true accross the board.
I used to work for Stapleton’s HQ and if you knew how much these tyres really cost, you’d ring around a bit more
Pirelli p600 165 70 13 T rated cost ME £17 each plus VAT. YOU would pay £35-£40 each for them. My 225 70 16 (think) Avon rangers cost me £370 for FOUR and they are better than the shitty budget crap ones i was quoted for £400 plus and they didn’t met my driving style. (mad and lots of gravel )
) but the fronts would last 10,000 miles probably if I left them. I change them more frequently because they go hard with age/use and get a bit flightly in the wet.
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