Mismatched tires (+ little story)

[stevesweetz]

So I just got back from a 2800 mile trip from Pennsylvania to Nova Scotia (awesome place BTW) and brought home two souvenirs: a new chain and a new rear tire.
 
I had been running a set Metzeler Roadtec 01s and about half-way through the trip I got a puncture on the rear.  I rode on the tire for quite a while before I realized I was loosing air.  Bike was a bit squirrelly, but it had been squirrelly the same morning before the tire was punctured due to high cross-winds.  It wasn't until it got really bad that I realized something was wrong and pulled over.
 
But that point, the tread had been eaten up so much by running under-pressure, that it was well into the wear bars (prior to that, they had about 1mm before the wear bars - I figured I'd need a new rear after the trip anyway).  Plugged it and luckily it was only 50 miles to the nearest big city (Dartmouth - Halifax).  Roadtec 01 still isn't very commonly found at this point.  Dealer I went to had Road 5s and Angel GTs, but I didn't want to get too expensive a tire if I would end up replacing it when getting home.  So I got Bridgestone T30 EVOs.
 
It turns out I like the T30s.  They have a less aggressive profile than the Metzelers.  So while they feel a tiny bit slower to turn-in, they correspondingly feel a bit more stable in turns.  I feel like I can hold a line better.  So I'm actually not super hot to ditch the new T30 for a replacement Roadtec.
 
The Roadtec on the front still has plenty of life left on it though.  So what do guys think - should I just run mismatched?  Or do I get a T30 front to match the rear?
 
 
PS Regarding the chain - I had 10,500 miles on the chain before starting the trip.  About 900 miles into the trip, some of the links started to stick and I found at least one link that had shed its O-ring. I could definitely feel a bit of unevenness in power delivery.  I was fairly confident the chain would still make it at least to the end of the trip, but I figured since the rear wheel was going to be off, I might as well have the shop put on a new chain as well.  So I'm also running new chain on old sprockets, which I know is bad, but the sprockets still look fine to me.
 
PPS Props to Pro Cycle in Dartmouth that did the work.  I was very happy with the job they did.
 
 
 

[bigorangecntry07]

Some people will swear by only running matching tires, I'm in the same boat right now, still have the stock D222 front with a PR5 rear. I think its fine to run until it's worn out.
As for the sprockets old sprockets are just fine as long as the teeth are not worn. I've run a few chains on the same sprockets as long as they weren't worn.

[koth442]

Run whatever suits your fancy. You'll be fine. Unless you're out dragging knee through the twisties or doing trackdays.

[bamarider]

Run whatever suits your fancy. You'll be fine. Unless you're out dragging knee through the twisties or doing trackdays.

 
 
What he said.

[crempel]

I’ll chime in with the others and agree. I have run many miss matched pairs of tires over the years and never had a lick of trouble. The chain and sprocket‘s though I tend to replace as a set. I’ve never been a big fan of  Bridgestone over the years for whatever reasons, but recently, due to a post on this forum, i found a pair of the brand new T31s on sale with a big rebate from Bridgestone. By the time all was said and done,down I paid $165 for them, including shipping. like them a lot. And I would still like them if I had paid a normal price for them. They have excellent grip and tremendous road feel.  I live in an area where the roads are all twisty, so at 3000 miles the shoulders of the  rear tire is getting fairly close to the wear bars but there’s plenty of tread in the center. The front is showing much less where which is a bit unusual for me here since I usually wear out the front at the same time as the back if not sooner. Please don’t take my mileage results as typical. I ride with a bunch of guys on Sunday mornings who are pretty fast and we all chew up tires no matter what riding.

[2and3cylinders]

I’ll chime in with the others and agree. I have run many miss matched pairs of tires over the years and never had a lick of trouble. The chain and sprocket‘s though I tend to replace as a set. I’ve never been a big fan of  Bridgestone over the years for whatever reasons, but recently, due to a post on this forum, i found a pair of the brand new T31s on sale with a big rebate from Bridgestone. By the time all was said and done,down I paid $165 for them, including shipping. like them a lot. And I would still like them if I had paid a normal price for them. They have excellent grip and tremendous road feel.  I live in an area where the roads are all twisty, so at 3000 miles the shoulders of the  rear tire is getting fairly close to the wear bars but there’s plenty of tread in the center. The front is showing much less where which is a bit unusual for me here since I usually wear out the front at the same time as the back if not sooner. Please don’t take my mileage results as typical. I ride with a bunch of guys on Sunday mornings who are pretty fast and we all chew up tires no matter what riding.

