mixing rear and front tires

[dom77]

I have 1600mi so far on my fj and I'm doing a 2800miles trip end of june. I'm really not sure if that stock rear tire will hold up for the whole trip, so I'm thinking of either changing the rear tire and putting the same stock one (firestone d220 I think) or, putting a PR4 on the rear and keeping the stock front... Has anyone done this?
 

[fddriver2]

Are you sure you need too...
My tire with a fuzz over 4,000 miles. It has plenty of life left....
 

[bgigharbor]

You may get that many miles on the rear depending on where and how you drive.
 
In terms of mixing fronts and rears, I sometimes do and in fact will put a new rear on soon. Either pr4 or roadtec 01. Was leaning toward roadtect 01 but a guy in the r1200rs forum is finding much front tire whine and poor high speed handling on his.
 
the biggest concern with mixing tires I think is thatif  a person is pushing tires to the actual limits, you don't want to suddenly have a rear tire that hangs on better than the front.
 
And some rear tire design makes assumption about about what the front tire has done with water on the road.
 
My opinion in reality mixing quality modern tires front rear for most no big deal at all.  Not ideal, but not the death wish some folks say. 
 
And I always pay extra attention to how new tires are feeling after installing so any real weirdness detected.
 
Having said all that, bikes are alot more fun with new fronts and backs together, and for me fun is why I ride.
 

[fattraxx]

I have 9K miles on the oem tires. The front still looks pretty good but the rear has really started to square on in the center now. A new pair is in the near future. It doesn't rain here much in my part of Arizona so in looking at Bridgestone T30 Evo or the Pirelli Angel GT. I've always changed tires in pairs over the years. As was already stated, some rear tires work better with the intended front as opposed to keeping the old front and changing the rear only. If I was doing a rear only, I'd most likely just put an oem back on.

[docsimple]

I threw an avon trailrider on mine and left the stock front for a later date. A couple hundred miles later and all is good. I will match the front when I get a new one though.

[dom77]

thanks for the replies i think ill take a chance with the stock rear, it should hold up i think

[deersSlayer]

At 8,000 km the stock rear tire was toast, the front still looked near new. I had a spare new Bridgerock BT023 rear, so I put it on. I've ridden about 5,500 km now with the stock Dunlop front and the Bridgestone rear, no problems. Including last weekend on twisty Tracy Road in upstate NY, bike felt very planted leaned well over - pulled away from my buddy on his VFR. 
 
Next Tuesday a new set of Michelin PR3 goes on before an early June week long trip.  8-)

[wessie]

thanks for the replies i think ill take a chance with the stock rear, it should hold up i think

and surely there is a tyre dealer en route somewhere? 
 
 
 

[gabefzr6]

thanks for the replies i think ill take a chance with the stock rear, it should hold up i think

How many times have I heard that one while waiting for someones bike to get a tire mounted in the middle of nowhere?  

[keithu]

The OEM rear tire lasted me 5700 miles. I replaced it with a PR4 which seems to mix fine with the OEM front. I'm at 6500 miles now and the front is looking a little sketchy. I plan to replace it before a 2500-3000 mile trip in w couple of weeks.

[wessie]

thanks for the replies i think ill take a chance with the stock rear, it should hold up i think

How many times have I heard that one while waiting for someones bike to get a tire mounted in the middle of nowhere?  

but these can be planned - e.g. I rode with someone from the UK to Munich on motorway. Nearly 1200 miles for him, from the Tyneside base. He got up early the following morning, had a set of tyres changed and joined me back at the hotel for breakfast. I got a lie in
 
By 10am we were riding towards the Bavarian Alps and on into Austria. He had a nice new set of Tourances on his R1200GS rather than some with a squared off contact patch from the motorway miles. 

[traceroz]

I'm running an Angel GT on the rear, as the OEM was fried at 6000km. The front is still OEM, and looks and feels as good as it ever did.
 
Typically, with the type of riding I do (and the appalling B roads I ride), I use 2 rears to every front. I do like to match front and rears, so when the front is toasted I will fit a matching Angel GT, then run the same brand/style for as long as they are available.

[dom77]

I'm running an Angel GT on the rear, as the OEM was fried at 6000km. The front is still OEM, and looks and feels as good as it ever did.  
Typically, with the type of riding I do (and the appalling B roads I ride), I use 2 rears to every front. I do like to match front and rears, so when the front is toasted I will fit a matching Angel GT, then run the same brand/style for as long as they are available.

 
 
 
6000km damm, i seem to go through tire much faster than most, we have crappy roads aswell here... i went through a pr4 in 10-12k km on my sv650 last year when some had reported crazy mileage on those...

[dom77]

How many times have I heard that one while waiting for someones bike to get a tire mounted in the middle of nowhere?  

but these can be planned - e.g. I rode with someone from the UK to Munich on motorway. Nearly 1200 miles for him, from the Tyneside base. He got up early the following morning, had a set of tyres changed and joined me back at the hotel for breakfast. I got a lie in  
By 10am we were riding towards the Bavarian Alps and on into Austria. He had a nice new set of Tourances on his R1200GS rather than some with a squared off contact patch from the motorway miles. 

 
 
your right im pretty sure that if i need it i can always have it chanhed along the way pretty easy... im even planning on having my ecu flashed at hermosa beach hehe

[traceroz]

I'm running an Angel GT on the rear, as the OEM was fried at 6000km. The front is still OEM, and looks and feels as good as it ever did.  
Typically, with the type of riding I do (and the appalling B roads I ride), I use 2 rears to every front. I do like to match front and rears, so when the front is toasted I will fit a matching Angel GT, then run the same brand/style for as long as they are available.

 
6000km damm, i seem to go through tire much faster than most, we have crappy roads aswell here... i went through a pr4 in 10-12k km on my sv650 last year when some had reported crazy mileage on those...

What tyre pressures are you running, and how much weight is on the bike?