- Joined
- Apr 22, 2011
- Messages
- 1,145
- Age
- 68
- Location
- Camarillo, Ca
- Bike
- 2006 ST1300A
- 2024 Miles
- 002552
Hankook V4 -- 30 psi vs 40 psi.
I wore out my last MC tire in 4 months. Since I depend on my ST1300a for commuting to work every day now, three rear tire changes a year is a bit annoying. Since I am an engineer, I did a lot of research before I went over to the darkside.
I have read many posts here and found that many of you are using 40 psi so you can get that crisp MC tire feel. So I started out running 40 psi for about two weeks but with the "hard" tire I could feel every bump in the road. The edge of the flat tread becomes very pronounced. This is most noticeable when going slow in an alley way where there is a cement "V" drain in the middle. The bike CG point would suddenly shift when the bike transitions from one outside edge to the other. This would cause a small but pronounced one time wobble that is controllable. Also when changing lanes on a freeway if there is a small step at the joint between lanes or the raised "Botts dots" [lane reflectors] catches on the edge.
There is a patch of road (118 Freeway at Rocky Peak Rd) where Cal Trans moved the lanes and scraped up the dashed lane stripes leaving the long divots on the edge of the lane. This is a long sweeping turn where you need to put your tires into the divots at Freeway speed. With either a MC tire or the hard CT tire the wobble caused by the divots is very un-nerving while leaning over into the long curve. I always had to carefully ride through this spot while to trying to stay out of the divots.
So now I dropped the pressure on the Hankook to 30 psi. Wow what a difference. Yes the tire "feels" a bit mushy but that is how a radial tire is supposed to work. The transition through the alley "V" is no longer pronounced and is only slightly noticeable. But now when I cross over those divots on freeway it is like they are NOT there! I have even tried to get into the worst part of the divots a few times to verify this. The only vibration comes from the hard front tire. The softer rear tire makes for a much smoother ride and the tire has a little longer track so there is more contact with the road. This does create more rolling resistance and my MPG dropped from 42 to 40. After trying other tire pressures I have settled in at 33 psi. [My other ride is a rock Jeep CJ-7 with tires that are at 10 psi. My DRZ400 the tires are kept at 14 psi. So I am very familiar with the advantages of low tire pressure off road on rocky trails and washboard desert roads.] Lower tire pressure makes rough roads feel smooth and has a better grip on the rough stuff!
I am very happy with the Hankook V4. Not just because I will get more miles between tire changes, but also because I my back tire has a wide footprint on the road. Bigger foot print equals more traction and better stopping. If I pull off the pavement the wider track makes for a better floatation on the soft stuff. Every Jeeper knows this. It would be the perfect adventure tire.
Since I can run at a lower pressure the ride is way more comfortable. I do not feel every bump in the road and transitioning over stepped lane edges are no longer a bother. This tire best fits my mode of "Tour" riding. Oh, I have run the soft Hankook fairly fast on the Mulholland snake and Latigo Canyon Road with no trouble at all. But I enjoy the ride better at a slower pace so that I can view the scenery as I pass. It seems that the guys on bikes with MC tires are the ones going over the edge....
This tire will hold twice the weight of a MC tire. I have no fear here because I know there is a 10 to 1 safety factor. Just go into a peddle bicycle shop and look closely at a road tire. Their side walls are paper thin. They run 150 psi and support a 200+ pound rider on a postage stamp size foot print.
We use different tires for different applications. Knobbies for Dirt, Paddles for Sand, Slick and round for Race Track and fast Snakes, and now a Wide flat Radial tires for Touring and Commuting....
Sorry, I digressed. Please post your comments here about your experience on the Car (Touring Radial) tire "soft" vs "hard" [30 psi vs 40 psi], which you prefer and why.
I wore out my last MC tire in 4 months. Since I depend on my ST1300a for commuting to work every day now, three rear tire changes a year is a bit annoying. Since I am an engineer, I did a lot of research before I went over to the darkside.
I have read many posts here and found that many of you are using 40 psi so you can get that crisp MC tire feel. So I started out running 40 psi for about two weeks but with the "hard" tire I could feel every bump in the road. The edge of the flat tread becomes very pronounced. This is most noticeable when going slow in an alley way where there is a cement "V" drain in the middle. The bike CG point would suddenly shift when the bike transitions from one outside edge to the other. This would cause a small but pronounced one time wobble that is controllable. Also when changing lanes on a freeway if there is a small step at the joint between lanes or the raised "Botts dots" [lane reflectors] catches on the edge.
There is a patch of road (118 Freeway at Rocky Peak Rd) where Cal Trans moved the lanes and scraped up the dashed lane stripes leaving the long divots on the edge of the lane. This is a long sweeping turn where you need to put your tires into the divots at Freeway speed. With either a MC tire or the hard CT tire the wobble caused by the divots is very un-nerving while leaning over into the long curve. I always had to carefully ride through this spot while to trying to stay out of the divots.
So now I dropped the pressure on the Hankook to 30 psi. Wow what a difference. Yes the tire "feels" a bit mushy but that is how a radial tire is supposed to work. The transition through the alley "V" is no longer pronounced and is only slightly noticeable. But now when I cross over those divots on freeway it is like they are NOT there! I have even tried to get into the worst part of the divots a few times to verify this. The only vibration comes from the hard front tire. The softer rear tire makes for a much smoother ride and the tire has a little longer track so there is more contact with the road. This does create more rolling resistance and my MPG dropped from 42 to 40. After trying other tire pressures I have settled in at 33 psi. [My other ride is a rock Jeep CJ-7 with tires that are at 10 psi. My DRZ400 the tires are kept at 14 psi. So I am very familiar with the advantages of low tire pressure off road on rocky trails and washboard desert roads.] Lower tire pressure makes rough roads feel smooth and has a better grip on the rough stuff!
I am very happy with the Hankook V4. Not just because I will get more miles between tire changes, but also because I my back tire has a wide footprint on the road. Bigger foot print equals more traction and better stopping. If I pull off the pavement the wider track makes for a better floatation on the soft stuff. Every Jeeper knows this. It would be the perfect adventure tire.
Since I can run at a lower pressure the ride is way more comfortable. I do not feel every bump in the road and transitioning over stepped lane edges are no longer a bother. This tire best fits my mode of "Tour" riding. Oh, I have run the soft Hankook fairly fast on the Mulholland snake and Latigo Canyon Road with no trouble at all. But I enjoy the ride better at a slower pace so that I can view the scenery as I pass. It seems that the guys on bikes with MC tires are the ones going over the edge....
This tire will hold twice the weight of a MC tire. I have no fear here because I know there is a 10 to 1 safety factor. Just go into a peddle bicycle shop and look closely at a road tire. Their side walls are paper thin. They run 150 psi and support a 200+ pound rider on a postage stamp size foot print.
We use different tires for different applications. Knobbies for Dirt, Paddles for Sand, Slick and round for Race Track and fast Snakes, and now a Wide flat Radial tires for Touring and Commuting....
Sorry, I digressed. Please post your comments here about your experience on the Car (Touring Radial) tire "soft" vs "hard" [30 psi vs 40 psi], which you prefer and why.
