180/55 or 190/55???

i can tell u out of own experience the 190/50 does feel very stable and doesnt seem to give any issues with clearence with the chain, how ever i wanted quicker turn in so have gone to the 180/55 supercorsas but aint has a chance to test them.

I run Dunlop Qualifier RR's (190/50) and get a little chain strike on the tyre, Will be sticking with the 190/50 as I dont like the feel of the 180/55 (its just a little too quick for me and I dont feel so confident at max lean angles).

I have run Super Corsa 190 55 17 and Dunlop 190 55 17 Sportmax GP and hey fit mint I wont go back to 180 push harder if it dosnt turn lol
Be realistic about what riding and your experience level (not aimed at you as you could be a weapon) If on the road and you are a fastrider I still think the likes of pilot roads 2ct are fine and you get way more ks cant get the 55 profile though. 190 55:thumbup

I had dunlops gp(209 and 211) and pireli supercorsas 190/55 without rubbing the chain, so go for it.

I would choose between the two in your title and rule 190/50 out since it has no advantage over the other two.

I run 190/55 and would only reccomend these if you use a lot of lean.

I spoke to the Dunlop rep at the NEC Bike Show (a UK premier consumer bike show for those who don't know) and he said for an Aprilia RSV with a 6" rim you should only be running a 190- or even a 200.

I spoke to one of the guys from California Superbike School and he said they'd even tried the 200's on their R6's- with a 5.5" rim!

I use 190/55 Dunlop GP Racers and couldn't go back to a 180.
Also consider I weigh 90kg in my socks and an RSV is a good 200kg. If you're 60kg riding a modern jap 600 (170kg) then you can afford a smaller tyre, fat boys like me make the edge of the tyre very hot!

It seems a reasonably random I had Pirelli Diablo Corsa's no problem, then Diablo Corsa III's no problem, Dunlop 208RR no problem but the Qualifier RR light striking

all were 190/50's and the same Renthal 525 chain

babutler said:

Really good info thanks. The problem though I here is the chain rubbing on the tire. Are there specific manufacturers that are slightly different from others? If so I would love to know. I thought about getting some Bridgestones because the guy that owned the bike before me had a 190/50 Bridgestone on it with no problems.

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I'm trying to think about the logic...

If you have a 190/55 the sidewall is 104.5 mm, a 190/50 the sidewall is 95mm.

Now I'm sitting in my office and haven't even seen my bike since October, but is it feasable that the taller sidewall lifts the fattest part of the tyre away from the chain?

I had a 180/55 fitted when i bought the bike, shagged it on two track days (damn thing turned purple) and then fitted a 190/55.

Didn't seem any appreciable difference between the two in terms of the chain rubbing.

I've only ever used Dunlops on sports bikes but may try Pirelli next year.
(My racer mates call my Dunlops either 'snot rags' or 'condoms' but they all raced superstock/roadstock/supersport and love tyres from the Supercorsa stable)

I fitted a 190/50/17 Michelin Pilot Power 2CT to my 02R and the chain caught the side of the tyre. I had to change it for a 180/55/17. My older 02 standard Mille could run 190/50/17 no problem the only difference being one had OZ wheels, one had standard Brembo wheels.

This is one of those bizzare unanswered questions that's been on going on Aprilia forums for ages and still no one knows as to why some tyres catch the chain and some don't. There's just no pattern to it as it's not specific to tyre makes or bike specs :dunno

In my expierience most riders cant really tell the diferance there is a lot of talk about turning in faster blah blah blah but how and what are these guys measuring against ? best thing is to go with what you think is right for you ! we all ride different but be aware some 190 section tyres are actually bigger than the stated size ! for example I had to put a Dunlop on the rear of my RSV after a puncture and it was all the shop had, this tyre rubbed in a massive way so mush infact after the 400 mile ride home my chain snapped !! I was lucky to stay on and didnt suffer huge amounts of damage .

I had a word with 'Vale' about this issue (taught him all he knows) and we agreed that skinny cross-plys were the way to go.
Basically anybody can get their knee down these days with big fat sticky tires so we need to raise the bar a bit - a SIZE 2 1/4 X 16 or similar, with inner tube, should sort the men from the boys.

Rudeboy said:

In my expierience most riders cant really tell the diferance there is a lot of talk about turning in faster blah blah blah but how and what are these guys measuring against ?

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I'd hazard a guess that 'these guys' are talking from the perspective of riding on different size and types/manufacturers of tyres on the same bike, namely an RSV, and hence measuring against experiences :nana

That sounds like a rough time with the Dunlop on the back Good to read you came away relatively unscathed :thumbup What condition was the tyre in to have weakened the chain to such an extent that is snapped?

Reality is, a 190/50 has a flatter profile across a rim than a 190/55 and a 180/55. Tyre manufacturers, and the specific models of each tyre within the manufacturers range have differing profiles hence the slower/faster turn in. Some tyre profiles drop (triangular) some roll (rounded). A 190/50 will have a greater contact patch when the bike is vertical compared to a 190/55, which means greater friction, which means increased effort required to turn. Perhaps not noticeable at slower speeds, but increase the pace and you'll feel the difference. We all know what it is like to get a bike turned that has a squared off rear tyre.

I'd argue the claim that some tyres are bigger than the stated size as being bollocks. It will all come down to tyre profile when the tyre is mounted on the rim as I don't know any company that would give you something for free and the contact patch of the tyre is dictated by tread profile, not by the tyre width. If the profile is flatter the tyre will extend further than a tyre with a steeper profile. Not to mention the small matter of having to be approved under UN/ECE regulation 75 which is not something you can slip an extra 10mm on and get it past them

People are moving to 190/55 because the increased profile from 50 means that the turn in is quicker like a 180/55 and when leant over the available contact patch is larger than a 180/55 and hence offers more grip and greater stability. The tyre manufacturers didn't start producing them because they thought it might be fashionable :dowhat

I'll get off my soap box now :doh