180 60 17 or 190 55 17 or stock 180 55 17 for zx6r 2009 | GTAMotorcycle.com

180 60 17 or 190 55 17 or stock 180 55 17 for zx6r 2009

kania

kania

Well-known member
I know someone already posted a question about tire size and I do want to get tire warmers for next season... been doing some searching on the net basically some people say its a good thing to go bigger some people say its not that great as you are changing the geometry of the bike? since the rim width is 5.5 on my bike it really doesn't sit the same way as it would on a 6inch rim... then again more tire will have a better contact patch on lean angel... doesn't anyone have any experience with this ?

my bike is a zx6r 2009
 
i always use the size that the bike came with.That is what the bike is designed for.You can't out-engineer Honda/Kawasaki/Suzuki/Yamaha. Having said that,you could probably out engineer the guys at Harley though.
 
Bobo said:
i always use the size that the bike came with.That is what the bike is designed for.You can't out-engineer Honda/Kawasaki/Suzuki/Yamaha. Having said that,you could probably out engineer the guys at Harley though.
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......:rolleyes:
 
Even if a tire is marked as the same size as in the manual, every manufacturer has different specs for shape and size. Overall width and diameter will not be the same between manufacturers and models.

As for using different sizes, yes it will make a difference but it won't be catastrophic. You may not even feel a difference in some cases.

On my 2007 ZX6R I've used 190/55, 180/55 and even 190/650 Bridgestone which is a different measurement. Without changing the bike at all (and always a 120/70 front) I noticed differences like quicker or slower turning and more or less braking stability. Tire construction plays a part in this also. In any case the bike was still perfectly rideable.

I've settled on Dunlop GPA 190/55. They make it for 5.5" rim since it is the 600 race spec tire.

Bottom line, don't be afraid to try. Tire warmers will fit on any of them.
 
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I used 200's on my 2005 ZX6RR - the result without any setting changes was the bike running wide out of the apex. This was easily solved with some geometry changes and the end result was a bike that was a lot more stable when trail braking and a lot more confidence when I got on the gas out of a corner.

Is this right? I don't know but this is what i felt.
 
I know Pro6 Sandy runs a 200 slick on his R6 also, and he said it's perfectly fine. Likely with some adjustments too. You might start to run into clearance issues with the tire warmer and rear hugger though.
 
doozerdave said:
I know Pro6 Sandy runs a 200 slick on his R6 also, and he said it's perfectly fine. Likely with some adjustments too. You might start to run into clearance issues with the tire warmer and rear hugger though.
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I do also on both my R6s, 200 dunlop
 
What do you hope to gain? You say you're just getting tire warmers now, which to me sounds like you're fairly new to track days. If you think you need more traction by getting a bigger tire then I think you're probably just wasting your money. 180 provides more than enough grip. People race on 180's... SV650's run with a 160 and there are many SV riders who corner faster than 600 riders.
 
doozerdave said:
What do you hope to gain? You say you're just getting tire warmers now, which to me sounds like you're fairly new to track days. If you think you need more traction by getting a bigger tire then I think you're probably just wasting your money. 180 provides more than enough grip. People race on 180's... SV650's run with a 160 and there are many SV riders who corner faster than 600 riders.
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I hope to gain so knowledge as to why people go with a bigger tire.. iv been tracking for the past 2 years now.. basically just love it and want to really get to know the ins and outs of things.. granted you get more then enough grip on the 180s then why do people go with a bigger tire in the back has to be more to it then that... if there wasn't then they would stick with the 180s rite? Anyhow I'm up for new tires and would love to hear people's opinion as to why they went for the bigger tire.. and then I can make my choice from that .. thanks

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Yep, I hear ya. Just checking because SO many people just like the look of a fatter tire. haha...

So, in the case of Dunlop DOT race tires there is no 180, so that's why everyone uses a 190 on the 600's 5.5" rim. As I already mentioned, it's made for 5.5" so it's perfect. With the 200 slick it's not directional so that's an advantage since you can flip it to get the most out of the rubber. The new GPA Pro 190 rear is also reversible, but the cost of those tires is the same as a set of slicks so it's a real toss-up which one to choose. I'm on the fence right now. I really want to try the GPA Pro's and also want to try the slicks (I've only ever used Bridgestone and Pirelli slicks). I'm leaning towards the GPA Pro because I've just made some huge changes to my bike setup and it feels very very good so I don't want to mess with the geometry too much for at least a season.
 
I run 180 190 and 200 on my 1000. The only difference i notice is the taller sidewall on the same width heels better for me. Width alone hasnt shown me much difference in lap time. If your not racing i would buy what ever is cheapest until your out riding the tire. I would also only run a slick or even a d211 dot with warmers. If you not running warmers your just wasting time/money.

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