You can't see them but I'm rubbing my right index finger and thumb together playing the world's smallest violin because I feel SO sorry for you because you have worn out the shoulders of your rear tire before the center. 
Still, 3k miles is NOT a lot from any modern sport touring tire like the T31.
 
And if you care, running "mis-matched" tires may void each mfgr's warranties but these days it's usually not an issue.
 
I was not impressed by the 01's (got less than 8k miles from them) and currently am running my first set of RS3's which I like well enough (I have a second set waiting that I paid $200 total for) I spooned on and balanced myself (there's a No Mar tire changer and static balancer in my shop) after the Metzeler 01's (which were over $300) and sketchy OEM Dunlop RS; the latter of which though lasted amazingly over 10,000 miles maybe more (brain fade).
 
 
 

[betoney]

i found a pair of the brand new T31s on sale with a big rebate from Bridgestone. By the time all was said and done,down I paid $165 for them, including shipping.

 
Where did you find them that cheap?  I know that there is a $60 rebate but still, that is a great price for a $300 set of tires.
 
 

[stevesweetz]

I was not impressed by the 01's (got less than 8k miles from them) and currently am running my first set of RS3's which I like well enough (I have a second set waiting that I paid $200 total for) I spooned on and balanced myself (there's a No Mar tire changer and static balancer in my shop) after the Metzeler 01's (which were over $300) and sketchy OEM Dunlop RS; the latter of which though lasted amazingly over 10,000 miles maybe more (brain fade). 
 

Based on how much tread I had left on the Roadtec before the puncture, I figure I was going to get around 7500-8000 miles on them too.  I didn't think that was bad for a fairly sporty tire. 
I quite liked them, but in comparison to the T30 I now feel the profile on them is more aggressive than I need.  I've touched down the pegs on a few rare occasions and there was still a centimeter of chicken strip left on them as compared to "flatter" profile tires like the T30s or OEM Roadsmarts where it's more like 1mm of unused tire.  I figure that means I'm actually getting a smaller contact patch at the lean angles I actually ride at.  Hence why the T30s feel a bit more stable (but slower).
 
Two guys on the trip had Roadsmart 3s, which also have a flatter profile, and quite liked them.  I may give them a shot next.

[superfist]

I'm running mismatched tires right now. PR5 up front and a Roadtech01 in the rear.
 
I think it's fine as long as the tires are made for similar purpose. For instance, I wouldn't run a PR5 up front and a Dunlop Q3+ in the rear. The tires should just run similar operating temperature ranges for grip.

[vijay]

I'm running Dunlop RS3 up front with pirelli angel ST in back ... due to a puncture in sidewall. With almost 4,500 on the RS3 front and 2000 on Angel ST in back I have suffered no adverse handling ... rain or shine and like the feel so much I may just stick with it. Although the Angel ST seems to be wearing a bit quicker than the RS3 rear was.
 

[crempel]

Hey, I grew up in the Canadian prairies, so I know and rode straight flat boring rides for a good part of my life. Don’t hate me because I know live in western NC and now get/have to ride nothing but twisties. I will soldier on and replace my tires every 4K miles. (Some have been much lower)I have tried about everything from Michelin, Dunlop, Pirelli, um, ahem Shinko, Avon, Continental, Metzler, and now Bridgestone. Nothing I can find will go more than 4K miles around here with the riding I do. Again, to restate, don’t take my mileage as anything resembling typical or what you should expect, but I can sure tell you for a certainty what handles best, what sticks the best, and what has the best road feel. I really like these stones.  I have not tried the Road 5 but even Michelin doesn’t claim increased mileage over the 4. The 3s and 4s got scary handling when worn. Especially the fronts.
 
I think I found an accidental price listing earlier this year. The next day it was gone, but the damage was done. I think it was MotoSport. To their credit, they honored the price even though they had to be losing money. 

[superfist]

I think that's one of the issues Michelin worked on with the PR5. They claim that the PR5 at 20% worn will have the same grip levels as a brand new PR4. Whether that's a linear relationship, I suppose I'll find out as the front wears.
 
That's a great endorsement of the Bridgestones though and I'll have to consider them. The Metzler rear was really nice when it was new, but it squares off pretty quickly with regular commuting and loses that quick tip-in feel I liked when they were new. I'm guessing you don't have any issues with squaring or center tread longevity.