Tyre poll

[Boxadog 2000]

Still wont work for me either

[RiceBurner]

Oh - I'll be getting a pair of Conti Road-Attacks this weekend so I'll let you all know how they are.

[LucaS]

These are my impressions:
BT56R: first equipment, nice grip, low mileage.
BT020: not excellent, nor poor, just honest. High mileage (but forget sport riding).
MeZ4: nice tyre, but when too hot it looses grip suddenly. High mileage.
MeZ6 (Roadtec): a compromise between sport and touring, but on wet road scary.

I think next tyre will be a Sportec, even though low mileage.

Ciao, Luca

[RiceBurner]

well - first impressions (120 miles ish) of the Conti-Road-Attacks are good.

Very confidence inspiring and good feedback - will relay more when I've pushed them a bit harder.

[Smeegles]

These are my impressions:
BT56R: first equipment, nice grip, low mileage.
BT020: not excellent, nor poor, just honest. High mileage (but forget sport riding).
MeZ4: nice tyre, but when too hot it looses grip suddenly. High mileage.
MeZ6 (Roadtec): a compromise between sport and touring, but on wet road scary.

I think next tyre will be a Sportec, even though low mileage.

Ciao, Luca

Disagree with the mez4
I've been riding in the summer heat down here and find they stick better in the heat.
Maybe you didn't have the tyre pressures up enough?
Mez recommend 39 psi for the front to accomodate the extra sidewall rigidity and to counter the chopping effect from the telelever.
(you should have seen how my front bt020 looked after 18000kms)

[LucaS]

Hi Smeegles,

I'm 75kg, and I keep my tyre pressure at 2.2bar front (32 psi) and 2.5bar rear (36 psi).
The behaviour of the Mez4 was really unusual to me: after a series of turns, with an air temperature about 30°C, they lost grip, it was like riding on soap, no traction and no stability. I had to stop and let them cool down.
For a period I tried and I tried on a road I know very well, and they always lost grip after the same serie of curves.
With the Z6, on the same road and in the same season, no problem at all.

I just think Z4 don't like very much "sport riding", and maybe I asked them too much, or I simply had a faulty set of tyres.

These are 2 shots of the rear Z4 I took after that ride:
http://r1100s.altervista.org/files/25_luglio_005_r.jpg
http://r1100s.altervista.org/files/25_luglio_006_r.jpg

At the tyre shop they told me that the kind of wave that appears at the edge of the tyre is caused by micro-welding due to high temperature it reached.

Ciao, Luca

[RiceBurner]

Hi Smeegles,

I'm 75kg, and I keep my tyre pressure at 2.2bar front (32 psi) and 2.5bar rear (36 psi).
The behaviour of the Mez4 was really unusual to me: after a series of turns, with an air temperature about 30°C, they lost grip, it was like riding on soap, no traction and no stability. I had to stop and let them cool down.
For a period I tried and I tried on a road I know very well, and they always lost grip after the same serie of curves.
With the Z6, on the same road and in the same season, no problem at all.

I just think Z4 don't like very much "sport riding", and maybe I asked them too much, or I simply had a faulty set of tyres.

These are 2 shots of the rear Z4 I took after that ride:
http://r1100s.altervista.org/files/25_luglio_005_r.jpg
http://r1100s.altervista.org/files/25_luglio_006_r.jpg

At the tyre shop they told me that the kind of wave that appears at the edge of the tyre is caused by micro-welding due to high temperature it reached.

Ciao, Luca

looks like you've been dirt-tracking!!!

[Smeegles]

Hi Smeegles,

I'm 75kg, and I keep my tyre pressure at 2.2bar front (32 psi) and 2.5bar rear (36 psi).
The behaviour of the Mez4 was really unusual to me: after a series of turns, with an air temperature about 30°C, they lost grip, it was like riding on soap, no traction and no stability. I had to stop and let them cool down.
For a period I tried and I tried on a road I know very well, and they always lost grip after the same serie of curves.
With the Z6, on the same road and in the same season, no problem at all.

I just think Z4 don't like very much "sport riding", and maybe I asked them too much, or I simply had a faulty set of tyres.

These are 2 shots of the rear Z4 I took after that ride:
http://r1100s.altervista.org/files/25_luglio_005_r.jpg
http://r1100s.altervista.org/files/25_luglio_006_r.jpg

At the tyre shop they told me that the kind of wave that appears at the edge of the tyre is caused by micro-welding due to high temperature it reached.

Ciao, Luca

Hi Luca, I asked my mechanic tyre bloke friend (who incidentally worked for metzeler back in germany) and this is what he said about the mez4b's
The mez4b is actually made specifically for the bmw (the B is short for boxer) to counteract the chopping that telelever does to regular tyres.
The front tyre has a more rigid sidewall (reinforced with extra steel belting from what I understand) and the rear is the normal mez4 (they don't make a 4b for the rear)
He specifically stated that the tyres have to be inflated to at least 38 front and 42 rear and is quite happy at 39 front 42 rear.
Anything less that that will result in the tyres overheating as they are "under inflated" and will do what you have described with yours.
I think the mez4's are the best overall tyre for the boxer if you do a lot of varied riding.
If you want to ride sporty all the time then I'd go the z3.
Cheers
Nick.

[LucaS]

Thank you very much for your explanation Nick, it sounds good to me.
I've never thought to increase tires pressure, maybe I've been too much confident of bmw owners handbook.
I liked Z4 except for this drawback; so maybe next tyre change I'll come back to them.
I think Z6 Roadtec hasn't any /B specific (neither front nor back), so it should be good to give them some further psi (I'm currently riding them at 32f and 36r, like the Z4). What do you think about?

Ciao, Luca

[Smeegles]

Thank you very much for your explanation Nick, it sounds good to me.
I've never thought to increase tires pressure, maybe I've been too much confident of bmw owners handbook.
I liked Z4 except for this drawback; so maybe next tyre change I'll come back to them.
I think Z6 Roadtec hasn't any /B specific (neither front nor back), so it should be good to give them some further psi (I'm currently riding them at 32f and 36r, like the Z4). What do you think about?

Ciao, Luca

Try 36 front 38-40 rear.
cheers
Nick.

[LucaS]

Thanks Nick, I'll try.

Ciao, Luca

[sybecs@supaday.com]

been an ss owner since 2002 misses now got my first one always used dunlop 207. Never been any trouble,ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY COME AT £150 FITTED. .One small problem , though i dont mind they only last 3500 miles and the front wears out at same time as back and usually on out side like its been under inflated. Could this be the chopping ihave read about.
Any way ilike them good grip in all weathers, still not got a good slide in wet though i do ride like a pussy then only if i get cought out.The feed back on our lasses was brill when sliding into roundabouts [not on puorpose]mine has ABS.

[minivin]

I think Roadtecs life depends very much on how you ride - I worked out the other day that the Z6 i took down to the canvas only lasted 5,5K miles...

yup, me first set of MEZ6's have resulted in the rear only safely lasting 5.5k miles, I'm now wearing it further as I refuse to renew it until at least past 6k miles

[andrew s]

Hi Luca,

I would go for the Sportecs, now on my 3rd set. The tyre pressures in the handbook are wrong.

Metzeler recommend 36 front 42 rear, I run 35/40 with no problems at all, these pressures were given to me by a suspension specialist.

Andrew

[julian]

I'm 110kg dressed.

Sportecs - hated them = too hard, never warmed up and stepped out regularly. I think I must have had a duff pair.

BT020 - excellent, grippy, turn in well. Will go for the BT014 next time.