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D222 rear tire life?


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Got over 9000 mi. on the rear just replaced with a PR4. Front tire still stock with a long way to go.
That's really good to know. I'm heading out on a 2,500 trip next month and replaced the stockers with only 2k on them, not knowing how they would fare.  Nice to know I can slap them back on for a few k after the replacements are worn.
 
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I'm moving to the Dunlop SportMax Q3's.  I have not used these tires before which is why I'm switching to them. I want to test them out and see how I like them.  They have great reviews and for the type of riding i'm doing I feel like these will be a great upgrade.  They are 50/50 tires, meaning that you can use them on the road or on the track.  I don't do track so I'm only going to be using them on the road, in the mountains.  If you do a lot of commuting or long trips then I would not recommend these tires.  I would definitely go with the Micheline PR 3's or 4's, which will be my next set if I don't end up diggin the Q3's.  
 
 
 
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Quick update on the Dunlop Sportmax Q3's I switched over to from the Dunlop D222 stock tires. If you drive the twisties a lot you simply can't affort not to switch over to these or equivalent tires. The Q3's are simply just awesome. The way they carve into the corners, the lean angles of the bike (the bike just wants to fall into the lean on these tires), and the lines that these tires help you keep when aggressivley pushing through is quite amazing. You really have to try them out to really appreciate them. They inspire hella confidence. If you're an experienced rider you will get so much out of these tires. Even semi-eperienced riders will benefit a lot from them. But be carefull, these tires can inspire a little too much confidence at times. No matter how good your machine is it's still ultimately being controlled by YOU.
 
I liked the D222's and think they are a great tire, but for aggressive carving and riding through the mountains and sweeping roads, they don't really match up at all to the Q3's. You're talking about two totally different tires for very different purposes. If you commute a lot or drive long distances as a regular rider then I wouldn't suggest these tires as you would really be wasting money on them. They are not designed for long mileage usage and you can certainly find a better tire out there suited for those needs. However, if you mainly ride hard through the cornering roads of the mountains then do yourself a favour and go buy a pair of these when you need to change out your tires. I hardly think you'll have any complaints.
 
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  • 2 weeks later...
Hi guys I got 8,500kms out of the horrible D222 rear tyre replaced it with my favourite PR4s as mentioned in other posts the front tyre still looks like new and I have just clocked 10,500km since purchasing bike at the end of March.
The PR4 has totally changed the feel of the bike inspiring heaps more confidience compaired with standard factory offerings,here in New Zealand we do have a varity of road surfaces.
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One thing to remember when reading posts about a poster's bike being miraculously transformed by the replacement of one tire brand or model with another is that they likely have been riding on a fairly worn profile for quite some time before they got their new tire and have gotten used to it's increasingly poor steering due to wear. Once they get a now tire they may believe that the radical improvement is due to their choice of tire where actually it's simply because they have a NEW, properly profiled tire.
 
I think the Roadsmart 2 is a pretty great tire for the money and the mileage you get out of it.  I bet PR4's are great too, especially in the rain.  Does any of you high mileage riders have any experience with the two and what differences there are in the milage you get out of them?
 
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Does any of you high mileage riders have any experience with the two and what differences there are in the milage you get out of them?
D222's I got around 5k miles, still life but not that much, Michelin PR4 7k but are wearing but to the point I changed from the 222's. The comparison though isn't like for like as my riding style on the PR4's has been 'more aggressive' on different roads. 
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Does any of you high mileage riders have any experience with the two and what differences there are in the milage you get out of them?
D222's I got around 5k miles, still life but not that much, Michelin PR4 7k but are wearing but to the point I changed from the 222's. The comparison though isn't like for like as my riding style on the PR4's has been 'more aggressive' on different roads.
also, despite the identical tread pattern D222 are not the same as the commercially available Roadsmart 2 - these have deeper tread grooves than the D222 and I would hope, last longer. I have no idea if the compound varies as there is no data on the D222. The Roadsmart 2 are very similar in spec to the PR4, which I have used to good effect on my last bike.  
Personally, I would be happy to have either the Roadsmart 2 or Michelin PR4 and I will probably base my purchase decision on what is in stock at the time I need tyres and then price.  
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despite the identical tread pattern D222 are not the same as the commercially available Roadsmart 2 - these have deeper tread grooves than the D222 and I would hope, last longer. I have no idea if the compound varies as there is no data on the D222. The Roadsmart 2 are very similar in spec to the PR4, which I have used to good effect on my last bike.
Do the Roadmart 2s stick better than the D222s?  Because, after experience with the D222s, I can't say I'm all that inclined to ever buy another Dunlop. 
I don't mean to say that these are the worst tires I've ever ridden -- far from it. I think they're great in cold and wet, very important for me, and while they don't seem to stick all that well on edge they do at least give excellent feedback and are predictable. I can get all that plus better edge grip with PR3s or BT0XXXs though.
 
