180 vs 190 Tyres?

I reckon the 180 should fit both rims so is a safe bet, ive just changed from the 190 to the 180 and it just steers quicker. If you are on a tight circuit then the 180 will be better (IMO) but for fast sweepers the 190 gives a bigger contact patch if you are givin it loads out of the bends. All down to personnal preference I reckon but I am a convert so far. Loads of threads on this, one current one at the mo http://www.rsvzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8500.

No probs I get ya drift. Gotta say Ive got a track day in a couple of weeks and will be 180 shod (last track day was a 190) so gonna be a test for me. Not ridden at mallory or Brands so maybe the 190 is best suited for you at those tracks. Like I say alot is down to personnal preference and I guess trial and error my friend..:thumbup

bud if you have gone from a 190/55/17 to a 180/55/17 your rear ride height will be lower, plus i think your rsv rear wheel rim is wider than your r6.

You obviously know what you're doing but may I suggest looking at suspension set-up and maybe tyre pressures 'cos a 180 should be fine and I've found them (both Pilot Powers and Supercorsas) rock solid when cranked over on track.

hi,jm tyres choice has many parameters to consider such as your weight, suspension settings, track, tmp, bike, compound. you don,t say if your mates run rsv,s or other but as an ex racer i know they put the 180 on for faster turn in. make sure your you fit a 190 50 not 190 55 as that changes the profile of the tyre. the 50/55 represents the sidewall as a percentage of the width the tyre not as many think mm tall. pressures make a huge difference when racing and are not the same as road riding.supercorsa/corsa 3 recommend depending on milage seeking. o and check linkages for wear.

hi,jm tyres choice has many parameters to consider such as your weight, suspension settings, track, tmp, bike, compound. you don,t say if your mates run rsv,s or other but as an ex racer i know they put the 180 on for faster turn in. make sure your you fit a 190 50 not 190 55 as that changes the profile of the tyre. the 50/55 represents the sidewall as a percentage of the width the tyre not as many think mm tall. pressures make a huge difference when racing and are not the same as road riding.supercorsa/corsa 3 recommend depending on milage seeking. o and check linkages for wear.:thumbup

Hi Jon,
Just reading through your thread about the tyre issues.
I run Michelin 2ct's on my RSV1000R with a 190/50/17 profile. Just over 2 years ago I highsided at Mallory park coming out of Edwina's. I believe most of it was down to inexperience at the time as it was only my 2nd track day, however back then I was running on Dunlop qualifiers. Having been thrown across the black stuff breaking my left leg and injuring my pelvis, I decided not to run the Qualifiers any longer. Most of my mates were running on the 2ct's and giving good praise for them so I decided to give them a try. I noticed instantly the difference. They seemed to give a much better feed back, but still something was a miss. Looking through the old photo's of the crash and the event, it was pointed out to me that my bike seemed a little low at the back. I swiftly took it to a suspension specialist in Keighley (DMS) where he found the suspension was completely wrong. The rear end was 60mm too low. He set it all up for me (Being 6' 4" and 17 stone) and the improvements were vast, much more confidence then ever before, no fear throwing it into corners, lap times as much as 5 seconds a lap quicker round Oulton Park. My brother used to race semi professional and still does trackdays, he runs a CBR1000RR also shod with 2ct's, He's much quickier than any of my mates on the trackdays and when he comes in his tyres don't even look as though they've been ridden on. Most of it will be down to his smooth style, but alot of it's down to how the bike is set up. I'm no race expert I can only speak from my own experience, and I found the suspension was my greatest enemy. I hope this helps !!!
Cheers Jason
P.S. Just before Mallory Park my bike was recalled for a rear swing arm problem. The dealership fit a brand new rear swing arm, front, rear sprokets and a new chain. Maybe the 60mm suspension issue was down to them. I will never know.

Tire profile changes with tire brand.. my owners manual (03) states that if your running a Pirelli it should be a 180-55-17 BUT if you are running Michelin or dunlop it should be a 190 not 180.. Pirelli tires are taller than most other brands.. a 180 dunlop on a 6 inch rim would be on the small size, perfect for a 5.5 rim. Racers in the US with 6 inch rims run 195 or 200's
Here is a link to Dunlops race tire fitment chart..

http://www.dunlopracing.com/fitment-2009.html

good luck..
Bret

I just noticed that on the DOT race tire they recommend the 200-55-17 for a 6 inch rim.. bottom of page..

Im have a 180/55 bridgestone bt021 on mine and feel like im getting to the edge way too quickly, I feel like it should go over a bit more but it just slides.
Im going to go 190/50 next tyre cos the 180 bt021 doesnt look or feel right on the rim to me.
I migt try those Maxxis tyres Kiwis got next.

If your linkages and other components are fine plus the profile of the tyre is good then i would say you need to look at suspension and get that sorted, you need a heavier spring on the rear and front for your weight as well if you want to get it right, a 180 is what i use on road and track and would not use a 190, i use Racetec slicks on the track but they are still the same profile as treaded Racetecs, they work fine on the edge tooooooooo

having read all of this thread i'm now going to chuck my hat in the ring :devious, 1st thing jon, is that you seem to keep comparing how the dunlops faired on an il4 600 to a vtwin 1000, seems to me that 2 totaly differnent beasts will treat the tyres differently & certainly it seems on this & other sites that the general consensus is for 2ct's as the tyre of choice. 2nd'ly err, that was it:biggrin

Its no problem if your back tyre is used to the edge it will hold far past it.

Just make sure the front tyre has some.

I use 190/55 which i think is best from both worlds, very happy with the handeling compare to 190/50. It also makes a diference what type of tyre you put on, street tyres will get to the edge in no time, while a race tyre will have some more space. But they will both lean far beyond that

Also one more thing, tyre presure is very imporatant! People always forget that.

Check the tyre presure every two rides, it will change even though you think the bike handles fine.

Where Im from we use "bar" and its 2.3bar front 2.5bar back, solo. 2.5/2.9 with a passenger and for the track 2.1 / 1.9.


And you said you use bt21, thats a sport touring tyre, efcorse it wont hold as good as a sport tyre, try bt16 from bridgestone or something similar.

And to anser another one, I personaly havent tried the d211 ntec yet, but a friend of myne has and he says there the best tyre he has ever raced, but they do require tyrewarmers, supercorsas will heat anyway after 2-3 laps.

As I Stated before Aprilia recommends a 180 tire if you use PIRELLI and that also covers METZELER Racetecs (same tire).. I am running a Racetec k2 180-55-17 on my 03R and it is AWESOME!! Having said that I had Contisport 190-55-17 on my 07 GSXR1000 and it also felt great...
Final thoughts.. if you run Pirelli or Metzeler....... run a 180..
if you run anything else, put on a 190...
hey for more controversy, SportRider magazine to a comparo with 190-50's and 190-55's and came to the conclusion that a 190-55's have a larger contact patch, better contour and is not pinched on the rim (6 inch) due to a short sidewall like a 190-50 is...
good luck with your choice and stay safe..

Hey Jon, I'll swap you your tyres for my rear 208RR & front Diablo Corsa.................