I'm just wondering if the D222 is special or if that's just the way most Dunlops are, like Pirellis being unhappy any time it rains.
 
2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate)
2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.)
1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.)
2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.)
2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.)
 
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Most of the stuff about tyres is in your head. I think I am repeating what someone else said, you had a bad experience with a Pirelli tyre that put you off them. If you think about all of the variables: was the road dry for a period before it rained; had a farmer spread something nasty from his slurry tank on the road; had a truck spilled diesel on the corner; did a reflection mean you missed the patch of gravel? Was it really the fault of the tyre?
 
I don't believe there are any really bad tyres nowadays from Avon, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Michelin, Dunlop, Metzeler and Continental. Most of the problems will be from our own making (wrong tyre for the bike, wrong pressure, badly adjusted suspension, ill judged cornering); or from cheap suspension; or from poorly maintained or contaminated roads.
 
It's easy to blame the tyres and a new one always feels better than a worn one, even if you stick to the same make.
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This signature is left blank as the poster writes enough pretentious bollocks as it is.
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Most of the stuff about tyres is in your head. I think I am repeating what someone else said, you had a bad experience with a Pirelli tyre that put you off them. 
Ha, well, I tend to ride in all conditions and I can tell you that MeZ4s circa 2000-2004 would turn slippery at 37F, and Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa Pros at 42F, unless it was raining in which case the latter was scary snot slippery at even 55F.  Those aren't one-off observations, that's over years of use. 
They both worked well when warm and dry.  The Pirellis were awesome when hot.
 
I never had a Bridgestone that didn't work well no matter the temperature.  The Michelins -- either Pilot Power or PR3s -- were similar, but their siping worked better in heavy downpours (never used anything better).
 
YMMV, of course, but those are my observations with those particular models.
 
I wasn't really trying to generalize across the manufacturer even though I'm sure it sounded that way.  I know that different tire lines may be very different in a single manufacturer.  I wondered about the D222s versus Roadsmart because of the implication that they were very similar tires.
 
My comment on Pirelli was a (not very well spoken) poke of fun at Pirelli's Italian-ness as much as anything, like Ducs that won't start below freezing because Ducati never even bothered to test that.  It seems like the Italians tend to make stuff that works great in Italy's conditions without consideration for anywhere else.  Which I do not necessarily consider bad, it's the kind of thing that makes Italians Italian.
 
It did make for some frightening trips on those Dragons though.
2015 FJ-09 (Mary Kate)
2007 Daytona 675 (Tabitha, ret.)
1998 Vulcan 800 (Ret.)
2001 SV650S (Veronica, Ret.)
2000 Intruder 800 (Ret.)
 
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Most of the stuff about tyres is in your head. I think I am repeating what someone else said, you had a bad experience with a Pirelli tyre that put you off them. If you think about all of the variables: was the road dry for a period before it rained; had a farmer spread something nasty from his slurry tank on the road; had a truck spilled diesel on the corner; did a reflection mean you missed the patch of gravel? Was it really the fault of the tyre? 
I don't believe there are any really bad tyres nowadays from Avon, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Michelin, Dunlop, Metzeler and Continental. Most of the problems will be from our own making (wrong tyre for the bike, wrong pressure, badly adjusted suspension, ill judged cornering); or from cheap suspension; or from poorly maintained or contaminated roads.
 
It's easy to blame the tyres and a new one always feels better than a worn one, even if you stick to the same make.
Tires (Tyres...olde English) and brakes deserve no compromise, particularly wrt bikes, and several of the brands listed won't find their way on to anything that I ride or drive. They are not all created equal. Lord Avon...wasn't he a friend of  Lord Lucas - Prince of Darkness? 
STUFF EVERYTHING - I'VE ALWAYS GOT MY BIKE!
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